Interfet banned from East Timor skies: Official

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): The Air Force operational commander for Eastern Indonesia, Air Rear Marshall Ian Santoso, rejected a request from the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) to fly over East Timor, following the fatal shooting of an Indonesian police officer in Sunday's mix-up over the East Timor border.

In a 50-minute meeting with Interfet's Air Force chief Commodore McLennan at Hasanuddin Air Force Base here, Ian said he would not grant any flying permits to Interfet aircraft for the area over East Timor and warned Interfet pilots not to be persistent in making an attempt to fly over the disputed territory.

"If they insist in doing so, they will have to face the Indonesian Air Forces' fighter aircraft of the East Indonesia Air Defense Command, led by Commodore Hari Gamdani," Ian told the media after the meeting ended at 11:30 a.m.

"I told him that since Sunday's incident, I've been unwilling to give any flying permits to him."

Ian said under the circumstances, it would be better if both the Australian and Indonesian Air Forces restrained themselves to avoid any possible conflict.

"He (Mc Lennan) said he understood and accepted our decision."

Mc Lennan, an official of the Royal Australia Air Forces (RAAF), reportedly asked for flying clearance for Interfet's F- 111 aircraft, which are equipped with electronic and photography devices, to fly over East Timor.

The Australian commodore, who arrived on a special plane without an escort, separately told reporters after the meeting that his mission was to talk about the safety of both countries' flights as there were a lot of military airplanes stationed in Dili, the capital of East Timor.

"We believe that it is not wise to break air force ties between Australia and Indonesia. Therefore, we will keep in contact with the Indonesian Military," Mc Lennan said.

Ian praised the coordination between both countries' air forces, but strongly asserted that East Timor was still Indonesian territory.

"Frankly, I told Mc Lennan if they wish to fly over East Timor, they can do so after the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) officially announce that the province is no longer part of Indonesia. Until then, do not even try. Because we'll be ready to face them," Ian said.

Following Sunday's incident, Mc Lennan said a special investigation team, consisting of officials from Interfet and the Indonesian Military, was established.

It is still unclear what exactly happened on Sunday afternoon in the first direct clash between Indonesian and Interfet forces which killed an Elite Police Mobile Brigade officer and injured two others.

Indonesia claimed that Interfet troops, confused on the exact location of the border, breached the Indonesian border and attacked a border post near the Montael area.

Australia, however, insisted that their troops were still within East Timor and that they were shot at first.

Nationalism

In a related development, a survey conducted by Media Watch Society, a nongovernmental organization (NGOs) observing the journalistic ethical performance in the country's mass media, revealed an increasing "nationalism" among the Indonesian mass media following the deployment of Interfet troops in East Timor.

"Anti-Australian sentiment has dominated the headlines in the Indonesian mass media since the announcement of the East Timor poll on Sept. 4," Priyono B. Sumbogo, the director of Media Watch Society, told a media conference on Wednesday.

"The Indonesian mass media's inclining spirit of nationalism is contradictory to the period before the poll when most of the Indonesian media persistently attacked repressive actions of the Indonesian Military and prointegration militias," he said.

He said the Indonesian media, as well as the people, were offended with Australia's provocation.

"Such dissatisfaction was strengthened with an indication that the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), which organized the Aug. 30 East Timor ballot, were partial during the poll," he said.

The survey, held in Jakarta from Sept. 28 to Sept. 30, received responses from 361 city residents. (27/edt/imn)