Soldiers may face dismissal over assault

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Jakarta Military Command said on Friday that the command’s military police had arrested two soldiers for reportedly assaulting a man on Sunday at around 12:30 a.m. near the entrance to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta.

“Both are undisciplined soldiers and we have to act firmly against them. If necessary, we will dismiss them,” command chief Maj. Gen. Waris told reporters, while refusing to disclose the soldiers’ identities.

According to him, the assault was triggered by a misunderstanding between the two soldiers and a group of civilians who had collected near out the TMII gate.

Reports have stated that the victim of the assault was playing a guitar at the scene when 15 soldiers, one of whom was carrying a machete wrapped in newspaper, approached him and the other civilians and began shouting at them. It was at this moment that one of the soldiers allegedly assaulted the victim with the machete, inflicting a slash wound to his back and one of his temples.