Ex-East Timor militia gang armed to teeth set to attack
Ex-East Timor militia gang armed to teeth set to attack
Yemris Fointuna, Kupang
A joint military and police force in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are
keeping a watch on pro-Indonesia militiamen suspected of
attempting to create chaos in neighboring East Timor.
The militia are hoarding thousands of firearms, grenades and
ammunition in NTT territory bordering East Timor, the Indonesian
Military (TNI) said on Friday.
"There is the intention on the part of militia to create chaos
in Timor Leste (East Timor). They still have many guns buried in
border areas," said Wirasakti 161 military commander Col.
Moeswarno Moesanip overseeing security in NTT province.
He said soldiers and paramilitary Mobile Brigade police
stationed in the border area were intensively monitoring the
activities of around 20 militia leaders and members reported to
be gathering there.
The men often smuggle Indonesian goods into East Timor, while
studying security conditions in the newly born country, Moesanip
said, quoting TNI intelligence officers.
It was not clear why the militiamen were not immediately
arrested when it was discovered they were smuggling goods into
East Timor.
Why nor Moesanip divulged the plans of the pro-Jakarta militia
group to launch an attack on East Timor, instead of keeping them
secret to search for their guns and arrest them was not clear.
It had widely been reported earlier that the TNI hired
militiamen to help soldiers challenge independence fighters in
East Timor during Indonesia's occupation of the territory between
1970 and 1999.
The military-backed militia were blamed for the rampage that
followed East Timor's vote for independence in August 1999. Only
a number of militia leaders were jailed for the mayhem, while
senior TNI officers who were then responsible for security in the
territory remained free.
However, Moesanip refuted claims that the TNI and police
backed militia to destabilize East Timor, and vowed to shoot them
on sight should they perpetrate new violence there.
The most effective measure to prevent militia attacks,
according to him, would be to reopen the three traditional
markets in the NTT-East Timor border area, which were closed
after a shooting incident last year.
"The Timor Leste government should support the reopening of
the three legal markets, so the activities of traders including
militiamen can be controlled," Moesanip argued.
Otherwise, illegal markets would increase and security forces
would be unable to curb militia activities at border areas, he
added.
Moesanip said the East Timor authorities were worried about
increasing militia operations at border areas ahead of the
pullout of the United Nation Peacekeeping Force from the
neighboring country, which is scheduled for early June.
With the planned UN withdrawal threats of militia attacks in
East Timor have increased.