Sintong's visit provokes Aussie<\/p>\n
SYDNEY (Agencies): The current visit by Indonesian Maj. Gen.
\nSintong Panjaitan to Australia has sparked a controversy because
\nmany still remember him as the man responsible for the bloody
\nincident in Dili, East Timor, four years ago.<\/p>\n
Sintong arrived on Saturday, as a member of the advance party
\npreparing for a visit later this year by State Minister of
\nResearch and Technology B.J. Habibie.<\/p>\n
Sintong has been seconded as an aide to the minister.<\/p>\n
He will leave on Tuesday together with other members of a
\nhigh-powered delegation which has also been involved in official
\ntalks aimed at increasing cooperation with Jakarta on defense
\ntechnology, AFP reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
The news agency also reported that Sintong's visit was
\nexpected to prompt protests from Australia's East Timorese
\nrefugee community, as well as its numerous supporters in churches
\nand civil rights groups who have frequently condemned what they
\nsee as Canberra's policy of appeasing Indonesia over East Timor.<\/p>\n
Australian foreign affairs spokesman Paul Molloy said the
\ngovernment was aware of the controversy surrounding Sintong.<\/p>\n
\"But we decided to grant a visa to all members of the
\ndelegation in the view that even though Sintong Panjaitan could
\nbe considered a controversial visitor, his visit was warranted in
\norder to prepare the ground thoroughly for the visit by Minister
\nHabibie.<\/p>\n
\"Minister Habibie is a very important visitor and is the
\nminister primarily responsible for technological development in
\nIndonesia,\" Molloy said.<\/p>\n
Sintong was chief of the Udayana Military Command, which
\noversees the security in East Timor, when troops clashed with
\nprotesters on the streets of Dili on Nov. 12, 1991, leaving at
\nleast 50 people dead.<\/p>\n
The incident sparked an international outcry, and a military
\ninvestigation held Sintong responsible for the incident along
\nwith a number of other officers and soldiers. Although Sintong
\nwas not in Dili at the time of the incident, he was considered
\nthe most senior officer responsible for East Timor affairs.<\/p>\n
Sintong, at the time considered as one of the Army's most
\nprominent officers with prospects of an even higher career in the
\nmilitary or the government, was removed from his post but
\nremained active in the Army.<\/p>\n
He was later sent to the United States for training and
\nsubsequently returned to Indonesia and appointed as an aide to
\nHabibie, with an office at the Agency for the Assessment and
\nApplication of Technology, which is headed by Habibie. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sintongs-visit-provokes-aussie-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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