Police yet to recover missing marijuana

Police yet to recover missing marijuana

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

Police have yet to locate 1.5 tons of marijuana that went missing
and 61 prisoners who escaped after soldiers from Army Airborne
Battalion/PS attacked the Langkat Police station on Sept. 27.

North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Ansyad Mbai said on
Wednesday that so far the police had no clues as to who took the
drugs.

"A joint military-police investigation team will unravel the
case, including locating the missing 1.5 tons of marijuana and
the prisoners from the Langkat Police station," Ansyad told The
Jakarta Post.

He refused, however, to disclose if his personnel were
encountering any difficulties in investigating the whereabouts of
the drugs.

Two weeks ago, Binjai was rocked by a nine-hour gunfight
between the Army's Airborne unit and police there.

The bloody incident took place when hundreds of Army soldiers
attacked the Langkat Police station after police there refused a
soldier's request to release a suspected drug dealer.

At least eight men, including two civilians, were killed in
the incident, in which 1.5 tons of marijuana went missing and 61
prisoners, mostly suspected drug dealers, escaped.

Dozens of police and soldiers were also injured in the fight.

Following the incident, the Army discharged 28 soldiers and
demoted four officers. Army leaders have also promised to bring
those responsible to justice.

Bukit Barisan Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Nurdin
Sulistyo said that the Military Police were trying to recover the
drugs and brushed aside allegations that the military had stolen
the marijuana.

"The allegations are not true. We received reports that the
marijuana had been stolen by civilians, but who? We have yet to
find out," Nurdin told the Post.

He promised that the military would provide the police with
any kind of assistance needed to recover the missing drugs and
prisoners.

In a bid to investigate the incident, the Military Police also
interrogated some 100 soldiers from the airborne unit.

Nurdin said that the soldiers were interrogated for their
alleged role in provoking and participating in the clash with the
police.

He said that the investigation may involve more soldiers as
the airborne unit consists of about 700.

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said
on Wednesday that there was a possibility that the bloody clash
was provoked by a third party.

"We've found signs that a third party was involved, but we
aren't sure yet," Endriartono said on the sidelines of a meeting
discussing marine security.

He said that one of the soldiers who appeared active during
the shooting was an Acehnese with a Javanese name.

"He had fake identity cards, including a birth certificate
stating that he was Javanese," Endriartono said. "We suspect that
he masterminded (the attack)."

But he said the soldier, whom he did not identify by name or
rank, might have pretended to be Javanese out of fear that the
Army would refuse to draft him if he was Acehnese.

He did not say if the soldier was still at large or in the
custody of military police.

Endriartono also said that TNI was undecided on whether to
disband Battalion 100, with the reasoning that the unit's good
name had been tainted.

With no pride for their unit, soldiers could not perform at
their best, he explained.