ABRI says error made in Liquisa

ABRI says error made in Liquisa

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) admitted yesterday that
some of its soldiers had made a mistake when they killed six
civilians who were members of an East Timor rebel group in the
Liquisa regency last month.

Announcing the findings of its own team of investigators,
ABRI's Information Center said in a statement that "the team
found there was a violation of procedures during the military
operation conducted by an ABRI patrol team from the Liquisa
Military District in the Gariana complex".

"The findings of the fact-finding team will be followed up by
a Military Honors Council which will be formed by the Army in the
near future," the statement said.

In connection with the findings, ABRI Chief Gen. Feisal
Tanjung was quoted as saying he would "firmly punish ABRI members
who are found guilty".

"The ABRI chief also called on all soldiers who are working in
East Timor to be consistent in carrying out their tasks; to
continue to promote close relations with the people; but to never
hesitate to act as long as the action is within procedures."

The statement also said that the six people killed during a
raid in Gariana by the patrol team on Jan. 12 had been "civilian
members of an East Timorese GPK".

"GPK", or peace-disturbing band, is the military shorthand for
Fretilin, an armed group which has been waging a guerrilla war
for a separate East Timorese state.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. R. Hartono said yesterday he had
decided on the makeup of the 36-member council, which he calls
the Officers' Honors Council.

He said the council would consist of no less than 20 senior
officers of the ranks of brigadier and major general. The council
will be led by the new Army inspector general, whose name has not
yet been announced.

The outgoing inspector general, Maj. Gen. F.X. Soedjasmin,
will soon be appointed the Army's deputy chief of staff to
replace Lt. Gen. Surjadi.

Chronology

In a separate announcement, the ABRI Information Center gave a
chronology of events leading up to the incident, based on the
investigation of the fact finding team lead by Brig. Gen. Sumarna
T. of the ABRI Inspectorate General.

It said that for the past several months the security team in
Liquisa had been observing the movements, into and out of the
regency, of several long-haired people whom it believed to be
separatists.

On Jan. 8, the local security team received a tip about the
presence of 12 armed separatists. On Jan. 9, the team received a
report that some 45 members of an anti-integration were resting
at the house of the Gariana village head.

On the evening of Jan. 10, the military sent a platoon of 32
patrol officers, led by First Lieutenant Jeremias Kase, to
Gariana. They were aided by two local guides.

On the morning of Jan. 11, there was an armed clash in
Gariana. Following this contact, the patrol team confiscated
several documents, which later led troops to arrest four local
people who were "strongly suspected" of being active members of a
clandestine movement.

These four men were then used by the patrol team to lead them
to rebel hideouts.

On Jan. 12, the security team, guided by the four men, raided
four places, but the first three turned out to be empty.

On the fourth raid, in a village called Fabo, about seven
kilometers from Gariana, there was an armed contact.

The security team formed three layers, the first to raid, the
second to give cover, and the third to seal any escape routes.

Two rebel members in the house were shot dead during the raid.

The four other members who had acted as guides, meanwhile,
tried to flee, and were shot dead during the attempt.

A member of the raid team, Private First Class Custudio Bario,
received injuries to his chest and lower back from a spear.

The six movement members who were killed were all buried in
Liquisa, the information center reported.

According to the statement, the ABRI fact finding team
ascertained that:

"The information about the clandestine activities of the
movement was correct.

"The steps taken by the district command were appropriate and
in accordance with procedures and within its authority.

"The six civilians who were killed were all members of the
movement (two were full members on the movement and four were
members of the clandestine network).

"There are indications of violations of standard procedures
during the raid."

ABRI made the announcement as the National Commission on Human
Rights, which is also investigating the incident, sent back its
team to East Timor to verify some of the evidence gathered
previously.

The commission is expected to announce its findings next week.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono told reporters yesterday that
the honorary council would get down to business as soon as
possible. He declined to predict how long it would take to
complete its work and come up with a set of recommendations.

"It could be one, two or three weeks, or even 30 days. It will
complete its task," he said.

The last time the Army formed a similar council was in 1991 in
the wake of the incident in Dili in which 50 East Timorese
protesters were killed in clashes with troops.

The council, which found that troopers had acted out of
accordance with procedures, later recommended punishment for 16
soldiers, including two generals. (rms/emb)