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)