One dies in West Kalimantan clash between TNI soldiers and police

Bambang Bider and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Pontianak/Jakarta

Indonesia Military (TNI) personnel and police officers clashed on Tuesday in Wanawa, West Kalimantan, leaving one TNI soldier dead, one badly hurt and two police officers severely wounded, just a week after a similar incident in Palopo, South Sulawesi.

The incident began when TNI's Second Pvt. Supriyadi was hit by a bus. Fearing a revenge attack from other TNI soldiers, the bus driver sought protection at a nearby police station.

Shortly afterwards, several TNI members came to the station and asked the police officer on duty, Second Brig. Nanang Jatmika, to hand over the bus driver, who had been sent to another district police station. Unable to find the bus driver at the station and unhappy with the reception they received the soldiers beat up Nanang, inflicting serious injuries.

The group of soldiers then left for Mempawah District police station to seek the driver, but were unable to find him there either. So they went to Pontianak police station, where one of the soldiers started to fire his gun, severely injuring Second Brig. Uray Tery.

They then came to a subdistrict police station in Mempawah, where police and the soldiers engaged in a brief exchange of fire. One soldier, Second Sgt. Triyono, was killed in the incident.

"The situation calmed after a meeting between Kalimantan military chief Maj. Gen. Hery Cahyana and West Kalimantan Police chief Insp. Gen. Iwan Pandjiwinata," said National Police deputy public relations chief Brig. Gen. Soenarko.

He also said that no one had been declared a suspect yet but both security forces would investigate the incident.

"The first priority is to bring the situation under control. When it cools down, we can start investigating," said Soenarko.

The shootout was the latest of many clashes that have occurred between the two security forces since the police force was separated from the military in 1999.

A week earlier, a similar incident happened in Palopo, Luwu regency in South Sulawesi, leaving a police officer and soldier severely wounded. There were no fatalities.

In September 2002, eight people were killed in 10 hours of fighting between the Army and police in Binjai town, North Sumatra.

Firearms, grenades and mortars were used in the clash that followed an attempt by several soldiers to seek the release of a civilian "friend" detained by police on drugs charges.

In February this year, soldiers and police officers were involved in a clash in Dumai, a Riau port town, in which two policemen were injured. The clash was sparked by an earlier brawl between hoodlums and soldiers in a red-light district some 15 kilometers from Dumai.

Clashes are sometimes triggered by disputes over protection rackets independently operated by soldiers and police.

The chiefs of both forces usually pledge that there will be no repeat incidents. However, the pledge appears to mean little to the rank and file.

On the sidelines of a seminar in Jakarta, Ministry of Defense Director-General for Defense Strategy Maj. Gen. Sudrajat said that the recurring incidents were caused by the separation between the TNI and the Police. Previously they were under one command.

"We hope that our national leaders and House members can rethink the laws that regulate the separation because there are some problems in their implementation," he said.