TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Online gambling is becoming increasingly prevalent within the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), according to the Military Police Center. The commander of the TNI Military Police, Major General Yusri Yunarto, said the issue has reached a concerning scale, prompting the military to take preventive measures across its ranks.
To address the problem, the Military Police Center has ordered unit commanders throughout the country to implement various forms of prevention, such as awareness campaigns and random inspections of soldiers’ mobile phones. These efforts aim to discourage the use of prohibited apps and limit excessive gadget use during off-duty hours, which is believed to be contributing to the issue.
“That’s why inspections will be conducted to ensure that soldiers are not downloading prohibited applications,” Yusri said during a press conference at TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Wednesday, May 7.
As of November last year, the Military Police recorded around 4,000 TNI personnel who had engaged in online gambling. Sanctions were imposed on those involved as a deterrent, with the Military Police vowing stricter penalties for repeat offenders.
The goal, Yusri explained, is to break the cycle of gambling within the force.
Those tougher measures could include dismissal from service and criminal prosecution. “Those who were previously involved have already received criminal penalties. So do not even think about trying it again,” said the two-star general.
Yusri also dismissed the notion that financial hardship is the primary cause of the gambling problem. He claimed that TNI soldiers enjoy adequate welfare and attributed the issue instead to increased time spent on mobile devices.
"The factor is that tendency to spend time on gadgets. That’s why we are conducting outreach to anticipate the problem," he said.
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