REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- Army chief of staff General Gatot Nurmantyo has said he will take the responsibility for the clash that took place between the TNI (military) and police personnel in Batam, Sumatra's Riau Islands province, on Wednesday (19/20).
"I will take the responsibility," he stated at a press conference at the Riau Islands regional police command here on Thursday after holding a closed-door meeting with the national police chief, General Sutarman.
He emphasized he will conduct an internal investigation to find out the cause of the clash and shooting at the Riau Islands police Mobile Brigade headquarters, which was reportedly done by rogue personnel.
"Those who violated rules will have to face strong sanctions. We do not want the army's (TNI AD) reputation to be spoiled by its own members," he remarked.
Gatot pointed out that the arms given to members are not supposed to be used for shooting at other forces but to defend the country from enemy attacks.
"You (TNI AD) are equipped with arms to fight the state's enemies and not other secutiry forces of the state. Hence, those who violate rules will certainly be punished as per the law. They can even be dismissed," he stressed.
He revealed that the weapons given to the members of the Tuah Sakti Infantry Battalion 134 have been withdrawn and secured, while the security of its headquarters has been handed over to the military police and other units outside the battalion.
"All weapons were collected by early Thursday morning. If we find any of the weapons not returned, we will considered it stolen," he added.
On Wednesday, some personnel from the Tuah Sakti Yonif 134 got into a dispute with a group of personnel from the Mobile Brigade.
Following the incident, around 30 members of the Yonif 134 reached the Brimob headquarters seeking clarification. However, that ended up in stone-pelting that broke a glass window of the headquarters building.
In the evening, unidentified persons fired several rounds at the Brimob headquarters building. The province's deputy governor, Soerya Respationo, and a number of staff and four journalists were trapped in the headquarters during the incident. They were evacuated at 22.30 p.m.
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