Indonesia still responsible for law and order in East Timor

Indonesia still responsible for law and order in East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Despite the planned deployment of United Nations
police officers in East Timor, Indonesian security personnel will
be responsible for the implementation of the referendum in East
Timor.

"They (the UN police) will only give suggestions to the
Indonesian Police, while the responsibility for peace and order
during the vote will still be in the hands of Indonesian security
personnel," Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military
(TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto said on Wednesday.

The number of UN police officers and the mechanism of their
work with local security personnel were still being discussed,
Wiranto told Antara.

The Aug. 8 vote will give East Timorese a chance to determine
whether they will choose an autonomy offer from the Indonesian
government or independence.

Wiranto said an interdepartmental body would likely be
established to comprehensively and thoroughly facilitate
cooperation between Indonesian and UN security personnel.

Meanwhile, former East Timor governor Mario Viegas Carrascalao
said in Lisbon, Portugal, said he would comply with the decision
reached by all Timorese on the fate of the trouble-racked
province.

"Personally, I'm a prointegration movement supporter, as when
I supported the Balibo proclamation and when I assumed the East
Timor governorship from 1982 to 1992. But I have a commitment to
go with the East Timor boat even if it has to be separated from
Indonesia," Carrascalao told Antara.

Carrascalao recently left the country for safety reasons, as
he felt threatened, following a spate of recent death threats
leveled at himself and his family.

The former Indonesian ambassador for Rumania said he expected
the best for the province.

Saying that he most likely would be absent from the province
during the vote, Carrascalao also urged East Timorese to support
the prointegration movement. He said tendencies in societies,
were for countries to become 'globalized' or to integrate with
each other.

In a related development, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic
to Indonesia, Milan Sarpatha, in his visit to East Timor said the
province would be better off if it remained Indonesia's 27th
province.

"If it is independent, how will it build itself, and what will
happen with its human resources?" he asked on Tuesday.

Milan was speaking at a meeting with local administration
secretary Radjakarina Brahmana in the province's capital, Dili.

He said if East Timor remained part of Indonesia, developments
to enhance the welfare of its people would be much smoother.

If proindependence leader Xanana Gusmao wanted to improve
social welfare for the East Timorese, it was not necessarily
achieved by separating from Indonesia, he said.

Meanwhile, Sunday incidents involving proindependence and
prointegration supporters at Atara village in Atsabe district,
Ermera regency, led to the deaths of 12 civilians, not five
fatalities, as cited in a statement by UN representatives here,
sources said on Tuesday.

The UN representatives issued the revised statement, urging
the Indonesian government to help maintain security ahead of the
vote.

The sources, who visited the office of Suara Timor Timur daily
in Dili, said at least 20 Atara villagers were still missing
after the clash.

They said the incident was a massacre by prointegration
members of a Pancasila Team and local military district and
Tribuana BTT forces.

Members of the pro-Jakarta militia moved from a mountain area
into the village, while the others moved from the village's main
road. They then brutally attacked villagers, the sources said.

The 12 victims were Jose Justino, 30, Joao Leo-Nali, 40,
Urgano Goncalves, 35, Ugel Goncalves, 25, Armando, 26, Rogerio
Tolo-Aci, 25, Agustinho de Jesus, 24, Paulo de Jesus, 20, Sidoni
Leo, 30, Romeo, 25, Alfredo Goncalves, 25 and Thomas, 27.

East Timor Police spokesman Capt. Widodo D.S. said the
violence happened when members of the prointegration group,
accompanied by security personnel from Atsabe district were on
their way to promote the autonomy package at Atara village, when
they were interrupted by "irresponsible people".

In a related development, six of the 15-member Japanese
delegation assigned to monitor the situation in East Timor, had
returned to Tokyo to prepare for the August ballot, Masato
Ushijima, the first secretary in charge of political affairs at
the Japanese Embassy, said on Tuesday. (33/emf/jun)