Militias, military linked, says Marzuki<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Friday
\nthat the Indonesian Military (TNI) should not continue denying it
\nhas a connection with militias currently operating in West Timor.<\/p>\n
\"It's no use for the military to keep denying the fact that
\nthe militias are backed and aided by them,\" Marzuki said.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that one of the consequences of the
\nrelationship between the militias and the military was that
\ndisarming the former would be difficult.<\/p>\n
\"It's not that simple to disarm, let alone dismiss militia
\ngroups, for there is a psychological relationship between old
\nelements in the TNI, recent troops deployed in East Nusa Tenggara
\nand the displaced militias,\" he told journalists at his office.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has pledged to disarm the militias
\nnext week following a bloody incident in the border town of
\nAtambua earlier this month when a mob attacked the United Nations
\nCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office and killed three aid
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
The attack occurred following news that ex-militia leader
\nOlivio Moruk had been murdered the previous night.<\/p>\n
Marzuki earlier revealed that among the 13 suspects in the two
\nincidents, at least one was connected to the military.<\/p>\n
Pressed by journalists again on Friday if there was TNI
\ninvolvement in the attack, Marzuki confirmed that a \"military
\nmember\" was involved in the raid that occurred on Sept. 6.<\/p>\n
That date is the day a mob ran amok and attacked the UNHCR
\noffice.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile on Thursday, UN personnel marched at the world
\nbody's headquarters in New York and Geneva demanding better
\nprotection during their missions in some of the most dangerous
\nplaces in the world.<\/p>\n
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told hundreds of staffers
\ntaking part in the solidarity march that more needed to be done
\nto protect those working to help people caught in conflict zones.
\nHundreds more took part in a similar march at the UN European
\nheadquarters in Switzerland.<\/p>\n
\"We are taking all measures to strengthen security, to work
\nwith the governments concerned to ensure the security of our
\nstaff,\" Annan said as quoted by Reuters<\/p>\n
The demonstrations in New York and Geneva were intended to
\ndraw attention to the killings of their colleagues over the last
\nthree weeks in Atambua and the West African nation of Guinea.<\/p>\n
Since 1992, 198 UN workers have been killed on duty, 30 of
\nwhom worked for UNHCR. (bby)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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