Troops to be put to work guarding Jakarta
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.
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.