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Kopassus held as ‘heroes’

As the 11 members of the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of brutally killing four men inside Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, faced interrogation at the Semarang Military Police headquarters, several groups across the country began hailing them as heroes for standing up to criminal gangs

Yuliasri Perdani and Bagus BT Saragih (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, April 11, 2013

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Kopassus held as ‘heroes’

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s the 11 members of the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of brutally killing four men inside Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, faced interrogation at the Semarang Military Police headquarters, several groups across the country began hailing them as heroes for standing up to criminal gangs.

In front of the Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta, on Wednesday, a group calling itself Anak Kolong Bergerak asked passersby to sign a 3-meter banner in support of the 11 soldiers who allegedly stormed and shot dead four detainees in the prison on March 23 in apparent retaliation for the killing of one of their comrades. “Anak kolong” is a slang expression for the children of soldiers.

The group, consisting of local residents from around Cijantung, is aiming to collect 11,000 signatures, according to news reports.

Some major streets in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, are adorned with banners praising the elite forces, which were once linked to human rights violation allegations. “Thank You Kopassus. Yogyakarta is safe. Thugs run away,” one of the banners states.

Also, thousands of people have “liked” a Facebook page entitled “1 million people giving moral support to the Kopassus soldiers who stormed Cebongan prison”.

Sociologist Arie Sujito from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) said the growing support for the soldiers signified public dissatisfaction with law enforcement that had reached a boiling point. “People are aware that violence is wrong, but so many legal uncertainties have forced them to see the shootings as an answer to their problems,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Arie acknowledged, however, that much of the public opinion was shaped by the Army.

During a press conference on April 4, Military Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Unggul K. Yudhoyono, who led the Army’s investigation of the incident, repeatedly said that the soldiers were “brave” for confessing, and that what they did was motivated by esprit de corps.

Unggul also described the four slain detainees as “thugs” who had “sadistically and brutally” killed former Kopassus member First Sgt. Heru Santoso in Hugo’s Café in Yogyakarta on March 19.

Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso, the Diponegoro Regional Military Command (Kodam) chief who was removed following the killings, was the latest to voice support for the soldiers.

“I respect and am proud of the 11 soldiers who are currently being investigated,” Hardiono said on the sidelines of his handover ceremony in Semarang. “As a soldier, I’ve risked my career, rank and position for the 11 soldiers. This is part of my unwavering solidarity,” he said.

Arie said that the statements made by Hardiono and Unggul were a knee-jerk reaction to save face. “It is part of their strategy to prevent the public blaming Kopassus,” he said.

Family members of the four slain inmates met with presidential advisor on human rights Albert Hasibuan at his office in Jakarta, urging President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono to establish an ad hoc independent fact-finding team to probe the shootings.

“There are still many unclear issues regarding the incident because the police have lacked transparency since the beginning,” Victor Manbait, the brother of Chief Brig. Johanes Juan Manbait, one of the victims, said. “The authorities, including the Army, have labeled the victims, our brothers, as thugs, as if they wanted to justify the killings.”

One of the slain men, Hendrik Angel Sahetapy, alias Deki, was reportedly a recidivist. He had been jailed for five years for killing a college student. After being released in 2011, Deki worked as a pengawal (bouncer) at Hugo’s Café. The café is allegedly notorious for the activities of a drug network that operated with impunity.

The family members later met with Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana. “Vigilantism and murder cannot be tolerated for whatever reason. Anyone involved in these things should be held responsible and undergo due process of law,” Denny said after the closed-door meeting.

Denny implied that he was concerned that some people of East Nusa Tenggara descent in Yogyakarta had received threats following the murder as they shared the same hometown as the four so-called thugs.

“We should avoid stigmatization. Stereotypes based on ethnic and tribal background, as well as group affiliation, must not be used to justify murder,” Denny said. (ogi)

Ainur Rohmah and Bambang Muryanto contributed reporting from Semarang and Yogyakarta

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