Over 370 servicemen punished since January
Over 370 servicemen punished since January
JAKARTA (JP): The City Military Police have punished 24 servicemen and police officers for various violations in the last month, bringing the total to 376 since January, Commander Col. Djasri Marin said yesterday.
Fifteen of the officers were found to have committed crimes, eight to have breached military discipline and one to have violated a traffic law, Djasri said. They were all caught during last month's discipline drive among military men.
Most of the violators were members of the Army, he said.
Djasri said that some of the servicemen and police were dismissed, while the others were sent to jail by military tribunals, or punished physically.
He appealed to the public to report any crimes committed by members of the military or police officers to the Military Police.
"The Military Police will not hesitate to take tough action against any military violators," the colonel said.
With the 24 violators, a total of 376 people have been punished from January to October, he said.
"The Military Police also plans to take actions against those found trading in military uniforms and equipment," he said. He said that the man posing as an Army captain, who was arrested in West Jakarta on Wednesday, had illegally procured the uniform he was wearing.
Djasri said military clothes and equipment are sold illegally in the city's markets, such as Senen and Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Plumpang in North Jakarta.
"We will increase supervision to prevent officers from selling their military uniforms and equipment," Djasri said.
Shots
Djasri also said that the cases of the three military men arrested for firing shots at a five-star hotel and headquarters in Central Jakarta had been processed.
The dossiers of the three will be handed over to the military prosecutors' office soon.
Capt. Rusli, head of the City Military Intelligence Body, told The Jakarta Post that the suspects, identified as Bambang, Sugeng and Khasan, are a marine corporal and privates respectively.
The three are charged with not reporting the possession of a gun. The gun belonged to a former serviceman identified as Prabowo, who is now in police custody.
If proven guilty they could get a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Rusli said the gun used by the suspects was a 7.62 mm Mauser. The shots were fired while they were trying out the Belgium-made sniping rifle Prabowo had stolen.
The owner of the gun is Hengky Setiawan, chief of the Cirebon branch of the Indonesian Shooting Association (Perbakin), Rusli said.
So far the military police have not yet found any connection between the gunshots and the wedding of film star Onky Alexander and businesswoman Paula Saroinsong.
The bullets broke windows at the hotel on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 29. The couple held their wedding reception there in the evening. (29)