A people's military?

Kompas Newspaper – November 13, 2024

Woman: How come the people's military is attacking the people?

Boot reads: Rogue (soldiers), sole reads Deli Serdang.

A brutal attack on residents of the Selamat Village in Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, by soldiers from the Medan 2 Artillery Battalion/Kilap Sumagan (Armed-2/KS) has renewed calls for TNI (Indonesian Military) personnel who commit general crimes to be tried in civilian courts.

During the attack on Friday November 8, dozens of soldiers armed with batons and sharp weapons from the Armed-2/KS stormed the village breaking into homes, dragged residents out and assaulting anyone who refused to answer their questions satisfactorily, or were unlucky enough to get in their way.

Dozens of villagers were injured and had to be rushed to hospital and an elderly man named Raden Barus was later found covered in blood on the side of the road. He subsequently died of his injuries in hospital.

Although the exact details remain unclear, the incident began earlier with a quarrel between the soldiers and a group of motorcycle riders. The soldiers apparently returned to the village later in the day looking for the motorcycle riders.

Following an autopsy of Raden's body at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Medan, hundreds of angry residents gathered in front of the nearby Armed-2/KS headquarters. They also brought Raden's body and placed it in front of the headquarters demanding justice and for the soldiers responsible be held accountable.

Tensions only began to subside after the commander of the Bukit Barisan Kodam I (Regional Military Command), Lieutenant General Mohamad Hasan arrived and met with residents. Hasan apologised to the villagers, especially the victims' family, and guaranteed that there would be no more attacks.

Bukit Barisan Kodam I spokesperson Colonel Dody Yudha later said that 33 soldiers had been confirmed to have been involved in the attack and are currently being questioned by the military police.

In a statement on November 11, the Civil Society Coalition for Security Sector Reform condemned the "mindless" attack and called for the perpetrators to be tried immediately. The Coalition said that the military's claim that the incident was triggered by the presence of a "motorcycle gang" was baseless and in no way justified the attack.

"If the TNI members saw or know about the presence of a motorcycle gang that was creating unease and disturbing the community, then the TNI members should have reported it to the police, not acting brutally by attacking the residents. Members of the TNI are not allowed to take unilateral action outside the law", said the Coalition.

The Coalition said that that the incident shows the arrogant and arbitrary tendencies that are still strong among members of the TNI towards civilians and that those responsible for the attack must be prosecuted and tried through the general court system, not the military courts.

They also called on the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to immediately initiate revisions to Law Number 31/1997 on Military Courts, which allows soldiers who commit general crimes to be tried by military courts which lack transparency and accountability and often result in lenient punishments.