Shoot to cripple, not kill, riot manual says

JAKARTA (JP): Persuasion remains the order of the day for commanders leading antiriot forces to quell student protesters and rioters, according to a military manual.

Although each antiriot unit is supported by three troopers carrying firearms, they must never open fire unless persuasion or other alternatives, like using batons and tear gas to push back and disperse the crowd, have been used.

Shooting is the last resort, and is intended to cripple rather than kill, the manual says.

The weapon-carrying personnel are given three kinds of bullets: blanks, rubber bullets and live ammunition. They must be used in that order, if at all.

Ultimately, it is up to the commander who gives the order to shoot, according to the manual. The lowest level officer with the authority to give such an order is a platoon leader.

The manual, issued in March 1997 to tighten procedures in riot handling, clearly puts the responsibility on the commander, who is at the top of the chain of command in the field.

Prior to the existence of the manual, there have been various incidents in which rioters and demonstrators were killed. Low- ranking security personnel, rather than their commanders, were later court-martialed and convicted for wrongful procedures.

The manual was drawn up using as a reference the 1990 Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by law enforcement officials.

It says that blanks are to be used for warning shots to disperse the crowd.

Rubber or plastic bullets are intended to cripple rioters with a view of forcing the crowd to disperse. They may only be used from a range of at least 50 meters. Fired from a closer range, such bullets can be fatal.

Live ammunition is only to be used in self-defense to cripple rioters who are clearly threatening to kill others or cause heavy material damage.

Each weapon-carrying trooper is supplied with a green magazine containing 15 blanks, a yellow magazine with 15 rubber bullets and at least one red magazine with 15 rounds of live ammunition.

When giving the order to shoot, the commander can simply shout out the color: "Fire green!", "Fire yellow!" or "Fire red!"

The commander must appeal to the crowd to disperse, through a megaphone, three times before issuing any order to shoot.

A "fire red" order is intended to bring down the "leader" of the rioters. The marksman must aim at his leg and is only permitted to fire once, and wait for the next order.

If the condition worsens despite a "fire red" order, the commander has the authority to proceed with actions he deems appropriate.