Pressure mounts for withdrawal of civilian guards

JAKARTA (JP): Calls have mounted for the decommissioning of all civilian security personnel deployed to safeguard the Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) after minor clashes between the untrained guards and student demonstrators erupted in South and Central Jakarta.

Former minister of defense and security Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat likened the tight security in place around the House of Representatives/People's Consultative Assembly compound to the guard placed around Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

A joint statement issued by Abdurrahman Wahid, Amien Rais, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and Megawati Soekarnoputri urged all civilian security volunteers "to disperse immediately and return home to avoid worsening the situation."

Golkar faction chairman Marzuki Darusman and Golkar faction member Juwono Sudarsono, who is also Minister of Education and Culture, urged the police to disband the civilian force and leave security to the professionals.

Human Rights Watch Asia director Sidney Jones, stated Tuesday that: "Every time in the recent past that the Indonesian military has used civilian guards to counter civilian protests, it has made the situation worse."

Sociologist Selo Sumardjan said the deployment of civilians was "ironic since the ABRI Commander has said the Armed Forces are a professional entity."

Meanwhile, foreign envoys expressed relief that the situation appeared to be calmer than had been feared before the session opened.

Germany's Ambassador to Indonesia Heinrich Seemann told Antara that foreign countries were monitoring developments in the situation closely and described the early signs as encouraging.

"The security situation is good," Saudi Arabian envoy Abdullah Abdurrahman Alim said.

Late on Tuesday, Jakarta Police chief/Jakarta Operational Commander Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman ordered the confiscation of all sharp weapons from the civilian security force. Earlier in the day, the Army and Police had denied all knowledge of civilian security personnel armed with sharp weapons.

After the Special Session's opening, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo H.S. and National Police Chief Lt. Gen. Roesmanhadi said they had no knowledge of civilian security guards roaming the streets brandishing sharpened bamboo canes and other offensive weapons. The officers are members of the Armed Forces faction in the Assembly.

When informed that armed civilian gangs were invariably accompanied by military personnel, Subagyo said he had yet to meet any such groups.

Roesmanhadi reiterated that he had ordered Jakarta Police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman not to deploy armed civilians and suggested that the sharpened bamboo sticks were simply intended for use as "flag masts." He declined to comment when asked to confiscate the sharpened canes.

Noegroho is in charge of 30,000 police and military personnel backed up by 125,000 civilians deployed to ensure the session proceeds smoothly. He had earlier said there was a shortage of professional security personnel and that civilian guards would only be equipped with unsharpened bamboo canes.

D&R quoted a volunteer security guard from the Pemuda Pancamarga organization as saying that he was being paid Rp 7,500 a day for his services -- Rp 5,000 from the organization and the remainder from the local police.

Regarding Monday's stone pelting between vigilantes and students at the Atmajaya University in Central Jakarta on Monday, National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar Sianipar said the volunteers "just wanted to pay a courtesy call" on the students. (emf/45/prb)