Wiranto apologizes for bloodshed during MPR Session

Wiranto apologizes for bloodshed during MPR Session

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian
Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto apologized on Monday for
casualties caused in the course of the General Session of the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and the victims who have
and are receiving treatment in hospital.

"I sincerely apologize for those who are the victims in the
course of the General Session. I ask all of my men and police
officers here to pause for a moment and pray for them," Gen.
Wiranto said before bowing his head in prayer prior to an
official ceremony for withdrawing troops deployed to safeguard
the General Session.

At least nine people, including three students and one police
officer, were killed in clashes between protesters and security
personnel in the capital and in the southern Sumatra province of
Lampung.

Wiranto officially declared the start of the withdrawal of
12,000 police and military officers from outside Jakarta, who
were deployed across the capital to help safeguard the General
Session.

"To all of the brave heroes who have fearlessly safeguarded
the capital during the General Session, you will see your homes
again in a month," Wiranto told the 12,000 officers gathered in
the eastern parking lot of the Senayan Sports Stadium in Central
Jakarta on Monday morning.

The declaration was made in a grand ceremony, which marked the
first step taken by TNI and the National Police to withdraw
troops in the capital.

The 12,000 troops were part of some 60,000 security officers
deployed to safeguard the General Session.

The number of troops deployed was down from last year, when
78,000 security force members were safeguarding the Special
Session of the MPR in November.

The operation, code-named Mantapbrata VI, started 45 days
before the Assembly's General Session and will continue until a
month after it ends.

Those deployed to secure the capital included troops from the
Army's Special Force (Kopassus), Army Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad), Navy Elite Marine troops, the Navy's West Fleet
(Armabar), Air Force Operations Command (Koopsau), National Air
Defense Command (Kohanudnas), Air Force special troops (Paskhas)
and the Elite Police Mobile Brigade.

The troops withdrawal began on Monday evening. The first batch
of troops to be returned were soldiers and police officers from
Jambi, Bengkulu and West Java.

"The withdrawal process will be done in three gradual steps,
and by late November, most of you will have reached your
hometowns."

Despite the fact there was no elaboration on the steps to be
taken or a specific time given for when troops would be back
home, calm and weary officers instantly started smiling at one
another.

"The rest of the 12,000, comprising police and military, will
still be deployed in the capital until we are absolutely sure
that the capital is a safe place to live in."

Those present at the ceremony, which did not last more than 30
minutes, included Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo, National
Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi, Navy Chief of Staff Vice Adm.
Achmad Soetjipto, chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Djamari Chaniago, city police chief Maj. Gen.
Noegroho Djajoesman and City Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djadja
Suparman.

Members of the 700-seat MPR elected Muslim scholar Abdurrahman
Wahid as president on Wednesday and chairwoman of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) Megawati
Soekarnoputri as vice president the following day.

They also endorsed the 1999/2004 State Policy Guidelines
(GBHN).(ylt)