Troops blamed for attacking villagers

Troops blamed for attacking villagers

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

A group of suspected soldiers attacked a residential area in
Deliserdang regency, North Sumatra, leaving a number of villagers
injured and their houses damaged, local residents and military
officers said on Wednesday.

The attack, launched on Tuesday night at Fuji Mulyo village,
Sunggal subdistrict, was believed to be revenge for the beating
of a soldier by several youths.

Witnesses said the soldiers became angered after failing to
find those who had allegedly beaten their friend in the village.

Hours later, the victim returned with his colleagues on
motorcycles to attack the villagers, they added.

"At the time, the soldiers damaged houses and a youth post,"
said Paino, a local resident whose house was among those
attacked.

Paino and other witnesses said at least three houses were
damaged and several people injured during the brutal rampage.

F. Purba, another witness, said the problem started at around
10 p.m. on Tuesday and lasted for less than an hour.

He said he and his neighbors had immediately notified local
police officers when the incident was going on, but added they
told them to report it to the nearby military police office.

"The reason was that the incident involved the military.
Therefore, the right institution to deal with the attack was
military police officers," Purba said, quoting what police had
told him.

Maj. Dat Malemate Ginting, an acting spokesman for the Medan
Bukit Barisan military command, confirmed the attack by several
suspected soldiers.

The attack was motivated by the attack of the Indonesian
Military (TNI) soldier, he added.

However, Ginting could not identify the soldiers as an
investigation was underway.

"So far, we don't know who the culprits are and what unit they
belong to. Nor are we certain that the attackers are Army
soldiers because there so many units here," he told The Jakarta
Post at his office in Medan.

He said the Medan Military Police Detachment chief, who is
responsible for dealing with such incidents, told him that his
office was searching for at least three soldiers suspected of
involvement.

"The Military Police are tracking down on those responsible
for the incident in Fiji Mulyo," Ginting said.

He said the Bukit Barisan military command, overseeing
security in North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau, was very much
concerned about the violence.

If military officers were found guilty of involvement in the
attack, they would face stern sanctions, Ginting promised.

"We should look at the case in a neutral manner. If the
culprits are really soldiers, they will be punished for
disciplinary offenses and their cases will be brought to court.
But if the perpetrators are civilians, legal action should also
be taken against them," he said.

Ginting said similar cases occurred many times in several
parts of North Sumatra, involving soldiers and thugs.

One of the cases was a clash in 2002 between troops and a
group of hoodlums in Padangsidempuan regency, which sparked mass
rioting, he added.