Soldiers accused of damaging houses

Soldiers accused of damaging houses

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Eleven soldiers have been accused of vandalizing three new houses
on Jl. Jembawan I in Kali Banteng Kulon subdistrict, Semarang,
Central Java.Soldiers accused of damaging houses

A group of men arrived at the scene at 10 a.m. on Monday and
started smashing roof tiles, breaking down doors and walls and
shattering windows in houses owned by Giyono, Yanto and Joni,
said local villagers.

They said five of the men wore full military uniforms and
carried rifles. Another was a military police officer and the
remaining five wore military T-shirts.

"They kicked, battered doors down and broke roof tiles," said
an eyewitness.

Lt. Col. Agus Subroto, spokesman for the Diponegoro Military
Command overseeing security in Central Java province, confirmed
Monday's attack by soldiers.

The vandalism was intended to warn the owners of the three
houses and others to stop construction activities on the land,
which Agus claimed belonged to the Indonesian Military (TNI).

He said such the violent move was the sixth such incident
involving TNI personnel in an effort to evict local residents
from the disputed area in West Semarang district.

Local residents said that three months ago, the house of Aang
Suripto had also been vandalized by suspected TNI members.

The owners of the three vandalized houses were not around when
the incident took place. Police officers and other state
officials at the scene refused to comment on the incident.

However, local villager Kasmani said the new houses had been
constructed on land rightfully purchased by the house owners.

They each bought a plot measuring 54 square meters for Rp 6
million (US$700.00) from an unidentified developer.

Semarang Police chief of detectives Comr. Wagisan, who was at
the scene, said the case was being dealt with by the military
police office.

Semarang Military Police chief Lt. Col. Bambang Sumarsono
acknowledged that he had received a report on vandalism allegedly
committed by TNI members.

"We have dispatched personnel to investigate the case. But as
of this afternoon, I haven't received any results," he said.