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.