Police chief backs banning of armed civilian groups
Police chief backs banning of armed civilian groups
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar expressed support on
Wednesday for a policy to ban militant organizations, but said it
would be difficult to carry out in the absence of a legal
umbrella for its implementation.
Da'i said civilians had no authority to possess weapons and
anyone doing so would face stern sanctions.
"Civilians are not allowed to possess both firearms and
homemade weapons as it is against Emergency Law No. 12/1951.
Should the civilians use their weapons to fight against other
civilians, the police are authorized to seize them.
"But disbanding these groups is impossible, because we (the
police) can only dissolve an organization if the government
declares it unlawful," Da'i told The Jakarta Post after attending
a special meeting on political and security affairs in Jakarta.
Any person found violating emergency laws faces a maximum jail
term of 20 years.
The presence of armed civilians in the country has been
condemned by rights activists, considering that these groups have
the potential to commit human rights violations.
Several groups, such as the Bogor-based Mujahiddin Youth Force
(AMIN), have also been accused of being involved in a series of
bomb attacks across the country, but only a few of its members
have been punished.
Many believe that these armed groups have won the support of
the military and the police on the grounds that "the civilians
have to develop their own defense system against possible
threats."
The establishment of militia groups in East Timor prior to the
UN-sponsored 1999 ballot, as well as the Pamswakarsa and Islam
Defenders Front (FPI), is believed to have strong connections to
the military and police.
The hardline Laskar Jihad is believed to have fueled the
situation in the country's conflict-torn regions, while security
authorities have failed to take action against them.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu has said that there
were no reasons to arm civilian groups as they would only
interfere with security and order.
However, rights activists have demanded that the security
authorities disclose the reasons why they established these armed
civilian groups and then disband them.