REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Foregin Affairs Minister said  the government found a number of discrepancies in the alleged smuggling of arms by the  members of 8th Formed Police Unit (FPU) of the National Police who has finished their duty in Darfur (UNAMID). Nevertheless, Retno declined to elaborate further related irregularities were found.

Retno said the government still needs verification and further investigation of the gaffe findings. "We've noted there were some irregularities that must be verified further. Therefore, in order to ensure the contingent get their full legal rights, we will send legal aid team to Sudan," said Retno in the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday.

Foreign Minister currently is trying to gain access into Sudan. In normal condition, the licensing process to entry Sudan takes about one week.

Previously, the Sudanese Media Centre said a variety of weapons and ammunition smuggled, including 29 Kalashnikov rifles, four guns, six GM3 rifles, and 61 different types of pistols besides a large numbers of ammunition. 

Also read: Indonesian peacekeepers are arrested in Sudan for smuggling weapons

The National Police Chief, Gen. Tito Karnavian, saw Indonesian police has no motive to smuggle arms. More over, Indonesia has PT Pindad who produced amunition. "The possibility that the weapons and amunitions are ours is small," he said.

Tito would send an investigation team to the Sudan on Wednesday night. "The team would go there tonight to provide legal aid and to coordinate with local government, the United Nations, and Sudan authorities," said Tito at the Police Staff College (PTIK), South Jakarta, Wednesday.

Tito confirmed the results of initial investigation. He said 10 suitcases containing weapons and ammunition were not owned by the members of FPU. As many as 141 suitcases belonging to FPU members have been inspected before they set forth to the airport on January 19 and have been put in containers.

Also read: Indonesia to send team to Darfur over arms smuggling reports

When the members were asked to go to the airport on January 21, the suitcases in the container passed through an x-ray examination and entered the communal lounge. After that, 30 other suitcases entered the lounge. All the suitcases have FPU identity seals. 

Ten meters away, there was a pile of suitcases without identity. It was put in a public place. there were 10 suitcases with different types to that of the national police.

The officers asked about the ownership of the suitcases. The FPU did not recognized it as it was different type of suitcases and were not labeled by FPU Indonesia. The officers immediately conducted an x-ray examination to the unidentified suitcases. They found nearly 100 long and short weapons and ammunition.

The FPU team strongly denied the allegation of the suitcases possession during the examination by the authority of al-Fashir Airport. It stated that the number of suitcases belonging to Indonesian FPU was the same, 141 suitcases, since they were put in containers to the arrival at the airport.

Tito said the 10 suitcases had already there in the communal lounge. He questioned how the suitcases could be allegedly belonged to the members of the FPU. "Those were already there," he said.

The head of the general information unit of the Public Relations Division of the National Police, Commissioner Martinus Sitompul, said there are eight personnel departed as the investigation team. They were aided by the working units of the National Police and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "As planned, the team would make a clarification and gave moral supports to the members of FPU," said Martinus.

Meanwhile Sudan's Ambassador to Indonesia, Abd al-Rahim al-Siddiq, said the issue on weapon smuggling involving 138 members of 8th Formed Police Unit (FPU) of the Indonesian Police was not true. "The information was not valid," he texted Republika.co.id via Whatsapp on Wednesday. 

According to him, the entourage were still at the transit area of al-Fashir Airport, Sudan, where the illegal weapons were found. He hoped the incident would be solved properly and the relations between the two countries would not be affected. "Indonesia and Sudan relationship is much more valuable than this small incident," he said.

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