Ministry Of Defense Hands Over Cases Of Indonesian Navy Members Shooting Tangerang Residents To TNI Headquarters

Head of Bureau (Karo) Infohan Secretariat General of the Ministry of Defense Brigadier General Frega Ferdinand Wenas during a press conference at the Ministry of Defense Office, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (7/1/2025). ANTARA/Walda Marison

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) handed over the shooting case by Indonesian Navy personnel in Tangerang to the TNI Headquarters.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the case is currently being handled by the TNI Headquarters. He believes that the handling of the case will go according to applicable procedures and regulations.

"I haven't monitored it yet, but of course we are following the process, and the handling of the TNI case is under the TNI," said Head of Infohan Bureau (Karo) Setjen Kemenhan Brigadier General Frega Ferdinand Wenas during a press conference at the Ministry of Defense Office, Central Jakarta, Tuesday 7 January, confiscated by Antara.

Frega did not comment when asked about the encouragement to the TNI to evaluate the use of weapons among soldiers.

At the same time, member of Commission I DPR RI Amelia Anggraini supported a thorough evaluation of the use of weapons within the TNI after the shooting case by unscrupulous members of the Indonesian Navy on the Tangerang-Merak Toll Road that killed a resident.

Although the TNI already has clear standard operating procedures (SOPs), he continued, supervision of the implementation of SOPs related to the use of firearms must be further tightened.

"This case reminds us that existing procedures must be carried out with high discipline to prevent the misuse of weapons," Amelia said in a written statement.

In addition, he also suggested evaluating the policy of assigning elite troops as aides because the task has a high risk if not properly monitored.

Of the three Indonesian Navy personnel involved in the case, he said, two of them were soldiers of the Frog Troop Command (Kopaska) as elite units of the Indonesian Navy and one of them served as aides to officials.

As a large and experienced organization, he said, the TNI already has a monitoring mechanism for its personnel. However, to prevent similar incidents, it is necessary to strengthen the monitoring and moral and mental development of soldiers consistently.

This people's representative said that Commission I of the DPR RI would continue to carry out its supervisory function against the TNI to ensure that the professionalism and credibility of this institution were maintained.

The Commander of the Indonesian Navy Fleet Command, Vice Admiral TNI Denih Hendrata, at the Koarmada TNI AL Headquarters, Jakarta, Monday, January 6, revealed that unscrupulous members of the Indonesian Navy who carried out the shooting on the Tangerang-Merak toll road carried firearms because of their duties as aides.

He said his party would evaluate the use of firearms by members of the Indonesian Navy. However, the use of firearms is attached to an aide to secure the officials he escorts, including himself.