Jakarta – Fifty-six personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI) have been named suspects for alleged involvement in an attack on the Ciracas Police Station in East Jakarta on Aug. 29.
"Fifty are from the Army, while six of them are from the Navy," TNI Military Police chief Maj. Gen. Eddy Rate Muis said during a press conference as reported by kompas.com on Wednesday.
Currently, investigators are still looking into the involvement of 15 air force personnel.
The incident occurred when Second Pvt. MI was allegedly driving under the influence early on Aug. 29 and was involved in a car accident at the Arundina fork in Ciracas, East Jakarta.
According to Army Military Police chief Lt. Gen. Dodik Widjonarko, MI and two other soldiers, identified as Chief Sgt. ZBH and Second Pvt. AM, had drunk two glasses of alcoholic drink prior to the accident.
Furthermore, MI apparently drove a motorcycle owned by his superintendent without a driving license and vehicle registration certificates (STNK).
However, MI allegedly told his fellow soldiers that his injuries were caused by an attack by a group of people. Encouraged by esprit de corps, they allegedly attacked the Ciracas Police station.
MI was charged under Article 14 section 1 of the criminal code on spreading false information, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, in conjunction with section 2 of the same article, which carries a maximum of three years' imprisonment.
The other soldiers involved in the attack were charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code on mob violence, which carries a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment.
Second Pvt. MI is now being detained at the Military Police Detachment Jaya II Cijantung [in East Jakarta]," Dodik said.
Twenty-three people were reportedly physically assaulted in the attack, while 109 others have suffered material losses.
Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen. Dudung Abdurachman said that, as of Monday, 117 residents and two police officers had filed complaints against TNI personnel who were involved in the attack.
"The assaults were in the form of beating, stabbing," Dudung said.
The TNI personnel also vandalized several stores and street stalls along Jl. Raya Bogor near the Arundina fork until Ciracas Police station. "Not only did they beat up [residents], they also damaged the residents' motorcycles. They took the food sold by street vendors and overturned a meatball cart. There were vehicles being burned down, too." (trn)