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.