Interfet called to disclose identities of those arrested

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)