A dispute over the security details at Juanda airport in Surabaya, East Java, boiled over Thursday when some 40 Marines forced on-duty police officers from their post at the facility.
The situation at the airport remained tense Friday, as dozens of fully armed Marines continued to control the police post, barring anyone from entering the area.
It is unclear what prompted the Marines to act on Thursday, when they arrived at the airport in three trucks and a patrol car and demanded the police officers clear out from their post.
"They ordered the police officers to leave by 5 p.m. without saying why," a source told The Jakarta Post. The outnumbered police officers offered no resistance.
There has been an ongoing debate over who has the authority to provide security at the airport.
The police insist the airport is under their authority, although it is considered a vital facility. The Navy claims the airport falls under its authority, as outlined in a 2004 presidential decree on securing vital facilities.
Juanda was originally a Navy airport built in 1951, but it became a commercial airport in 1971. PT Angkasa Pura was appointed to manage Juanda, but the Navy was allowed to continue using the facility for military flights.
When contacted Friday, East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Herman Soerjadi Soemawireja said the actions of the Marines were unnecessary because the matter could be resolved through dialog.
He said the police had received permission from the Transportation Ministry and Angkasa Pura to secure the airport.
"We were even given a plot of land to set up the police office," Herman said.
He acknowledged the Navy was in charge of securing vital facilities in the country, such as military headquarters and bases, but Juanda was an exception because in was a commercial airport as well as a hub for military flights.
Citing examples, the officer said Halim Perdana Kusuma airport in Jakarta is a military airport and under the Navy's authority, while Soekarno-Hatta airport is secured by the police.
"Juanda airport is a mix (of both Halim and Soekarno-Hatta airports). We'll check who is in charge of its security," Herman said.
At commercial airports, he said, police handle criminal cases such as smuggling. "But if there's a hijacking case, then the Navy should take the lead (in responding) while the police will be in charge of the investigation," he said.
In response to the dispute, a spokesman for the Navy's Eastern Fleet, Lt. Col. Tony Syaiful, said the police had "offended" the Navy by building an office on the airport's grounds.
"Juanda airport belongs to the Navy according to the 2004 presidential decree," he told the Post.
He said the Transportation Ministry and Angkasa Pura did not understand the matter, which is why they granted the police land to build an office.
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