I

t makes my heart sink to read about the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) commandos who allegedly killed four detainees in a prison last month. How could the pride of the Indonesian Military (TNI) engage in such vigilante behavior?

As always, there are many sides to the story.

First, my heart goes out to the late First Sgt. Heru Santosa, a Kopassus soldier on intelligence assignment at the Hugo Café in Yogyakarta, who was savagely killed after being tortured by alleged thugs who were later detained by the police for further investigation. Reports say that Heru was kicked, beaten and stabbed to death before being dragged like a dead dog.

Next is the story of the camaraderie or esprit de corps of his fellow soldiers, especially those who served together with Heru in the past.

One particular person is the Kopassus soldier identified as U, who was not only once under the leadership of Heru, but was also saved by Heru in a hostile military operation and thus owed him his life.

The Army investigation team found that U executed the four thugs inside their cell in Cebongan prison in Yogyakarta.

The human side of these murder stories could consume pages of articles and hours of talk shows. Both the late Heru and the four detainees had families.

In every incident that takes life, our hearts take the side of the mourners, whether the grieving pregnant wife of a decorated soldier or the innocent parents and sisters of the slain men.    

Lets focus on the shooting inside the prison. The Army previously announced that 11 members of Kopassus Group 2 based in Kartasura, Central Java, carried out the raid. The soldiers efficiently and quickly executed the men, as they should have, being an elite force team.

The elephant in the room is not only camaraderie, but also the value of the lives of the slain detainees. It’s about the killing machine that went amok and took the lives of four unarmed people.

Every country has its own special forces like Kopassus, and they are the pride of their nations. They are seriously trained and equipped to win in combat.

In fact, when their marching orders come, they are licensed to kill the enemy. They don’t have to worry about being persecuted for their actions, because they are following the orders of their commanders.

Unlike civilians in a brawl that results in casualties, a special forces unit does not need to use the argument of self defense to take life.

The question now is whether those soldiers took matters into their hands or were acting on orders from their commanders. A military court will need to reveal how the chain of command was followed or violated in the incident.

A Kopassus soldier is undoubtedly intelligent, smart and patriotic. They can differentiate enemies of the state from innocent bystanders. They know when to kill or to take prisoners. But when Kopassus soldiers kill in an act of revenge, they degrade themselves to a level of a hired gun or gangster. Through their actions and if without the orders of a superior officer, the 11 soldiers were actually guilty of dereliction of duty. There is no argument to soften those who ignore their duty. The military rules are clear.   

Responsibility for the soldiers’ license to kill rests with their commanders. Deployment of Kopassus units can only be to eliminate the enemy during a war, including the war against terrorists. Kopassus soldiers are trained to endure torture and extreme pain, both physical and psychological. There is no such thing as spontaneous for a special forces member.

The shooting in Sleman prison should be the last breach of discipline in the ranks of Kopassus.  

To the generals in charge, we ask for more than the replacement of the local military district commander and to bring the guilty to justice. We ask you to please bring back the Kopassus that we were once proud of.

The writer, a former environment activist, is currently a special expert for climate change for the President. The views expressed are personal.