TNI flexes its muscles for Mega's visit<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
People around Suralaya beach, West Java woke up to the thundering
\nroar of helicopters and troops calling out the name of East Timor
\npresident-elect Xanana Gusmao in late April.<\/p>\n
A group of soldiers were seen jumping out of a chopper using
\nparachutes and moving quickly forward with their weapons ready to
\nfire as soon as they touched the ground.<\/p>\n
"Are we going to invade East Timor again?" a person in the
\ncrowd asked a presidential security guard in astonishment, who
\nwas at the site.<\/p>\n
"Well, no," the soldier answered. "The President will visit
\nEast Timor and we are undergoing training to provide security for
\nher."<\/p>\n
The soldier told The Jakarta Post about the military operation
\nafter returning from the week-long, day and night training
\nexercise, which was participated in by around 2,000 troops ahead
\nof President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to East Timor on
\nSunday.<\/p>\n
Not all the personnel will escort the President, but the joint
\nsecurity task force has raised many eyebrows considering the fact
\nthat the full-scale military operation is aimed at protecting
\nMegawati who will be in the East Timor capital for barely four
\nhours to attend the declaration of independence of the nation.<\/p>\n
Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Saturday most of the
\ntroops would stay on alert along the areas bordering Indonesia
\nand East Timor.<\/p>\n
A fleet of six warships will join the mission.<\/p>\n
The number of soldiers is equivalent to those dropped at the
\nformer Portuguese colony under a military operation named Seroja
\nin 1975 which paved the way for the Indonesian military's
\npresence there.<\/p>\n
Protests were heard on Saturday, with the East Timor Minister
\nof Foreign Affairs Ramos Horta demanding the withdrawal of
\nIndonesian warships.<\/p>\n
Xanana expressed his disappointment, saying: "Dili will not
\neven let a fly touch Megawati."<\/p>\n
Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie
\nSjamsoeddin, who once served in East Timor, said TNI would not
\ntake any risks as the celebration in Dili would take place at
\nnight and in the open air.<\/p>\n
Aside from Sjafrie's explanation, TNI has not disclosed any
\nthreats that may have prompted the mission, the largest since
\nEast Timor voted for independence three years ago.<\/p>\n
Analysts say that the mission is simply a show of force to
\nbolster the military's ego to compensate for the loss of the
\nformer province and the human rights trial against TNI officers
\naccused of genocide and violence that followed the 1999
\nindependence vote.<\/p>\n
"The number of soldiers is 1,500 higher than normal and the
\nwarships are four too many. The action is very disappointing from
\na nation that should have shown more humility," former minister
\nof defense Juwono Sudarsono said.<\/p>\n
He said that it was an understandable show of defiance from
\nthe TNI toward the international community, which was uncalled-
\nfor.<\/p>\n
"It is urgent to safeguard the President, but the scale is a
\nbit exaggerated," Juwono remarked.<\/p>\n
Funding is also another question as no military officer is
\nwilling to disclose the source of funding for the mission.<\/p>\n
A presidential security guard told the Post on Saturday that
\nthe fund was taken from the operational budget of each unit in
\nTNI, therefore there was no special allocation for it.<\/p>\n
While Sjafrie said that the fund was taken from the regular
\npresidential security operation.<\/p>\n
The mission has sparked jealousy among the soldiers involved.<\/p>\n
"Some of us are being sent only to Kupang, some stay on the
\nwarships and the rest go all the way to Dili. Those who go to
\nDili receive an allowance in dollars, which is unfair as we all
\nunderwent a similar training," one of the troops complained.<\/p>\n
Soldiers posted in Dili will receive US$150 as a daily
\nallowance, while the rest receive only Rp 100,000 per day.<\/p>",
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