Indonesia has nothing to do with East Timor mayhem

Indonesia has nothing to do with East Timor mayhem

JAKARTA (JP): The government regretted any attempt to ruin
Indonesia's image in front of the international community and
denied all accusations against the country over the recent mayhem
in the former province of East Timor.

The Foreign Ministry's Director General for Political Affairs
Hassan Wirajuda told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the
government does not consider what happens in East Timor to be
Indonesia's domestic problem.

"In accordance to our forward looking principles, we consider
what happens in East Timor as their own internal problem. We
regret any statement trying to link what happens there with us,"
Hassan remarked.

"We reject any attempt to link the Indonesian Military (TNI),
especially the Army Special Force (Koppasus), with the riots in
East Timor," he added.

Hassan was commenting upon accusations, reported by several
foreign media organizations, that suspects arrested by local
authorities over recent riots in Baucau area, on the eastern side
of the former province, were linked to Koppasus.

It was also reported that the recent assassination attempt of
the former rebel Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao was linked to the
special unit of the TNI.

Hassan said that the government consider East Timor to be a
separated part of the country and that the current situation
should be the problem of East Timor and not Indonesia.

"We want to see ourselves as a good neighbor of East Timor and
we consider them to be separated from us. We regret any attempt
to name Indonesia as a scapegoat for any incident happening
there," he added.

Koppasus unit spokesman Capt. Farid Makruf echoed Hassan,
saying that the unit had left the territory and was not even
stationed in West Timor anymore.

"The accusation isn't true. All our actions are done by order
from the TNI chief. I guarantee that none of the recent riots in
East Timor were done by our troops," Farid told the Post by phone
on Friday.

However, he said, there is a possibility that some deserted
soldiers ignited the riot as several TNI soldiers from the
Udayana Military Command, which oversaw East Timor, chose to stay
in the area after the 1999 ballot.

"I see there is an attempt to discredit us. But time will
answer these accusations," Farid remarked.(dja/02)