Pro-Susilo soldier blamed for election attacks

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung

Dozens of students rallied here on Tuesday to demand an investigation into a soldier who allegedly assaulted poll officials in Bandung, West Java, during the presidential election.

The demonstrators accused First Sgt. Kusnaidi from the Pemeungpeuk Military District Command of attacking at least eight poll officials in the hamlet of Wangunsari, Patrolsari village, Banjaran district.

The alleged incident took place at 9 p.m. on July 5 when the officials refused to vote for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said rally coordinator Sonny.

Among those allegedly assaulted by the soldier were Karna, 25, who received injuries to the jaw and abdomen; Udin, 39, who suffered a swollen left eye; Dadang, 28, and Nanang, 29, both of whom sustained bruises to their faces.

A fifth poll official, Ika, 34, suffered damage to her ear and can no longer hear out of the affected ear.

A student election monitoring team led by Deky Hisyanto confirmed the attack by Kusnaidi.

The monitoring team quoted the poll officials as saying they were beaten for defying the soldier's order to vote for Susilo.

According to witnesses, Kusnaidi asked 10 officials from the Wangunsari polling station during a meeting called by local neighborhood unit heads which candidate they had voted for.

Eight of them said they did not vote for Susilo and Kusnaidi slapped each of them in the face, according to Deky.

Sonny said that three days after the incident, the victims brought a complaint to the Pamuengpeuk Police, who handed the matter over to the Bandung Police.

The police then sent the victims' complaint to the Cimahi military police for follow-up, he said.

Soldiers are investigated and prosecuted by the military police even if involved in criminal cases.

The protesters, grouped in the Student Focus on Political Sciences (FMIP), rallied at the West Java legislative council to demand an investigation into the alleged attack.

The incident was an "insult to democracy" and "part of military intervention in politics" and must be investigated, said Sonny, who is also the FMIP secretary.

"Factually, the military remains partial as they have destroyed the people's learning process of democracy," he said.

The students demanded the council set up a special committee of inquiry into the case.

Councillor Arsyad Ardiansyah, who met with demonstrators, vowed to help summon officials from all relevant parties to discuss and follow up on the case.

"We do not yet know how this problem took place. So we will soon gather information," he said.

However, the head of the Bandung Election Supervisory Committee, Mansyur Ma'mun, said on Tuesday he was told by Cimahi Military commander Lt. Col. Ahmad Saefudin the incident had nothing to do with the election but was a personal dispute.

"Pak Saefudin said the soldier in concern has been detained for interrogation. According to the suspect, he slapped the people in the face because they were too lazy to carry out night patrols" and the soldier was tired of patrolling alone, Mansyur said.

He said the case was being manipulated because several of the victims were supporters of Susilo rival Megawati Soekarnoputri, adding that the Panwaslu would not follow up on the incident.