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)