Indonesia rushes thousands of troops to Jakarta amid wiretap scandal
Nov 5, 2026
Indonesia's military has begun deploying the first
of at least 20,000 personnel to the capital.
Some of them told me they don't know what they'll be doing here
or how long they'll be here for.
But the deployment comes as a political scandal unfolds.
unfolds.
The presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit and two police generals
have been arrested for allegedly wiretapping the president.
President Prabowo Subianto had only appointed Listio
as chief of staff last month.
Previously, he was the national police chief.
The suspects allegedly also wiretapped ministers,
journalists and civil society figures.
Their motives are still being investigated.
Indonesia's navy says its personnel are being deployed
to maintain security and stability.
Authorities have not connected
the wiretapping scandal with the deployment.
Some analysts have suggested that the deployment might
be in anticipation of a possible flaring
of political tensions.