Clearance given to question generals over East Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo
\nA.S. gave the green light on Wednesday to a government-sanctioned
\ninquiry to question top generals about their alleged roles in the
\nmassive destruction of East Timor in September.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Commission for the Investigation of Human
\nRights Abuses in East Timor, Albert Hasibuan, said Widodo also
\nagreed to help bring leaders of pro-Indonesia militia in East
\nTimor to Jakarta for questioning.<\/p>\n
The militias have been blamed for the campaign of terror and
\ndestruction that erupted after the Aug. 30 ballot in East Timor.
\nAlbert's inquiry, however, corroborates allegations that members
\nof TNI were also involved in the mayhem.<\/p>\n
\"He (Widodo) does not mind if we summon a number of generals.
\nThe chief also said he will facilitate the questioning on militia
\nleaders and TNI will fly militia leaders over here,\" Albert told
\nThe Jakarta Post by phone after meeting Widodo.<\/p>\n
Widodo, however, rejected the calls for TNI to disband the
\nmilitias groups in East Nusa Tenggara, Albert said.<\/p>\n
\"He (Widodo) said there is no organizational link between TNI
\nand the militia. He said, however, that he did not want to see
\nthem use West Timor as their base,\" Albert said.<\/p>\n
Most of the militias fled to Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara on
\nthe western half of Timor island when the Australia-led
\ninternational peacekeeping force arrived in East Timor in mid-
\nSeptember to restore peace and order in the territory.<\/p>\n
An overwhelming majority of East Timorese voted to reject
\nJakarta's offer of sweeping autonomy in the ballot, preferring to
\nhave an independent state.<\/p>\n
The commission had earlier said that it wanted to question
\nGen. Wiranto, who was the TNI commander and defense minister when
\nthe ballot was held in East Timor, because of allegations that
\nthe military was \"directly or indirectly\" involved in the East
\nTimor violence.<\/p>\n
Other TNI officers it has listed for questioning are former
\nJakarta military commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin; former
\nmilitary intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim; former
\nEast Timor military commander Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman; and
\nformer Udayana military chief Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australia estimated that the death toll in the
\nviolent aftermath of East Timor's Aug. 30 self-rule ballot at
\nbetween 500 and 1,000, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was
\nquoted by AFP as saying on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Downer rejected claims that TNI and militia members massacred
\ntens of thousands of people and had dumped thousands of bodies at
\nsea, saying they would inevitably have washed ashore eventually.<\/p>\n
\"This is an assessment that we would make and the UN would
\nmake,\" he was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
\"Believe me, if between 500 and 1,000 people die that's a
\nterrible thing, that's a lot of people to die. But on the other
\nhand, it's not tens of thousands.\"<\/p>\n
A parliamentary inquiry into East Timor has been told that up
\nto 80,000 people were still unaccounted for following the militia
\nrampage in which most of the population of the territory were
\nforced to flee their homes.<\/p>\n
But Downer said the International Force for East Timor
\n(Interfet) had not been able to substantiate a large number of
\nkillings and had so far verified only about 130 to 140 deaths.<\/p>\n
He said he discussed the death toll with the UN administrator
\nfor East Timor Sergio Vieira de Mello. \"He has the same
\nimpression that we do as well,\" he added.<\/p>\n
If thousands of people had been killed, Interfet would have
\nfound more evidence of killings by now, but up to 130,000 East
\nTimorese refugees remained in East Nusa Tenggara and were yet to
\nreturn home, he said.<\/p>\n
Although the explanation for what happened to the tens of
\nthousands of people still unaccounted for remains a mystery,
\nAustralian officials believe it is more likely there was a
\nmiscalculation of East Timor's preballot population. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/clearance-given-to-question-generals-over-east-timor-1447893297",
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