M

embers of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the Brawijaya Military Command are suspected of having engaged in unscrupulous activities dealing with human smuggling outside working hours, says a military spokesman.

This was able to occur due to the weakness of their respective unit commanders, who have been unable to monitor the activities of their subordinates around the clock, Brawijaya Military Command (Kodam) spokesman Col. Sugiyono said Friday.

The respective unit commanders had limitations on their abilities to supervise the entirety of their command, despite the presence of personnel security units and intelligence units, he said.

“The irregular activities are committed outside duty hours, so their commanders could not monitor them due to limitations of not being able to oversee their men around the clock. Dishonest soldiers committing corrupt activities usually mix with members of the community,” said Sugiyono.

The statement follows the disclosure of the alleged involvement of three soldiers from the Tulungagung district military command (Kodim) and a member from the Sumenep Kodim in a human smuggling case of Middle Eastern illegal immigrants.

The suspects were identified only as Chief Sgt KA, Assistant First Lt. S and Chief Pvt. K, from the Tulungagung Kodim and Chief Sgt. K from Sumenep Kodim.

The four TNI soldiers are currently being interrogated by the Brawijaya Kodam military police. “They remain as witnesses. The Brawijaya Kodam has taken over the examination, as their units are included in the inter-regional command,” Sugiyono said.

The Brawijaya Kodam, Sugiyono added, was earnest in its investigation of involvement of TNI members in human trafficking.

He said that based on preliminary investigations, the TNI members believed to be involved in the case admitted they were unaware that the boat chartered by a person named Bambang would be used to transport asylum seekers to Australia.

The TNI member who received the order to rent the boat said he was only tempted by the amount of money promised by the client. Chief Sgt. K was the one who received an order to immediately contact his colleague at the Tulungagung Kodim. The three Kodim members later fulfilled Chief Sgt. K’s order, assisted by a civilian employee at the Tulungagung Kodim.

“They are currently being interrogated. The military police are also investigating whether or not other TNI personnel are involved in the case,” said Sugiyono.

The East Java Justice and Human Rights Office is also engaged in similar efforts. Office head Mashudi said his office would delve into the statements made by the immigrants who survived the boat accident in Trenggalek.

Mashudi said he believed someone had assisted the immigrants in their movements. Someone is believed to have arranged their journey. He acknowledged that his office had yet to find indications of immigration officers involved in the case, even following a statement by an Afghan immigrant, Mehdi Mutazzili, that police and immigration officers had facilitated them on their way from Jakarta to Tulungagung.

Most recently, the KRI Untung Suropati naval vessel found four bodies in waters off Gilimanuk, Bali, while the National Search and Rescue (Basarnas) Agency found two bodies in Alas Purwo waters off Banyuwangi, East Java.

“So, the total number of bodies found have been 96. All of them were placed in Banyuwangi and will be
taken to the East Java Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Surabaya,” Surabaya chapter Basarnas spokesman Tholib.

Bhayangkara Hospital’s Medical and Health Affairs head Sr. Comr. Didi Agus Mintadi said a forensic team from the National Police headquarters’s Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) unit had faced difficulties identifying the bodies.