Cebongan Suspect Ucok Simbolon: I had to Stick to My Gun

TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, one of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) soldiers accused of attacking the Cebongan Penitentiary and killing four of its prisoners on March 23, said he is ready to be held accountable for his crime.

"I must be responsible for what I did. Honestly, I none of this benefits me. But my close acquaintance was treated badly," the man told Tempo in a brief interview next to the detention room at Yogyakarta Military Court II-1 on Thursday, July 11. Excerpts:

Were the raid and execution premeditated?

No, I would have not recognized them if some of the witnesses had not shown me (the victims).

In your opinion, how did the incident go?

It went like this. After searching for Marcel, some of my men asked to go home, some other had fallen asleep. Especially, there was my senior, Suprapto. Then there was an information that Deki and friends (the victims) was transfered to Cebongan. We were supposed to ask Deki where Marcel was. We went there (Cebongan) to ask Marcel. We wanted to ask: "What were your problems with Santoso. Why were you so cruel?"

What did you do after that?

I opened and entered the cell. Suddenly, I was hit from behind the door. I fell down, holding my gun. I was defending myself. If there had been any distance, I would have fired a warning shot. 

Why enter Deki's cell?

Because the warden refuse to call them. If he had called them, there would have been no shooting.

Is not it the warden's job to protect them?

Excuse me, they did not know that we were the spec-ops (Kopassus). They assumed that we were from the Police (Polda). It was a common thing for the warden to accept prisoner at night from the police.

Was the police-stamped letter true?

I randomly picked that paper. It could have been my wife's file. I do not know what file it was. We could not enter the Penitentiary to pay a visit at that time (night). The only one that could access the penitentiary during those hours was the Police (Polda). I remembered we were carrying replica gun as well.

What went down after the shooting?

My friends in the car went panic. First Corporal Kodik said: "Why did you shoot? Why did you do that"" I shout back at him because he did not know what went down inside: "You be quiet!" They had actually asked me to stop before leaving to Cebongan. The point was that I did not come to the Penitentiary to attack. If the warden had called Deki to the Porter Room, I would have asked the questions there. When I was attacked in the cell, I had to survive. My instincts told me that I should not separate with my gun. I had to stick to my gun.

MUH SYAIFULLAH