Authorities Committing Assault at Demonstrators to be Sanctioned

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko assured that the authorities who committed violent acts against rally participants would be imposed with sanctions.

"We'll evaluate the crucial points on how did such events occurred," Moeldoko said at presidential palace complex in Jakarta, Wednesday, September 25.

He said the apparatus would be professional and proportional in tackling a demonstration. "Proportional is when they work based on the proportion and professional is about how the officers able to take steps based on the SOP (standard operational procedure)."

According to Moeldoko, the repressive acts conducted by the officers in the field happened as they have a limit to their patience in dealing with the protesters.

The officers also felt tired as the demonstrators forced to stage the rally until late at night. The exhaustion challenged both of the apparatus and rally participants. "That was when the limit of exhaustion arose, [the protesters] become annoyed, mad, and uncontrolled. And so did the officers, both of the parties felt tired," he said.

In the series of these events, acts of alleged assault done by police against students were recorded. In Medan, a viral video showed a number of police officers gangs up on a man in university jacket.

In Jakarta, another viral video also showed dozens of Police's Brimob officers gang up a man until he sprawled. The location was known to be at JCC Senayan, Central Jakarta. The journalist who recorded the assault was also intimidated by the officers.

FRISKI RIANA