It Is Time for the State to Be Strict

The events that occurred at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) have provided an important lesson, namely the need for the state to be strict against terrorism. The people will support the state\'s sternness.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

People from different faith groups attend a #kamibersamapolri (we stand with the police) vigil outside the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday (10/5/2018) night. Five police personnel were killed during terrorist attack at Mako Brimob detention center in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java on Wednesday.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The riot and the holding of policemen hostage at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) detention facility in Kelapa Dua, Depok, from Tuesday to Thursday shows that it is time for the state to take a stern approach against terrorism. The event also sparked grief among the community, who mourned the deaths of five police officers.

The five police officers killed were First Insp. (posthumous) Yudi Rospuji, Brig. (posthumous) Denny Setiadi, Brig. (posthumous) Fandy Setyo Nugroho, First Brig. (posthumous) Syukron Fadhli, and First Brig. (posthumous) Wahyu Caturs Pamungkas. The police officers, who died after being severely injured by sharp weapons and gunshots, were posthumously promoted to a higher rank.

A terrorism detainee, Beni Samsutrisno, was also killed.

At the National Police headquarters last night, a crowd comprising all elements of the community held a joint prayer for the fallen police officers. Similar activities were also held in a number of other cities, such as Yogyakarta and Surabaya.

Meanwhile, as of yesterday afternoon, the hashtag #TindakTegasTeroris (Act of Terrorism) was still trending on Twitter in Indonesia, in addition to #KamiBersamaPOLRI (We Stand With the Police) and #TerimaKasihPOLRI (Thank You Police).

Twitter users expressed grief over the passing of the five police officers.

Another tweet invited internet users to donate to the wife of the deceased First Insp. Yudi Rospuji. This invitation was initiated by Jenny Jusuf through her online urundana platform Kitabisa.com. Yudi\'s wife had her fourth child early on Thursday, just hours before her husband\'s body was buried.

The riot at Mako Brimob was also widely covered by foreign media, such The New York

Times and The Wall Street Journal from the United States, The Guardian in the United Kingdom, and The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia. Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asia Review carried the headline ”Riot at Indonesia’sMost Secure Jail Leaves 6 Dead”.

Never be afraid

In response to the incident, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said at the Bogor Palace, "The state and all its people are never afraid of terrorism and efforts to disturb state security."

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto added that the state guaranteed the security of its citizens at all times, including during activities such as the Asian Games, set to be held in August.

General chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama Said Aqil Siroj said the state must not be defeated by terrorism.

"The incident at Mako Brimob was horrible and disgusting. Attacks and the holding of police officers hostage shows their efforts to oppose the state. We are behind the police force to act sternly against the perpetrators of terrorism. The state should not be defeated in the fight against terrorism," he said.

General secretary of Muhammadiyah\'s Central Executive Board Abdul Mu\'ti also expressed regret for the attack at the police headquarters. According to him, terrorism was a threat to everyone. He cautioned that terrorism should not be linked to a particular religious group and that its handling should be done with a holistic viewpoint.

Food

The riot at the Mako Brimob detention center was triggered by the protest of a terrorism detainee Wawan Kurniawan, aka Abu Afif alias Muhammad Rofiq bin Sainam, 42. He protested the police’s policy that prohibited his family from giving him food when they met him at the West Jakarta District Court on Tuesday afternoon, May 8. On that day, he was attending his trial for terrorism.

Family members are not permitted to provide food to terrorism detainees, as prisoners often gain access to various objects/materials from visitors, which can be smuggled inside food. While the objects sometimes appear harmless, they can include items such as letters, notes or readings that contain extreme or radical teachings.

Upon returning to the detention center at Mako Brimob, Wawan continued his protest. At around 8 p.m. Wawan, who was arrested by anti-terror police in October 2017 in Riau, and was also a leader of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah group in Pekanbaru, provoked other detainees to break open their cells, take officers hostage and seize their firearms. From there the riot rapidly escalated.

Wiranto said, in accordance with international standard operating procedures, that the police gave the terrorist detainees the choice to surrender or risk having the authorities raid the facility.

Before the raid, the police asked the terrorist detainees to leave the facility one by one. Some 145 of 155 detainees exited the facility. They surrendered themselves and 30 weapons. The remaining 10 other terrorist detainees did not surrender, and the security forces stormed the facility.

The 145 detainees were later transferred from the Mako Brimob detention center to Nusakambangan in Central Java.

"They were transferred to the Batu and Pasir Putih penitentiaries, Nusakambangan," said the Law and Human Rights Ministry’s correctional affairs directorate general head of public relations, Ade Kusmanto.

Ade explained that the Mako Brimob detention center was under the administration of the Correctional Affairs Directorate General. However, the National Police are in charge of the day-to-day management of the facility.

National Police Chief Gen. (Pol) Tito Karnavian said that the Mako Brimob detention center was initially reserved for law enforcement officers who committed criminal offenses. The detention center is not suitable to accommodate terrorist detainees because it does not have maximum-security facilities. "The detention center is ideally for 64 people, and a maximum of about 90 people. But, later there were up to 155 people," said Tito.

(REK/BOW/IAN/LSA/DVD/IGA/GAL/AGE/NTA/INA/SAN/EDN/SF)