Belo denied making remarks insulting ABRI, says Feisal
Belo denied making remarks insulting ABRI, says Feisal
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung
said yesterday that East Timor Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo
has denied making the derogatory remarks about the military
printed in a German magazine recently.
"According to the East Timor Bishop, the article in Der
Spiegel magazine, in which he denounced the armed forces, was not
true," Feisal announced at his office.
Feisal did not personally meet the bishop, but the denial was
apparently made when Belo met with leaders of the East Timor
provincial government in Dili Monday night.
Speaking after bestowing Yudha Dharma Nararya medals to 57
senior military officers for outstanding achievement, Feisal said
the denial would still have to be cross-checked with the article
and, if possible, with the writer.
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, as quoted in the Oct. 14
edition of the German magazine, said Indonesian troops had
treated East Timorese people like "scabby dogs" and "slaves."
The remarks provoked protests in Jakarta condemning the
bishop. These in turn prompted massive protests in Dili
supporting the bishop and denouncing the treatment the East
Timorese Roman Catholic leader received during his visit in
Jakarta last week.
Belo, a native East Timorese, has neither publicly confirmed
nor denied making the remarks, but has promised to explain the
matter at a news conference in Dili on Nov. 25.
In Dili, East Timor Police Chief Col. Yusuf Muharam said
yesterday that during the meeting on Monday evening, Belo signed
a statement saying that what he told the reporter in the
interview was different from what was printed.
Belo admitted to giving an interview to the magazine's
reporter by phone, to a person with a woman's voice, but it was
five years ago, Yusuf said.
"The article did not portray the context of the interview at
that time, according to Belo," Yusuf said.
The meeting was attended by East Timor Governor Abilio Jose
Osorio Soares, East Timor military chief Col. Mahidin Simbolon,
East Timor chief prosecutor J.F. Martanto, and Yusuf himself.
"It was a short meeting followed by dinner," Yusuf said.
Twist
Yusuf said the bishop's remarks were twisted by the foreign
reporter who does not like the Indonesian government.
It was designed to set Indonesians against Indonesians, to
provoke the kind of reaction that erupted in Jakarta, he said.
The ripples following the Der Spiegel article continued
yesterday with Kompas daily becoming the target of criticism.
About 100 Islamic youths marched to the newspaper's head
office on Jl. Palmerah Selatan to protest at Kompas' coverage of
the Der Spiegel affair which they said was biased and improper.
Deputy chief editor Ninok Leksono said Kompas had published a
correction to one of the reports that provoked the protest.
In a related development, 15 U.S. senators Monday urged
President Bill Clinton to raise the East Timor issue when he
meets with President Soeharto in Manila next week.
In a letter the senators said Clinton should push the question
of a UN-sponsored referendum for East Timorese people at the
meeting.
They also expressed concern about reports of human rights
violations in East Timor. Senators signing the letter included
Massachusetts Democrat Edward Kennedy, Wisconsin Democrat Russ
Feingold and Rhode Island Republican John Chafee.
Soeharto and Clinton will be in Manila next week for the
summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
(imn/08/33)