Retired officers sue Da'i, Megaawati

JAKARTA (JP): A group of retired senior police officers have filed lawsuits with the State Administrative Court against President Megawati Soekarnoputri and National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar over what they say was their forced early retirement.

The lawsuits were filed in response to a decree from Da'i proposing their retirement, and a presidential decree accepting the proposal.

Included among the officers filing lawsuits against either Da'i, Megawati or both, are former Jakarta Police chief Comr. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman, former Jambi Police chief Brig. Gen. Toto Soenarjo Soewali and a number of senior commissioners and adjutant senior commissioners.

The lawyer for the officers, Adnan Buyung Nasution, said his clients decided on the lawsuits on May 30, after the Supreme Court suggested in a decree that the officers take legal action to resolve the dispute.

Da'i issued a decree last December proposing the officers' retirement. At the time of this decree, the old law on the police was still in effect, and according to this law the retirement age for officers was 55.

But the President issued a decree accepting Dai's proposal in May, after a new law had been endorsed by the House of Representatives. --JP