Military deserters wanted
Military deserters wanted
JAKARTA (JP): City Military Police are looking for 22 deserters as part of efforts to discipline personnel, an officer said yesterday.
"Initially we recorded 27 deserters. We have arrested five of them," Col. Imamul Achjar, head of the City Military Police, said, adding that the number could possibly increase.
Achjar told reporters that the City Military Police have launched Wibawa Operation, specially designed to discipline military officials.
The operation, which was launched on April 1 this year, and will continue through March 1, 1996, involves 160 military police officers.
Such an operation has actually been a regular program of the city's military police, but, Achjar said, this year's program was significant as it is taking place around the time President Soeharto will launch the national discipline movement on May 20, 1995.
In connection with the national discipline movement, chief of the city's military, Maj. Gen. Wiranto has ordered his men to improve the level of their discipline as this is conductive to the success of the program.
"I hope all military officers in Jakarta will become pioneers in keeping order and discipline," Wiranto told his personnel.
Despite routine operations held by the military police, Wiranto acknowledged that military officers still often violate the law.
He said that included in the violations committed by military officials are: violations of law, discipline and order, traffic violations, desertion, involvement in car and motorbike thefts and misusing firearms.
Achjar disclosed that during the first week of the Wibawa Operation, military police had found 30 military officers breaching the law, and confiscated 23 motorcycles and five cars. The violators will face trial at the military court.
Data at the military police office recorded 921 violations committed by military officers in 1993, and 591 violations in 1994.
It also recorded that 25 deserters were detained in 1993, and 33 deserters were arrested in 1994. (29)