Robert Go, Jakarta – At least 80 soldiers have been questioned in connection with a shootout between the country's police and soldiers early this month.
It was the first of two gun battles between the sides in as many weeks.
The latest clash took place on Tuesday night when angry soldiers arrived at the police station in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, after a minor traffic accident in which a member of the local army corps was the victim. The driver involved in the accident was being held at the station.
An argument broke out between the police and the soldiers. It soon escalated into a full-blown shootout which left one soldier dead and two policemen wounded at the end of it.
This and the first clash in Luwu, South Sulawesi, are not to be taken lightly, say observers.
They noted that friction started after the formal separation of the police from the military structure two years ago during the Abdurrahman Wahid presidency.
Some attribute these brawls to the country's security forces just lacking discipline and perpetuating an unhealthy rivalry but others think the problem is more serious than that.
The laws were changed to make the military focus purely on external security threats and the police, internal.
But Major-General Sudrajat, the director-general of strategic planning of the defence ministry, said on Thursday that these changes were not working and it was time the legislators and the government reviewed these laws, the Jakarta Post reported.
"We are currently facing non-traditional security threats, a domain which is the responsibility of both the military and the police," said Maj-Gen Sudrajat, suggesting that there would not be any invasions from other countries for the next 20 years.
The legislation, he said, has created rivalry and problems of turf, as exemplified in the issue of terrorism where the police had set up an antiterror team, and the military has for a long time had such teams, the Jakarta Post said.
Army Chief of Staff General Ryamizard Ryacudu agreed, adding that these clashes would continue if the legislation was not fixed.
But observers say the real reasons for the clashes go deeper than the explanation being given by the security authorities.
Observers spoke of an open secret: Facing meagre official budgets, cops and soldiers had engaged in side businesses to augment their incomes. The clash now had to do with turf, money and commercial advantage.
Mr Usman Hamid of human rights group Kontras said: "Cops and soldiers often get involved in businesses, including illegal ones, like prostitution, gambling and drugs. This has not been corrected."
When the new legislation two years ago shifted the military to a purely "external defence" role, the military lost much of its income sources. "Now they see the police moving into lucrative sectors that traditionally had been controlled by the military. This might be the major reason for conflict," Mr Usman argued.
But there are those who think the problem is nothing more than a disciplinary issue. MP Logan Siagian said on Thursday: "The military and police leadership have to raise the level of discipline of their men and this has to be done immediately to tackle the problem."