Johny quizzed over role in East Timor violence

JAKARTA (JP): Former Army deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang was questioned at the Attorney General's Office on Thursday over his alleged role in last year's East Timor mayhem.

In a media conference following the four-hour session, Johny, who is now the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) governor, said the questioning focused on a telegram he sent to chief of the Denpasar-based Udayana Military Command, Maj. Gen. Amir Damiri, prior to the self-determination ballot on Aug. 30.

Johny said the wire that he signed, dated May 5, contained an instruction to the local military to immediately evacuate its personnel in East Timor and their families in case of chaos.

"It was aimed at anticipating any chaotic incidents which could occur if the majority of voters were in favor of the second option," Johny said, referring to Jakarta's letting go of East Timor if its wide-ranging autonomy offer was rejected.

Johny said at the worst the rejection of Indonesia's autonomy offer could lead to "a civil war", but he would not disclose if there were any indications of it occurring.

Violence and destruction wracked East Timor after an overwhelming rejection of the autonomy option.

The government-sanctioned Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) in East Timor confirmed the strong link between the military and militias, who were blamed for most of the violence in the former Portuguese colony, and that there was proof of efforts to conceal and destroy the evidence.

Johny is among 21 military officers and civilian officials facing questioning over East Timor debacle.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Thursday that former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto was on the list of people to be summoned. Marzuki said the questioning of Wiranto could take place sometime next week. (01)