Admiral Agus Suhartono said that a rule has been made to regulate the TNI`s duty to help the police but it is only an internal agreement made by the TNI and the police.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Chief Admiral Agus Suhartono said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed by the TNI and the police is intended for improving cooperation in handling conflicts in various regions in the country.

"To develop a synergy between the TNI and Polri understanding and basis are needed and therefore the MoU is made," he said at a press conference held in connection with the TNI leadership meeting here on Tuesday.

He admitted that a rule has been made to regulate the TNI`s duty to help the police but it is only an internal agreement made by the TNI and the police.

"We have deliberately made the MoU because we have not yet had the implementation rule for the extension of the TNI`s assistance to the police. Therefore, we have agreed to make it. So, in essence, it is for filling the void so that personnel in the field would not hesitate and have certainly to carry out their duties," he said.

Suhartono said that cooperation between the two institutions has gone long but it has not yet been put in a document and therefore it would be put in the MoU.

He said the MoU regulates the mechanism for making the request for assistance, logistical support as well as the command for its implementation.

In short, the operation remains a police operation and therefore, it is the police that will ask for TNI assistance, he said.

The police could ask for assistance and this will be put under one command, he said adding that all the cost for the operation would be borne by the police.

Agus said the MoU would give clear lines with regard to who would do what in the duty and assure quick deployment in case a regional government needs it to deal with riots in a certain location.

The commander said that in case human rights violation is committed by TNI members during the assignment the case would be dealt with by the military police and processed in a military court.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) meanwhile viewed that TNI`s assistance to the police had better be regulated by law.

"Ideally, it is put in a law not an MoU. If it is put in an MoU it seems it is only the TNI and Polri that exist in the country," Kontras working coordinator Haris Azhar said.

He said if it is to be put in a MoU the agreement must clearly define capacity, professionalism and control so that it would not cause confusion with regard to security management that could lead to human rights violations.

He also called for state and political control over the two institutions.

He said so far a lot of TNI assistance to the police had been carried out not based on state democratic mechanism as regulated by Law Number 34/2004 on TNI and Law Number 4 2/2002 on Polri.

"The President has so far never taken an initiative with regard to the issue. The House of Representatives has also been quiet and therefore, it has gone out of control," he said.

He said the need for TNI assistance must also be decided internally within the police force through the police chief and must be based upon recommendations from the House of Representatives.

"What would the police need from the TNI must be presented through a TNI and Polri leadership meeting following an internal study by the police. The result would then be presented to the House of Representatives for recommendation," he said.

This way, he said, the need would be made clear with regard to how many personnel needed for what and how long while accountability as the use of financial resource, logistics, weapons could be assured.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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