Ryamizard considers replacing Bukit Barisan military chief

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said he was considering replacing Maj. Gen. Idris Gassing, the current chief of the Bukit Barisan Military Command overseeing North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau, in the light of the Binjai incident, which he said had badly tarnished the image of the Army.

Ryamizard also said he was considering the possible disbandment of the Army airborne battalion stationed in Namo Sira-sira, near Binjai, some 30 kilometers north of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra.

"I'm considering replacing him (Idris Gassing). But it will also depend on the results of the ongoing evaluation of the incident," he said after a rehearsal for the celebration of the Indonesian Military's 57th anniversary here on Thursday.

Six commanders of the battalion were replaced on Wednesday while 20 soldiers involved in the bloody attack on the Langkat Police Station and Mobile Brigade headquarters on Sept. 27, which killed five police officers, one soldier, and two civilians, were dishonorably discharged.

The assault was triggered by the police's refusal to release a detained drug trafficker whose business was backed up by the battalion's soldiers.

The Army chief explained that whether Idris would be punished or not depended on his responsibility for the incident. He (Idris) would be replaced should such an action be recommended following the ongoing evaluation.

Meanwhile, TNI commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said separately that the airborne battalion had been disbanded for the time being but whether the disbandment would be permanent or temporary would depend on the evaluation.

"All measures taken in light of the incident must be based on the (military) law," he said.

Endriartono said the Army was still investigating the incident and was looking into its root cause so as to avoid similar incidents in the future.

During the evaluation, he said, the evaluators were expected to inquire into the frequent clashes between Army and police personnel, and the separation of authority between the two institutions.

Asked to comment on the practice of servicemen holding part- time jobs to gain additional income, Endriartono said soldiers who could not survive on their current pay should leave the service.

Maj. Gen. Slamet Supriadi, chairman of the Indonesian Military/National Police faction in the House of Representatives, said the dismissal of the 20 soldiers and the replacement of the airborne unit's leadership did not resolve the main problems.

"The root problems are the education of soldiers, the military's judicial system, discipline, recruitment and the welfare of soldiers," he said.

He pointed to the qualifications required by the Army and the police for new recruits.

"It will only be possible to make soldiers comply with both military and civilian law if they are better paid," he said.

The Binjai incident had raised new problems not only for the military but also for the public at large.

"Civilians should not seek protection from either the police or the military to back up their businesses because this could lead to conflicts similar to the Binjai gunfight," he said.

Given its new paradigm, the question of whether the military would become a small organization or a big institution would depend on the people and the (country's) leaders, he said.