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.