Seven presidential guards to stand trial for murder

Seven presidential guards to stand trial for murder

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Seven members of the elite presidential guard (Paspampress) who
were allegedly involved in the torturing to death of a village
head in Lebak Regency, Banten, will be tried before a military
tribunal, says a local military official.

Col. Darmadi, chief of the Military Police in the Siliwangi
Military Command overseeing West Java and Banten, said in Cirebon
on Friday that he had recently submitted the seven suspects' case
files to the military tribunal to be processed in accordance with
military law.

"In addition, we have also proposed that the tribunal
dishonorably discharge the suspects from military service," he
said after swearing in Maj. Rudy Yulianto as chief of the
Military Police unit in the Cirebon Military District to replace
Lt. Col. Soekir, who had been dismissed for indiscipline.

Darmadi declined to specify what kind of indiscipline was
involved, but did admit that Soekir had been insubordinate.

Darmadi said that of the seven suspects, two were from the
Army while five were from the Navy's Marine Corps. The prime
suspect was First Private Marsa who asked the six other suspects
to commit the murder.

The seven suspects were being detained by the Military Police
in Bandung, he added.

Darmadi explained that Marsa admitted that he along with the
six other suspects had tortured the village head to death because
he reported a crime committed by Marsa's younger brother to the
Lebak Police.

"The murder was an act of revenge ... Then, the prime suspect
asked the six others to kill the victim, who was head of
Sukamanah Village, in Malimping Subdistrict, Lebak, on March 28,"
he said.

Their actions could not be tolerated as they had tarnished the
military's image, he added.

Darmadi said that in addition, the Military Police had also
submitted the case file on First Private Amir Machmud, who was
believed to be responsible for the killing of Malaysian citizen
Eng Bong Sing in Cileungsi, Bogor, in January.

Amir is a member of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and
is based in Cijantung, Jakarta.

Darmadi declined to elaborate on the murder case.

He said the Military Police had taken strict action against a
total of 300 servicemen who committed criminal and indisciplined
acts in the two provinces over the last year.

"Their ranks range from private to lieutenant colonel," he
said.

Asked about the indisciplined actions, he said that they were
violations of military regulations.

"Those found guilty of violating military regulations will be
liable to administrative and physical sanctions," he said.