Former militia fighters protest killing in E. Timor border zone
Former militia fighters protest killing in E. Timor border zone
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara
Former pro-Jakarta militia leaders condemned on Tuesday the
killing of their ex-member, Vegas Bibilitu, by East Timor police
on the border area between Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT)
and East Timor.
Other former pro-integration East Timorese, currently living
in NTT as Indonesian citizens, also joined the protest against
Vegas' death on Friday at Turiskain village, Raihat subdistrict,
Belu regency.
Meanwhile, hundreds of local residents marched to the border
area as the East Timorese authorities planned to hand over Vegas'
body to them on Tuesday.
The pro-Indonesia protesters urged the government to take
"firm steps" against East Timor over the incident.
"Pro-integration East Timorese feel shocked over the loss of
one of the former pro-integration strugglers, who was shot dead,"
said Florencio Mario Viera, spokesman for the Association of Pro-
Indonesia East Timorese People (Untas).
"As fellow East Timorese citizens, the shooting incident was
extremely savage because it took place within a neutral zone," he
told The Jakarta Post in the border town of Atambua, East Nusa
Tenggara.
Vegas, a former militiamen from Turiskain village in Raihat
subdistrict, Belu regency, was shot dead in an area close to the
Balibaca River, which falls within the Tactical Coordination
Zone, Kupang Wirasakti military chief Col. Moeswarno Moesanif
said.
He said on Monday that a preliminary investigation showed that
Vegas was shot in the chest while trying to sneak into East Timor
across the river, carrying arrows.
Belu Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Nugroho, quoting a
statement by an East Timorese police officer, said the shooting
was self-defense as Vegas had fired an arrow at another East
Timorese police officer on patrol.
Moesanif accused Vegas of being involved in several cases of
smuggling basic commodities into East Timor via the boarder area
in neighboring East Nusa Tenggara.
Mario Viera further said his association had urged the
government to remove its envoy from East Timor in a protest
against the killing of Vegas.
The government should also stop exporting Indonesian products
to the neighboring country, he added.
He also demanded that East Timor President Xanana Gusmao
apologize soon to former pro-integration East Timorese, now
joining Indonesia, over the incident.
Meanwhile, Belu authorities have increased security in the
East Timor-NTT border area and temporarily closed Turiskain
traditional market, some two kilometers from the scene, to
prevent possible revenge attacks by local residents.
Lt. Col. Joko Setiyono, a security taskforce commander in the
border area, said the market would be reopened soon after the
situation normalized.