Inform public of new troop arrivals, says Bishop Belo

DILI, East Timor (JP): Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo has requested that the military practice transparency in the deployment and withdrawal of troops here to avoid distrust among locals.

In a Friday meeting with Golkar chairman and Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung who was here to open a Golkar function, Belo said he had received reports that the Armed Forces (ABRI) had sent more troops to the province, replacing those who were pulled out from the province last month.

Despite the news that ABRI withdrew 1,300 soldiers, "We heard... there were other troops entering from the west in Kurita Bay (through Atapupu Port) and through Com and Ilomar in Lautem regency" in the eastern part of the province, Belo said, adding that this had offended locals.

ABRI's information office has denied the reports, saying additional personnel were noncombat troops and included medical officers. A non-governmental organization, Solidamor, was earlier quoted by Antara as saying that additional troops had been deployed after the widely publicized withdrawal of combat troops was completed last month.

East Timor Military Commander Col. Tono Suratman has said the remaining military personnel totaled 5,000 territorial soldiers stationed in 13 regencies.

Belo told Akbar that he had conveyed his concerns to Col. Tono. Belo said he had requested that the commander inform the public of any new troop deployments and confirm that the additional troops were from local military commands and not the combat troops which ABRI said had all been pulled out.

Belo also requested that to ensure transparency, troops should enter East Timor in the daytime through Dili port, not at night through other ports.

"Please convey that to the President," the Nobel peace laureate told Akbar, "because in this reform era people want to see concrete and transparent actions so that everything runs well."

Akbar promised to convey Belo's message to President B.J. Habibie and to Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto. "We know that the military has to approach local communities in its territorial tasks," Akbar said. "But as the bishop said, it should be transparent."

Belo met with Habibie in June, when Habibie assured him that he would soon withdraw combat troops from the country's youngest province and grant it a special status.

The bishop praised Habibie at the time as an extraordinary leader. A total of 1,300 combat soldiers were then pulled out up to August.

The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976.

The United Nations has not recognized the integration and continues to sponsor a dialog between the Indonesian foreign minister and Portuguese foreign minister to find an internationally acceptable solution to the issue.

During the meeting with Belo, Akbar and his entourage talked at length about Golkar and how to win next year's general election. "If Bapak bishop prays for Golkar, we are sure that Golkar will win," said one of Akbar's aides.

"Prayers are not enough if you do not fulfill your campaign promises to the people," Belo replied. (33/prb)