Seven soldiers discharged for animal theft
Seven soldiers discharged for animal theft
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang
The Indonesian Military (TNI) has dishonorably discharged seven
of its personnel arrested for stealing six cows belonging to
residents of Sulamu village in East Nusa Tenggara province, local
TNI commanders said on Wednesday.
Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. William T. da Costa, who
is responsible for security in NTT and Bali, said the seven
soldiers were dismissed from the Army due to their involvement in
the armed theft.
The official order for their discharge would soon be issued,
he said.
The suspects are First Lt. A.H., the commander of the Naibonat
military unit, and six of his subordinates.
William said A.H.'s unnamed superior would also be punished
for allegedly allowing his subordinates to carry weapons without
permits.
However, the form of the punishment had not been decided upon
yet, he added.
William further said the accused soldiers had tarnished the
TNI's reputation amid its efforts to boost its image, already
reeling from accusations of human rights abuses and other crimes
across the country.
The local Military Police have completed their investigation
of the seven suspects, and their files were handed over to
military prosecutors on Thursday.
Their trials are expected to be held soon in a military court,
spokesman for Kupang's Wirasakti Military Command, Capt.
Longginus Lelo, said.
He said the accused soldiers had "offended" military leaders
in the province, adding that they had committed a big blunder as
they used firearms to violate the law.
Wirasakti Military Commander Col. Moeswarno Moesanip had
recommended that the seven soldiers be discharged from the TNI
following the approval of the Udayana Military Commander.
The solder were caught red-handed last Sunday, along with
seven civilian suspects, by Kupang Police. The arrests followed a
complaint from local residents.
The military suspects shot the six cows dead before putting
them on a truck to Naibonat. A group of villagers, claiming to be
the cows' owners, stopped the truck in Sulamu and police officers
then arrived to arrest the suspects.
Moesanip said the military had paid the owners a total of Rp
15 million in compensation for their stolen cattle. --JP