Maluku military helps police to hunt blast suspects

Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta Post, Maluku

Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso, chief of the Pattimura Military Command overseeing Maluku and North Maluku, threw his weight behind a police move to locate the whereabouts of Berty Loupatty alias Berty Coker, who is the leader of the notorious Coker group, in relation to the investigation into acts of terrorism and a series of bomb blasts in Ambon, the capital of Maluku, and on Saparua island.

Djoko also vowed that his command would act resolutely against any military personnel involved in the crimes.

In an apparent bid to show its support, he said the command had assigned two officers to assist the police during the manhunt.

"We support the hunt, and two officers from the command have been sent to join the police," Djoko told a press briefing here on Friday.

The two-star general admitted that long before he was posted to Maluku, he had heard about how the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) employed Berty as an informant in the territory.

However, as soon as he received reports that Berty was indicated to have been involved in various crimes, he immediately instructed the Kopassus officers who "took care of" Berty to let the latter go.

"I heard reports that Berty is a Kopassus informant and he is kept safe in a Kopassus post in the Mardika area, near the Amans Hotel. As soon as I found out that he was involved in various crimes, I ordered the officers to let him go or send him back home," Djoko said.

Insinuating a lack of coordination on the part of the local police, Djoko said he had heard about the arrest of 15 suspects for the blasts and acts of terrorism from the mass media, rather than from the police.

The suspects have been transferred to National Police Headquarters in Jakarta for further questioning.

Djoko also voiced his concern that military personnel were often alleged to be involved in incidents without any information being given to the command.

"I'm concerned as people often point the finger at military personnel when an incident occurs. If they (soldiers) are proven guilty, they will be punished severely," Djoko said, citing the measures taken against Chief Pvt. Kanafi who was punished and dismissed from the military after he along Berty was involved several armed robberies in the city.

Separately, command spokesman Maj. Herry Suhardi said that 600 personnel from the 733 Masariku Airborne Infantry Battalion in the city would be sent back to Papua on Sunday after serving a one-year assignment in the province. But he declined to give comments on whether the pullout has something to do with the allegation into soldiers' involvement in the prolonged conflict in the province.

Herry also disclosed that Ambon Military chief Col. Hudawi Lubis would be replaced by Col. Toni Husodo, who was now serving as an operations assistant to the Pattimura Military commander.

Hudawi was to return to his home base, Kopassus Headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.