398 combat troops leave East Timor
398 combat troops leave East Timor
By Imanuddin
DILI, East Timor (JP): A total of 398 combat soldiers boarded
the Teluk Saleh warship yesterday morning in the first phase of
moves to withdraw 1,000 troops from East Timor.
The ship set sail from Dili carrying two companies of the
Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and one company of
the Army's Special Force (Kopassus).
"We are reducing the number of troops here because the
(security) situation is relatively calm," East Timor Military
chief Col. Tono Suratman told journalists after leading the
ceremony to see the troops off at the port.
"Their number will be reduced from 12,000 to 11,000. All
combat troops will be pulled out of East Timor. We will only
retain territorial troops in the future," he said.
The number cited by Tono includes the 3,000 strong local
police force, which falls under the control of the Armed Forces.
Territorial troops are usually deployed to help with public
works and social projects, from road and bridge building to
conducting classes in schools.
"I think five battalions of territorial troops should be
enough for the time being," Tono said, adding that he did not
rule out the possibility of further withdrawals in the future.
Present at the ceremony were East Timor Governor Abilio Jose
Osorio Soares, provincial legislative council chief Armindo
Soares Mariano, East Timor Police chief Col. G.S. Timbul Silaen,
secretary to the Dili diocese Jose Antonio da Costa, and chairman
of East Timor's office of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas M.
Sagran.
The Teluk Saleh is now heading for East Kalimantan, where one
Kostrad company will disembark and take up new duties in the oil-
rich town of Balikpapan. It will then steam on to Jakarta with
the Kopassus company, which is barracked in Cijantung, East
Jakarta, and the remaining Kostrad company which comes from the
West Java Siliwangi Regional Military Command in Bandung.
Tono said the remaining combat troops would be withdrawn next
month.
"We do not have a vessel large enough to carry all the troops
together so we will have to wait for another ship to come and
collect them," he said.
Responding to a journalist's question, Tono said the military
would not withdraw all its troops from East Timor, as often
demanded by separatist leaders.
"Let me ask you, is there any country in the world which only
has a police presence and does not depend on the military in one
way or another?" he said.
Col. Silaen said the police were ready to take over the
responsibility of maintaining security from the soldiers.
However, he said the police needed three more Mobile Brigade
companies to complement the three already deployed in the
province.
Watching the ceremony until the end, Governor Abilio said he
welcomed the ABRI-initiated withdrawal of troops.
"It's a good move. I appeal to the East Timor separatists to
end their armed resistance and start a dialog as part of efforts
to settle East Timor's problems," he said.
Abilio estimated the separatist movement had 200 active
members, 100 of whom were armed.
He said the number of troops would be further reduced in line
with declining separatist activities in the province.
About 1,000 Dili residents who watched the Teluk Saleh inch
out of the port yesterday expressed their fears and hopes at the
sight.
"ABRI keep saying that East Timor is safe. If that is so, why
does it keep such a large presence here?" said a middle-aged East
Timorese man who identified himself only as Antonio.
"They are only supposed to deploy the police in East Timor.
The soldiers must all go back home," he said.
Pedro da Silva, a second-year mathematics student at the state
East Timor University agreed that all troops must be withdrawn
from the province and security handled solely by the police.
"People could protect themselves without the soldiers'
presence," he said.
Augusto da Silva, a worker at a local private company,
suspected that this was more of a troop rotation than a genuine
withdrawal.
"I don't believe that the troops have really been withdrawn.
Just last month a fresh consignment of troops arrived here," he
said.
He also questioned the reasons for keeping such a large
military presence in the region. "If ABRI says there are 200
separatist rebels, why do they need so many troops here?" he
asked.