Indonesia policeman dies in clash with UN force

Indonesia policeman dies in clash with UN force

JAKARTA (JP): An Indonesian policeman was killed and two
others injured on Sunday afternoon when soldiers from the
International Force for East Timor (Interfet) shot at a border
post, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said.

The incident occurred when a company of Interfet soldiers and
five tanks approached the border of East Nusa Tenggara in the
Montael area.

"When Interet troops were at the border they saw an Indonesian
border post manned by a police unit and Army soldiers. Interfet
fired shots thinking that the post belonged to prointegration
forces," the military statement said.

"With the shots, the police and Army soldiers at the post
returned fire."

The dead policeman was identified as Pvt. Hari Sudibyo from
the police's Mobile Brigade.

Police Sgt. Agus Sudarto was heavily wounded along with
another, identified as Agus Sutanto.

Sunday's incident marked the first clash between Indonesian
and Interfet troops which arrived in the territory on Sept. 26.

According to TNI, following the exchange of fire, the
Commander of the Interfet Company, identified as Maj. Brian,
"expressed an apology because of the wrong perception of the
exact location".

"Interfet brought with them a different map (than Indonesian
soldiers) and did not see that in the area there was a structure
signifying the border."

Senior Interfet and Indonesian officers are expected to travel
to the area on Monday to conduct further investigations.

The incident, along with one on Saturday in which a militiaman
died, brought to three the number of clashes in the past four
days.

According to Interfet chief of staff Col. Mark Kelly, Sunday's
incident occurred when an Australian patrol approached the
village of Motaain.

"The contact occurred on the East Timor side of the border,
east of ... Motaain," Kelly said a statement.

"The patrol returned fire, possibly hitting two militia
members," the statement added.

But AP reported from Dili, East Timor, that an Indonesian
police officer in Motaain said that Indonesian policemen had
fired warning shots to indicate to the Australian troops who were
in two armored personnel carriers that they were nearing the
western, Indonesian-controlled side of the border.

"The Australians shot back, killing a policeman and wounding
two others," said the Indonesian officer who spoke on the
condition of anonymity.

Reporters who accompanied the Australian convoy said the
peacekeepers and Indonesian officers later compared maps.

The issue of border crossings is extremely sensitive. TNI
commanders in recent days have warned the peacekeepers not to
enter East Nusa Tenggara after foreign military chiefs said their
troops would do so if in hot pursuit of militia gangs.

One militiaman was killed on Saturday when a group of between
12 to 15 militias attacked a New Zealand patrol at the village of
Alto Lebas, some 110 kilometers southwest of Dili.

Moore

Separately, Australian defense minister John Moore said on
Sunday that Indonesia would not be invited to a planned
conference of defense ministers from countries involved in the
multinational intervention force in East Timor.

"It is not contemplated (Indonesia) would be (invited) because
they are not part of the forces in East Timor, but that doesn't
mean to say we are anti-Indonesia," Moore told Reuters in
Brisbane, Australia.

But Moore said he did not believe the meeting, tentatively set
for the northern Australian city of Darwin, would further strain
ties. Details of the talks are still to be arranged.

"We in Australia have no argument with the people of Indonesia
and we look forward to good relations with them in the future and
the government is committed to it," Moore said.

Indonesia has accused Australia of overreacting to the East
Timor crisis and has delayed the appointment of a new ambassador
to Canberra.

Moore told a Brisbane conference that defense spending in
Australia's 2000/2001 budget would likely be increased as a
result of the East Timor operation.

The government has said its involvement would cost hundreds of
millions of dollars while private economists see it being in the
order of A$2 billion (US$1.3 billion) in the first year alone.
(mds)