Indonesia: Ex-head of Timorese Integration Fighters confirms Veteran Brigade BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; May 2, 2001

Text of report by Indinesian newspaper Pos Kupang on 27 April

Kupang: Former Commander of the Timorese Integration Fighters (PPI), Cancio Lopes de Carvalo, confirmed that the presence of the Veteran Brigade or Partisan Brigade on the border between East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and East Timor has the backing of a certain group who feel they were defeated in East Timor. The brigade has been carrying out an underground movement to take East Timor back.

"The Veteran Brigade really does exist. It was established after the PPI was abolished and I have convincing evidence of it," Carvalo said at his residence on Thursday (26 April).

According to Carvalo, certain figures who felt they had lost, supported the Veteran Brigade by exploiting the 1975 East Timor integration fighters. "I don't want to name the institution or the figures, but don't pass on the blame," he said.

He regretted accusations from certain groups that he as the PPI Commander and other PPI leaders were the brains behind the Veteran Brigade...

He went on to say that members of various institutions often came and held meetings with the Veteran Brigade. "I know that for a fact. We should not let them pass the buck onto other people. Pitting one against the other was common practice in the old East Timor and we do not want West Timor to become an area of conflict," he said.

Carvalo estimated that the Veteran Brigade had at least 10,000 to 15,000 members. He emphasized that it would be unlikely that former PPI fighters would join with the Veteran Brigade as those in the PPI were from the younger generation while those in the Veteran Brigade comprised of integration fighters from 1975.

He added that the Veteran Brigade wanted to take back East Timor using arms. "They don't support the reconciliation we are fighting for," he said...

Source: Pos Kupang, Kupang, in Indonesian 27 Apr 01

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