Government begins oparation to disarm militias

Government begins oparation to disarm militias

JAKARTA (JP): The government started operations on Thursday to
disarm militias in West Timor with a local police chief saying
that house-to-house searches for weapons would be extended until
Saturday.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security
Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that police and military
personnel had been deployed to refugee camps in West Timor to
search for weapons.

"Police and military personnel are now on the ground to carry
out sweeping operations," Susilo told journalists here after
attending a Cabinet meeting.

Soldiers and police were seen on television on Thursday
evening conducting shelter to shelter searches for weapons using
metal detectors.

But late reports said that hours after they started searching
not a single weapon had been found.

The UN Security Council and the international community has
been pressuring Jakarta to disarm the militias since they hacked
three unarmed UN aid workers to death in the West Timor border
town of Atambua on Sept. 6.

Susilo said earlier that some pro-Jakarta militias were
refusing to hand in their weapons.

He said on Thursday that "the best way for the militias" was
"to cooperate" with security personnel during the search
otherwise firm measures would be taken against them.

Susilo added that at least nine more weapons, including an
American made M-16 assault rifle, had been handed over by the
militias on Wednesday evening.

Antara reported that one battalion of police Mobile Brigade
personnel had been deployed on Thursday morning to 11 police
subprecincts in Belu regency to search for weapons.

The news agency added that two battalions of troops from the
Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) had also been
deployed to a number of locations around Atambua since dawn to
conduct weapons searches.

Belu police chief Supt. S.M. Simatupang was quoted by Antara
as saying on Thursday morning that the search for weapons would
continue until Saturday.

He said that repressive measures would have to be taken
against the militias if within three days they fail to disarm.

The United States and the World Bank have warned that much
needed economic aid could be at risk if Jakarta fails to disarm
the militias.

On Tuesday the UN Security Council repeated a demand that
Indonesia disband the militias after renewed threats to UN
personnel at a weapons handover ceremony over the weekend.

Authorities say the militiamen have handed in more than 1,000
guns, but they are mostly crude, handmade weapons. Very few
sophisticated, military-issue weapons have been given up.

Earlier in the day, Kostrad chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu
said it would be unlikely that the military would use force in
disarming the militias due to close relationships between the
two.

"We will only press them to disarm because of the emotional
relationships," he said.

He added that, to be fair, members of the pro-independence
Falintil paramilitary group in East Timor should also be
disarmed.

Ryamizard denied reports that the militias in West Timor were
still in possession of more than 1,000 modern weapons.

"It is not true because East Timorese refugees who went to
West Timor by air and sea have been disarmed," he said,
explaining that the guns which were recently handed over to the
police were brought in by those who traveled overland for safety
reasons. (byg/rms)