| Subject:
Indonesian military admits 'routine meetings' with militias
Jakarta Post December 28, 1999
Military admits 'routine meetings' with
militias
JAKARTA (JP): An army general admitted on
Monday that military officers in East Timor regularly met with
prointegration militias accused of violence and destruction in the
territory following the Aug. 30 self-determination ballot.
Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, former chief of
the Udayana Military Command, said, however, that the meetings were aimed
only "to maintain peace and order" in the territory.
East Timor was under the supervision of
the Udayana Military Command when the ballot on East Timor's future was
held.
"There were routine meetings between
district military chiefs and the people to maintain security (in East
Timor), but these were not uncommon practices for territorial units,"
Adam told reporters after being questioned by the government-sanctioned
Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) in East
Timor.
Apart from Adam, former East Timor
military commander Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman appeared before the commission
on Monday.
Violence erupted in the former Indonesian
province following the ballot that resulted in an overwhelming vote
against Jakarta's wide ranging autonomy proposal.
Both Adam and Tono insisted that there
were no militias in East Timor, except self-initiated civilian guards.
The commission, in its midterm report,
claimed that based on preliminary investigations and witnesses accounts,
the Indonesian Military (TNI) was directly or indirectly involved in the
violence perpetrated by militias.
Former TNI chief Gen. Wiranto denied the
allegations during his questioning last week, saying that the violence was
an emotional outburst which was neither premeditated nor controllable.
Wiranto, who is now coordinating minister
for political affairs and security, Adam and Tono are among a number of
top military officers being targeted in the inquiry.
Other officers to be questioned this week
include Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Syamsuddin, Brig.
Gen. Glen Kairupan and former East Timor Police chief Brig. Gen. Timbul
Silaen.
Commission member Todung Mulya Lubis said
later in the day that the leader of the prointegration forces, Joao da
Silva Tavares, was scheduled to be questioned on Tuesday.
Tavares and a number of militia leaders
failed to turn up for questioning last week, claiming that they were never
summoned by the inquiry team. (byg)
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