Copassus

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Emblem of the Kopassus

Kopassus ( Komando Pasukan Khusus ) is a special unit of the army of the Indonesian armed forces . Their headquarters are in Cijantung in the east of Jakarta . The approximately 5000-strong force is used, among other things, for sabotage , for military reconnaissance , for kidnapping or for the rescue of hostages .

In addition to the strategic army command Kostrad it is the second center of power of the military in Indonesia and was since its establishment in all crises active part in crimes against humanity involved, ranging from combat in 1950 on the Moluccas proclaimed Republic of South Maluku , the mass murder of its own people 1965/66 and subsequent military dictatorship under Suharto , up to operations in East Timor and other crisis regions, such as Aceh or western New Guinea . During these operations, international observers repeatedly pointed to Kopassus involvement in serious human rights violations and support for paramilitary groups.

history

The idea for a special unit goes back to the two Indonesian officers Lieutenant Slamet Riyadi and Colonel Alex Evart Kawilaran when they fought units of the former colonial power Netherlands in the Moluccas in 1949 . Both were amazed at the skills of the snipers of the Dutch "Korps Speciale Troepen" (KST), which supported the Christian population. Riyadi died a year later.

On November 15, 1951, Colonel Kawilaran became Commander-in-Chief of Defense Area III "Siliwangi" of West Java and Jakarta and met the Dutchman Mochamad Idjon Djanbi (real name: Rokus Bernandus Visser), a deserter and former major of the Dutch colonial army KNIL , who offered to train men .

The force was officially founded on April 16, 1952 under the name "Kesatuan Komando Tentara Territory" under the command of Defense Area III "Siliwangi" to deal with the DI / TII operation in West Java. The Dutchman Visser was their first commander. It consisted of about 100 men and two Einsatzgruppen ( Grup ), Group I in Serang, West Java, and Group II in Kartosuro near Surakarta . On February 9, 1953, the command was directly subordinate to the Army Chief of Staff. The ABRI headquarters took control on March 18 and renamed the force "Korps Komando Angkatan Darat".

In 1963, Grup III was added, responsible for training with its headquarters and training camp in Batujajar near Bandung . The new headquarters in the capital Jakarta was opened in 1959.

In 1985 the unit was reorganized and two more new groups were formed with members of Group III: Group IV ( Satuan Gabungan Intelijen , also INTEL, SGI), was responsible for secret service activities and "dirty" warfare and Group V, an anti-terrorist unit ( Satuan Anti Teror ), under the direct command of the Commander-in-Chief ("Danjen Kopassus").

From December 1986 the army reorganized the unit and gave it the current name Kopassus.

Names

date Surname abbreviation
April 16, 1952 Kesatuan Komando Tentara Territory KTT III
March 13, 1953 Corps Angkatan Darat Command KKAD
July 25, 1955 Resimen Pasukan Komando Angkatan Darat RPKAD
1959 Resimen Para Komando Angkatan Darat RPKAD
December 12, 1966 Pusat Pasukan Khusus AD Puspassus AD
17th February 1971 Pasukan Command Sandi Yudha Kopassandha
December 26, 1986 Pasukan Khusus Command Copassus

Commanders (Danjen Kopassus)

  • Mochamad Idjon Djanbi (Rokus Bernandus Visser) 1952–1955
  • Major RE Djailani
  • Major Kaharuddin Nasution
  • Col. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo 1966
  • Brig Gen. Wismoyo Aris Munandar June 6, 1983 - May 22, 1985
  • Brig Gen. Sintong Pandjaitan May 22, 1985 - October 1985
  • Folks. Gene. Tarub 1993-1994
  • Prabowo Subianto December 1995 - March 1998
  • Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaini 2001

Calls

Controversy

Kompassus is accused of supporting or having supported various organizations that operate outside the law. The unit is also accused of being variously involved in murder and torture. Members of the unit are also said to have committed criminal machinations.

See also

literature

  • Ken Conboy: KOPASSUS Inside Indonesia's Special Forces . Equinox Publishing, ISBN 979-95898-8-6 (English)

Web links

Commons : Kopassus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Damien Kingsbury: We must not get back in bed with Kopassus. The Age Company Ltd, August 14, 2003, accessed April 20, 2018 .