Soldiers safeguard Kerobokan talks
Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 02/23/2012 6:22 PM
Tribunnews.comAn army official says that a company of soldiers comprising approximately 100 personnel has been tasked with safeguarding negotiations between minister of Law and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin and all stakeholders in relation to the recent Kerobokan Penitentiary riots.
“We have deployed soldiers from the Raider battalion to stand guard during the negotiations,” Udayana Military Command spokesman Col. Wing Handoko told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
The army’s Raider battalion is a group of highly trained infantry soldiers that lies just below commando qualification. These soldiers are usually tasked with handling riots and other dangerous situations.
Handoko said that the police had asked for army support on the first night of the Kerobokan Penitentiary riots as the situation spiraled out of control.
About 300 police officers and 100 soldiers have been on stand-by over the past two days in case another riot breaks out at Kerobokan. The riots were triggered by a brawl between inmates over what the police described as an accumulation of problems.
