SP/Fana F.S Putra, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Bayu Marhaenjati – Three security guards at the head office of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) were allegedly attacked by members of the military on Saturday night after they tried to break up an argument between a soldier and a high school student.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto explained that PDI-P security guards had tried to resolve an argument between a military member and a student after their motorcycles bumped outside of the party headquarters in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

Ahmad Basarah, secretary general of the PDI-P's central executive board (DPP), said that more than a dozen military members from Batallion Zeni Konstruksi 13 (Yon Zikon 13) came to the party headquarters around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday following the argument.

"Two motorcycles bumped each other and one of the riders is a member of Yon Zikon battalion. There was an argument over the incident that happened in front of PDI-P's office. Another rider was a high school student who ran into our office and he was chased out [of the office area]," Basarah said in a press conference on Saturday night.

Rikwanto said that according to witnesses, some of the soldiers entered the PDI-P office security post while others stood outside.

They searched the PDI-P office for the student and injured three security guards in the process. Priyo and Marlan, two of the guards, were bruised while the third guard, Yatna, suffered a head injury after being hit with a bayonet.

Rikwanto said the military members initially claimed they were police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) members. "When they came in and hit the victims, they yelled 'I am a Mobil Brigade member,'" Rikwanto said on Sunday.

The personal guards of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri, who was at the headquarters that night, detained two of the soldiers during the attack. The detainees later admitted that they were members of the military.

"The perpetrators captured were head soldier Junaedi and second soldier Rachmat," said TB Hasanuddin, a PDI-P lawmaker who came to the office after the incident.

He added that at 10.30 p.m. the commander, Lt. Col. Hari Darniko, arrived to the location and took the two soldiers with him. Hasanuddin demanded that the commander of the battalion settle the incident and punish the perpetrators.

Basarah said that no damage to PDI-P property occurred as a result of the incident. However, he said he did not approve of the conduct of the military personnel. "What we regret the most is they just came in to our office and took their own action," he said.