TNI to leave vital facilities within a year

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is finishing a decree that will give the Indonesian Military (TNI) one year to leave vital installations across the country.

During a limited Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Megawati approved the proposal that would leave security arrangements in the vital installations to the respective companies.

"The main point of the decree is that security is the responsibility of the respective owners of the installation and we expect a transfer of authority (from TNI) within one year," interim coordinating minister for political and security affairs Hari Sabarno said after the meeting.

There are 66 installations categorized as vital across the country, half of which belong to the energy sector, including mining sites, oil wells and refineries.

Hari said TNI soldiers could return to the installations only at the request of the National Police, who will have to deploy personnel to the installations in the event of security disturbances.

"We will prioritize security at the installations, because if anything happens to them it will affect national stability," Hari said.

The draft decree also requires that the police improve their capability in maintaining security at the vital installations.

Earlier in the day, National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said the police could not take over the job from the TNI due to a lack of personnel.

Since the economic crisis in 1997 security problems across the country have worsened. TNI soldiers were then placed at strategic sites such as mines, oil refineries and other vital installations.

United States-based PT Freeport Indonesia admitted last year to have allocated funds for the TNI to protect company assets and personnel.

However, last year TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto requested a withdrawal of all soldiers from the strategic sites, saying their placement had tainted the image of the TNI. The request came on the heels of an attack on Freeport employees by unidentified gunmen, in which two Americans and one Indonesian were killed.

The proposal was only recently approved by the government.

"The point is that these companies have neglected their responsibility for security in their own compounds since the deployment of the TNI soldiers," Endriartono said after the meeting.

He underlined that the companies should improve the skills of their security guards.

"It is not the responsibility of the police, nor the TNI. It is their own responsibility to secure their sites, although the security forces will still watch out for them," he remarked.

Deputy secretary of the Cabinet Erman Radjagukguk said the decree would need further discussion as the Cabinet had not yet clearly defined vital installations.

"But the President has instructed that it should be completed by next week. Maybe we will be able to issue it on Monday," Erman told The Jakarta Post.