Murders by TNI Personnel

RECENTLY, more and more personnel of the Indonesian Military (TNI) have carried out acts of violence by displaying arbitrary conduct and excessive greed. These soldiers do not hesitate to kill people they see as obstructing their personal interests or illegal activities.

For the sake of money, two soldiers murdered three police officers who were raiding a cockfighting den in Way Kanan Regency, Lampung. The two soldiers are believed to have been backers for the cockfighting and associated gambling. Previously, a soldier murdered an employee of a car showroom in North Aceh and stole a vehicle. In Banten, a member of the Navy shot dead the boss of a car rental business in order to steal his vehicle. And a soldier burned down the home of a Tibrata TV journalist who had reported on gambling.

This series of acts of violence show that the TNI Commander has lost control of his men. It seems like these TNI personnel can do whatever they please. Murder is considered as something easy, just like killing a chicken. They become wild cowboys by improperly using their weapons to terrorize anyone who stands in their way.

The recent cowboy actions of these military personnel are a reflection of the poor oversight and control of the TNI over the use of weapons by its members. The TNI Commander is responsible for tightening up this oversight and for taking resolute action against personnel who break the rules, especially those backing illegal businesses.

Defense Ministry Regulation No.7/2010 only allows members of the TNI to carry weapons outside barracks in order to protect vital national projects. However, in reality, weapons are often used to protect private businesses that hire military personnel. It is already an open secret that many soldiers have become backers for illegal businesses such gambling and drugs. Their involvement in these illegal businesses makes it more difficult to enforce the law against these crimes.

These arbitrary actions continue because illegal acts by soldiers are often tried in military courts behind closed doors. The secretive nature of these courts martial means that the public has no clear information about what happens in these hearings and how far military police investigations discover the full extent of their crimes.

This secrecy also makes it possible for many rulings to be passed in a way that is unfair and not impartial. And it also leads to many cases coming to a halt or with no clear resolution. Impunity is a phenomenon that often appears in the military courts. This makes these uniformed cowboys feel they are above the law.

It is time that crimes carried out by military personnel that fall within the realm of criminal offenses are tried in the criminal courts. The TNI needs to change its narrow perspective that all serving members of the military can only be tried in military courts. After all, the TNI Law and People’s Consultative Assembly Decree No. VII/MPR/2000 on the Role of the TNI both state that offenses by military personnel that are against criminal law must be tried in criminal courts.

It is both dangerous and embarrassing if TNI members are allowed to become gangsters protecting businesses, both legal and illegal. This gangsterism by soldiers must be stopped. If not, cowboy acts by soldiers outside the barracks will continue.