Indonesia deploys thousands of troops to Jakarta amid wiretapping probe

Indonesia's armed forces have deployed more than 20,000 troops and personnel to the capital, Jakarta, since Monday. The move comes as authorities investigate an alleged illegal wiretapping operation aimed at President Prabowo Subianto. The case matters because senior security officials have been detained, including the man who only recently became the president's chief of staff.

Generals detained

Three senior police generals are in custody. They are accused of illegally tapping the phones of the president, journalists, politicians and business people. One of them is Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president. He was national police chief before being appointed the president's chief of staff last month. The detainees have not responded publicly to the allegations.

The presidential palace has said the alleged wiretapping could be regarded as an act "tending towards treason." Suspects could face charges related to unlawful surveillance, which carry up to 10 years in prison.

Troop movements

Authorities have not officially confirmed that the deployment is linked to the scandal. Vice Admiral Yayan Sofiyan, the navy operations assistant, said the number of troops and personnel sent to Jakarta had passed 20,000 by Wednesday. Armed forces spokesperson Major General Muhammad Nas described the movement as standard procedure for maintaining national security.

Motive not yet established

Indonesia's senior minister for legal affairs has said the government has not yet determined the motive for the wiretapping. Adrianus Meliala, a criminologist at the University of Indonesia and former commissioner of the National Police Commission, said there is a strong suspicion that the tapping was done not in the interests of the state or the police, but for other parties. He noted that nobody expected Listyo Sigit Prabowo to be named a suspect, and said that if the allegations are proven, the case could be understood as political maneuvering.