Fadli and Yuliasri Perdani, Batam/Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has identified four possible human rights violations in last week's armed clash between soldiers and police officers in Batam, Riau Islands.
During his visit to Batam on Tuesday, Komnas HAM commissioner Natalius Pigai said that the attack on the Riau Islands Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters, which was carried out by some 30 members of the Indonesian Army's 134 Tuah Sakti infantry, had violated the right to life, security and property.
During the Nov. 19 skirmish, armed soldiers fired bullets at the Brimob headquarters for hours, sparking fears among residents in the vicinity. The attack claimed the life of a soldier, injured a local citizen and damaged public facilities. The ongoing investigation has not yet identified the individuals responsible for the fatal shooting.
Natalius added that the unlawful use of firearms in the attack contravened the UN's 1990 "Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials" declaration.
"Both [the soldiers and police] recklessly used firearms, which were bought using public money," he said after a closed-door meeting with the head of Riau Islands Brimob Sr. Comr. Tory Kristianto at Brimob headquarters.
In addition to meeting with Riau Islands police officials in Batam, Natalius is also scheduled to hold talks with Wira Pratama Regional Military Command chief Brig. Gen. Eko Margiyono.
Natalius said that Komnas HAM would present its findings and recommendations on the Batam clash to the National Police chief, the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander and the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister.
Last Saturday, the chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission III overseeing legal affairs and laws, human rights and security, Aziz Syamsuddin, along with several commission members, visited the Brimob headquarters and spoke with Riau Islands Police Brig. Gen. Arman Depari about the incident.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie said that the police and the TNI had dispatched a joint team to look into the Batam clash.
"The investigation team members were selected by the chiefs of the police and military forces. Some of them are members of the previous investigation team," he announced on Tuesday.
Ronny was referring to a joint team that investigated the Sept. 21 brawl between Brimob personnel and Tuah Sakti infantry members after an attempted of a suspected illegal fuel-storage facility in Batam carried out by police. Four members of the 134 Tuah Sakti infantry sustained gunshot wounds in the clash.
After a lengthy investigation, the team revealed that two soldiers were involved in an illegal fuel-stockpiling business. The team, which was led by Maj. Gen. Maliki Mift, recommended the National Police prosecute a Brimob member, identified only as Adj. Comr. OYP, as there was enough evidence tying him to the incident.
The team's recommendations, however, failed to ease tensions between Brimob personnel and Tuah Sakti, prompting the storming of the Brimob headquarters weeks later.
In a bid to end the protracted clash between police and soldiers in Batam, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno has said that the government would conduct a thorough evaluation on the leadership and recruitment system within the police and military forces.
Ronny said that the National Police would welcome the move. "There is no problem with that. It is the authority of President Jokowi [Joko Widodo] and his ministers to conduct that [leadership assessment]," he said.
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/11/26/komnas-ham-cites-rights-violations-batam-clash.html