Human Rights Watch Criticizes Indonesian Military's Role in Tackling Street Crime

Human Rights Watch has criticized the Indonesian military's involvement in tackling street crime, asserting that the army should not be engaged in civilian law enforcement.

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The Indonesian government has a responsibility to ensure public safety. This includes the presumption of innocence, due process, and the rule of law.

Meenakshi Ganguly, Associate Director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, argued that the use of force in law enforcement situations must adhere to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. These principles mandate that law enforcement officials, including military personnel, should prioritize non-violent means.

"The Indonesian government has a responsibility to ensure public safety. This includes the presumption of innocence, due process, and the rule of law," Ganguly stated in a written release. She emphasized that the government should support the police in conducting lawful investigations and prosecuting those responsible, rather than deploying the military for civilian law enforcement.

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What we saw before there were territorial development battalions. Previously, there were no troops in the regency. What happened? Beggars, criminals were very numerous.

Her comments follow a claim by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, who suggested that the widespread presence of territorial development battalions across regions could decrease the incidence of street crime. Sjamsoeddin asserted that before these battalions existed, crime rates were significantly higher in districts without military presence. He explained that the plan to establish 750 territorial development battalions over five years aims to safeguard national sovereignty, especially given Indonesia's 514 districts and cities, many of which are in border areas. He expressed optimism that the formation of these battalions would lead to a reduction in criminal cases, projecting a decrease of over 50 percent in such incidents.

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Beggars and criminals in those areas, which were previously minus a few percent, have now become plus, with criminals disappearing by more than 50 percent.