Feisal says ABRI has good ties with Belo

Feisal says ABRI has good ties with Belo

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung played
down speculations yesterday about there being a bad relationship
between the military and controversial Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe
Ximenes Belo over the latter's allegedly anti-Indonesian remarks
to a German magazine.

Feisal said yesterday he had always maintained a good
relationship with Belo. "I once visited him in East Timor,"
Feisal said. "I'm planning to pay him another visit this
Christmas."

Belo, who shares this year's Nobel Peace Prize with East Timor
separatist movement leader Ramos Horta, was quoted in the Oct. 14
edition of German Der Spiegel magazine saying Indonesian troops
had treated East Timorese people like "scabby dogs" and "slaves."

Feisal rejected Belo's other alleged claim that there had been
nine assassination attempts against him.

"It's all made-up. He could have sued the Armed Forces after
he received threats," Feisal said, adding that the military would
launch its own investigation into the magazine article.

The bishop has promised to issue his version of the magazine
interview on Monday.

Meanwhile, Chief of the Udayana Regional Military Command,
which oversees Bali, Nusa Tenggara and East Timor, Maj. Gen. A.
Rivai said that despite controversy over the interview, security
in East Timor remains normal.

"No social tension occurred in East Timor," he was quoted by
Antara as saying yesterday in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

A harsher note on Belo's alleged anti-Indonesia remarks was
sounded yesterday by chairman of the Muhammadiyah Moslem
organization Amien Rais.

Amien called on the government to serve a formal warning
notice against Belo for twisting facts on conditions in East
Timor.

"Give Belo a written, formal and firm warning, so there will
be no more twisting of facts on East Timor in the future," Amien
was quoted by Antara as saying in Riau yesterday.

Amien said Belo committed a grave mistake with his remarks.

"Everything he said in the article, including the (alleged)
murder of hundreds of thousands of East Timorese people, was a
lie," he said.

Belo was reported to have told the magazine that about 350,000
East Timorese were murdered by Indonesian troops. "It's
impossible. Burying 5,000 corpses is a difficult enough task
already. Can you imagine burying 350,000 people?" he said.

Amien demanded that Belo be treated as an equal Indonesian
citizen.

"We should treat him as we have treated politician Sri Bintang
Pamungkas," he said, referring to the controversial politician
accused of defaming President Soeharto in speeches in
universities in Germany last year. (imn)