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)