Interfet called to disclose identities of those arrested

JAKARTA (JP): The commander of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) has challenged the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) to reveal the identity of the Indonesian elite force members allegedly captured working with East Timor militias.

"Interfet should transparently provide the identities of East Timorese arrested by them, whom they allege are Kopassus members. They should provide their names, ranks and photographs," asserted Maj. Gen. Syahrir M.S., Kopassus' commander on Saturday.

Interfet's announcement last week claimed it had captured 10 members of the elite force that had joined the militia.

However Interfet has provided little detail on the identity of the alleged Special Force members, claiming only that they possessed Kopassus identification cards.

"Interfet's claim must be clarified," Syahrir said.

"Don't use information that doesn't make sense to tarnish Kopassus' name," he added, stating that Kopassus units were no longer in East Timor.

There have been widespread allegations that the Special Force has been supporting proautonomy militias have triggered violence in East Timor following the Aug. 30 self-determination ballot.

He added that Special Force uniforms and attributes could easily be attained.

"If the militiamen or Falintil members wear Kopassus uniforms, can we say that they are Kopassus members?" he asked.

"As a God fearing person I can affirm to you that no Kopassus members are operating in East Timor and none have been captured by Interfet," Syahrir said.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman, Maj. Gen. Sudradjat had also stated that there were no Kopassus units in East Timor and "there were no Kopassus members captured by Interfet."

AFP reported on Wednesday that Interfet spokesman Col. Mark Kelly refused to confirm whether or not the international force had captured Kopassus members posing as militias.

Kelly only said that those apprehended would be held for 72 hours for questioning before being handed over to the Indonesian Police, as dictated by the Interfet mandate.

In a related development, the Australian Embassy in Jakarta over the weekend again denied reports that Australian soldiers in Interfet had tortured and burnt pro-Indonesia militiamen to death.

The embassy claimed that it had checked reports with Interfet Commander Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove.

The Embassy also stressed that no forces from Australia or from any other national contingent in Interfet has killed anyone in East Timor.

"The claims that Interfet forces have burnt people to death are completely false," it stated in response to reports from pro- autonomy militia leaders who claim that their colleagues have been tortured and murdered by Australian Interfet soldiers.

Victims

Meanwhile from Dili, AP reported that the death toll in East Timor so far is much lower than initial estimates.

The number of victims found is nowhere near the up to 10,000 dead estimated by international organizations and Timorese activists at the height of violence following the Aug. 30 ballot.

Fewer than 30 bodies have been found in and around the capital Dili.

This weekend, a Timorese rights group was asked to estimate the overall death toll and ventured 100 -- the lowest figure offered by all but Indonesia, which claims only about 90 died.

"It's impossible to assess at this point. That will only be revealed as investigations continue throughout the territory," David Wimhurst, chief of the United Nations mission in East Timor, said on Saturday.

It was fears of mass slaughter that prompted the global outcry and multinational military intervention into East Timor.

Meanwhile from Atambua, one of the main border towns across East Timor, Antara reported that leaders of prointegration fighters (PPI) on Sunday held a meeting at Mota Ian village to encourage their men to keep fighting for East Timor's integration as part of Indonesia.

The meeting was attended by key figures of the armed wing of the proautonomy camp, such as Joao da Silva Tavares, Eurico Guterres and Joanico Cesario.

"We remain committed to holding the red and white flag in East Timor. We are ready to die for integration," Tavares said.

In Canberra, Australian Defense Minister John Moore on Sunday left open the possibility that Interfet troops might pursue militia into western half of Timor Island which belongs to Indonesia.

In a television interview, Moore said Interfet intended to respect Indonesian territorial integrity, but did not rule out cross-border actions in self-defense.

"The United Nations mandate is to bring peace and security to East Timor. With regard to the border, we don't intend the United Nations force to invade or violate the sovereignty of East Nusa Tenggara at all," he said.

"However the facts of life are that if the United Nations troops come under fire, and those are predominantly Australian troops, I would be expecting as all Australians would be expecting that those troops could defend themselves," he added.

Interfet troops over the weekend began to push west toward the border, close to where militiamen have been gathering.

In a move codenamed Operation Lavarack, about 1,000 Australian ground troops were airlifted to the Bononaru regency by Black Hawk helicopters. (05)