GUNAWAN'S POLICE CHIEF CANDIDACY DROPPED

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Feb 18 (Antara) -- The intense conflict between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police (Polri) seems to have been resolved by President Joko Widodo.          Using his prerogative, the President finally decided on Wednesday to drop the nomination of Commissioner General Budi Gunawan for the post of the national police chief and replaced him with Commissioner General Badrodin Haiti.          In January, President Jokowi had named Budi Gunawan as the sole candidate for the post of the police chief and proposed him to the House of Representatives (DPR) for its approval. However, several days later, the KPK named him as a suspect in a case of corruption, alleging that he had received bribes through suspicious transactions when he headed the Police Headquarters' Career Planning Bureau in the 2003-2006 period.          Following this, the president decided to postpone installing Gunawan, despite the DPR having approved his nomination.

A POLICEMAN SHOT AGAIN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Sept 14 (Antara) - While police are still investigating a series of shootings of police officers in at least four Jakarta locations, yet another policeman was shot in Depok near Jakarta on Friday evening.          Attacks on policemen have been taking place in the past three months. The latest attacks included one on Friday evening on First Brigadir Ruslan Kusuma in Cimanggis, Depok, a Jakarta satellite town in the east.         This followed an earlier attack on Tuesday in Jalan Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta, where Chief Brig Sukardi was shot dead.         The shooting of First Brigadier Ruslan Kusuma took place when the police were preparing a separate team to investigate the Kuningan attack. One team has been investigating shooting incidents at three locations in South Tangerang.

MILITARY, POLICE NEED COMMUNICATIONS IN GRASS ROOTS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, March 9 (Antara) - Thursday's attack by military personnel on a police station in South Sumatra, has raised many quarters' concern, blaming the incident on the lack of communications of the military and police in the grass-root level.          "We are sad and regret the incident. The attack on a police station in Ogan Kemering Ulu (OKU) was just another incident which involves the two institutions. Members of the two institutions have often clashed in the past," Tjatur Sapto Edi, a member of the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission III on defense affairs, said in Yogyakarta on Friday.          The same concern was also expressed by Hamidah Abdurrachman, member of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas).  She said the acts of the military personnel who attacked, destroyed and set fire to the police station were something that stabbed the police institution.          "The commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) should take stern actions against the TNI members immediately," Hamidah Abdurrachman said.           A group of military members from Artillery Battalion 15 of South Sumatra's Sriwijaya Military Command II attacked the OKU police headquarters, setting it on fire and injuring a number of police officers.