Criminal groups should be disbanded: Military leader

Dicky Christanto , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Mon, 03/03/2008 11:31 AM | Bali

A military commander in Bali has said he supports the idea to disband legally approved "mass organizations" suspected of being involved in crime on the island.

Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. George Robert Situmeang said the recent spats of violence across the island had been triggered by internal conflicts within various organizations.

Establishing a legally approved "mass organization" provides a front for business activities in Bali that include illegal gambling, drug trafficking, debt collection and protection rackets.

The wave of violence that has swept across the island recently includes a fatal assault on the bouncers of Kuta's Dee Jay cafe, a pipe bomb attack at a car garage belonging to a tourism entrepreneur, two assassinations and a homemade grenade attack on a nightclub's owner and his bodyguard.

At least four lives have been lost and several people have been injured.

Maj. Gen. George Robert Situmeang said, "Now as we see that some of the crimes are a result from internal conflicts within the organizations, we definitely support whatever the police will recommend regarding the status of these organizations".

The police recently launched several house-raids in response to the acts of crime and violence, seizing several handguns and rifles, grenades, pipe bombs, live ammunition and a large number of sharp weapons.

They also found bullet-proof vests and military-grade ceramic armor plates.

Three suspects were arrested for possession of illegal weapons, including MG, a legendary figure in the island's underworld.

MG is the founder and chairman of The Denpasar Concern Forum (FPD), a mass organization that claims to work "on social fields".

Bali police spokesman Sr. Comr. A.S. Reniban, however, said the police did not have the authority to disband any organizations because they had not been responsible for legalizing them in the first place.

But he said the police did have the authority to issue a recommendation to the relevant agencies.

In Indonesia, legalization of an organization is handled by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, in cooperation with the local administration.

The local administration would usually provide a recommendation and a letter to verify the organization's activities.

"The bottom line is that we are not dealing with any legalization effort," Reniban said.

"We are tasked to arrest anyone who tried to disturb the security condition regardless of their membership in certain organizations," he told The Jakarta Post.

Udayana Military Command's Intelligence chief Col. Thamrin said he had ordered his officers to investigate if any members of the military had provided any mass organization with firearms or explosives.

"We are now examining administration records of grenades and weapons used in every military training done on the island," Thamrin said.

"We will tell you later if we found any involvement."

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