Pressure mounts for withdrawal of civilian guards

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)