Analysts warn possible negative fallout from killing of German
Analysts warn possible negative fallout from killing of German
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Analysts warned the government to prepare for possible negative
fallout resulting from the shooting by soldiers of two Germans,
one fatal, in conflict-ridden Aceh on Wednesday with call for a
thorough investigation into the incident.
Former minister of defense Juwono Sudarsono said the
government had to probe the shooting thoroughly to prevent any
possible misunderstandings within the international community as
has happened in the past when foreign nationals became victims
here.
"The government has to probe the incident as the shooting of
foreigners may create complicated problems for the related
countries," Juwono said as quoted by Antara.
Soldiers shot dead a German citizen, 59-year-old Hendrik
Albert and seriously injured his German companion Elisabeth
Margareth, 49, in Lhok Gayo, Teumon subdistrict, Aceh Jaya
regency at around 9 p.m. on Wednesday evening. Both had been
issued tourists visas in May, before the declaration of martial
law and reportedly entered Aceh on May 16.
The TNI insisted that the fatal shooting took place after
several warning shots and the failure of the pair to respond to
verbal orders, before the soldiers finally took aim directly at
them.
Three soldiers are facing abuse charges at the military
tribunal in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh, for the beating of villagers
in a raid against rebels in a village in Bireuen regency on May
27.
The German government, or any other country, has yet to
announce any official reaction to the incident.
Acehnese legislator Ahmad Farhan Hamid concurred and said the
government should also make it perfectly clear why the shooting
happened in an attempt to avoid harsh reactions from foreign
countries.
"Foreigners victimized in conflict-ridden areas have usually
provoked negative implications as happened in East Timor," Ahmad
said.
Indonesia was under world scrutiny for the murder of a Dutch
reporter Sander Thoenes in East Timor in 1999, shortly after the
Timorese voted for independence.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the government was fully aware
of possible unnecessary misunderstandings over the incident from
the international community and vowed to make a complete and
objective investigation into the case.
"Of course we will try to prevent this issue from creating
misperceptions among the international community," the minister
remarked.
The government and the military have been involved in several
frays with European countries since the martial law was imposed
on May 19 to put down the Free Aceh Movement insurgency.
Jakarta is considering whether to downgrade or sever bilateral
ties with Sweden since the Swedish government declined to take
action against exiled GAM leaders who have been naturalized as
Swedish citizens.
The use of British-made HS-Hawk warplanes in the military
operation has also met opposition from British Foreign Office
Minister Mike O'Brien who visited Jakarta recently.
However, military analyst Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre of
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) played down the
possibility of a backlash, saying that the country had a strong
case because Aceh is under martial law.
"The Germans will likely question the incident, but the area
is in a state of war. Besides, we still have to investigate the
case as soon as possible," he said.
He however is of the same opinion that the TNI should
immediately give an honest explanation about the incident to
answer any questions from the international community.