Officer rules out mass outbreak of unrest in city

Officer rules out mass outbreak of unrest in city

JAKARTA (JP): A senior officer at the Jakarta Military Command
dismissed on Wednesday the possibility of violence breaking out
in the city following the recent suspension of Gen. Wiranto from
his post as coordinating minister for political affairs and
security.

"We have yet to find indications that any groups are
attempting to create unrest in the city following the
suspension," Jakarta Military Command chief of staff Brig. Gen.
A. Yahya said after installing Col. Prijanto as the new
Wijayakarta Military Resort commander at the East Jakarta
Military District Command.

Rumors of an attempted coup were rampant during President
Abdurrahman Wahid's recent 16-day tour abroad, mainly after the
President repeatedly asserted during his trip that he would fire
Wiranto after he was implicated in the post-ballot violence in
East Timor, as recommended by the government-sanctioned
Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) in
East Timor.

The President formally suspended Wiranto from his post on
Monday while waiting for the completion of the investigation into
the case by the Attorney General's Office.

Yahya said members of the Jakarta Military Command would not
be affected by any rumors of a coup attempt.

"The command will remain solid. We're ready to safeguard the
city from any possible unrest," he told reporters.

Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said
the command should prioritize intelligence capability to tackle
any possible security threats in the city.

"Jakarta Military Command members must enhance their
intelligence ability to prevent any threats in the early stages.
The ability will also allow the command to handle the threats
quickly," he said in a written statement read out by Yahya.

Discharge

As part of a move to discipline the command members, Yahya
said the command had discharged six members for desertion since
last year.

"We're searching for nine other command members who have
deserted," he said, adding that an average of one to two command
personnel deserted each year.

Yahya said under military regulations, a soldier is considered
a deserter if he disappears from his unit for more than 30 days
under regular circumstances and for more than 24 hours in times
of warfare.

He said the deserters would receive different kinds of
punishment, accordingly to their degree of faults.

"They can either be suspended, have their salaries reduced or
be discharged," he said.

Transfer

The ceremony saw the handover of the Wijayakarta Military
Resort Command post from Col. George Toisutta to Col. Prijanto.

Col. Prijanto, who graduated from the Armed Forces Academy in
1976, was an assistant to Wiranto during the latter's term as
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander.

Lt. Col. Djazairi Nachrowi, spokesman for the Jakarta Military
Command, said Prijanto had also served as assistant to current
TNI Commander Adm. Widodo AS before he was assigned to the new
post.

George, also a 1976 Armed Forces Academy graduate, will assume
his new post as commander of the Army's Combat Training Center in
Baturaja, Palembang.

Wijayakarta Military Resort Command supervises four district
military commands: East Jakarta, South Jakarta, Bekasi and Depok.
(asa)