Troops to be put to work guarding Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's proposal seeking military assistance to secure the city is approved, there soon may be M16- toting soldiers on every street corner.

Under the proposal, soldiers and police officers would be deployed at strategic locations such as government offices, private buildings, shopping malls and other commercial places as part of the efforts to prevent terrorist attacks.

Sutiyoso said his proposal has been approved by Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Susilo and Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara.

"I have talked with the city police chief and the Jakarta Military commander about the idea and they have given a positive response," Sutiyoso said at City Hall on Wednesday.

The proposal was made several days after the JW Marriott Hotel bombing that killed 12 people and injured 147 others.

The director of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, Munir, questioned Sutiyoso's proposal, saying the current situation did not call for the military's involvement in securing the city. He also pointed out that the soldiers were not trained to deal with terrorism.

He said there were doubts whether Sutiyoso's idea was based on a serious assessment of security problems in the city and the conclusion that the police were no longer capable to provide security.

"(I)s it (the proposal) only based on the biased calculations of Sutiyoso, who is a former military general?" Munir told The Jakarta Post by phone.

Munir, who is a former chairman of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, said the military's involvement in providing securing in Jakarta would only lead to conflicts between soldiers and police officers, as has occurred in the regions.

He said soldiers were trained for war and did not have the training to fight terrorism.

Sutiyoso said his proposal was not radical and that the military and police often worked together, adding that the police would take the lead in providing security and the military would serve as a backup.

"The soldiers would only be attached to certain police units, and the commander would be a police officer," said Sutiyoso, himself a former Jakarta Military commander.

He said the involvement of soldiers in securing the city would also deter people from engaging in criminal activities.

The governor claimed the plan had already been tested at the Pondok Indah Mall and had been warmly welcomed by the public.

City Hall spokesman Muhayat said an official letter on the proposal would be sent to the Jakarta Military commander as soon as it received Sutiyoso's signature.

Sutiyoso also said a booklet on how to prevent terrorism and what to do in the case of a terrorist attack was being put together and would soon be distributed throughout the city.

The book will consist of detailed guidelines that should be implemented by neighborhood units, community units and the general public to prevent terrorism.