Militias, military linked, says Marzuki

Militias, military linked, says Marzuki

JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Marzuki Darusman said on Friday
that the Indonesian Military (TNI) should not continue denying it
has a connection with militias currently operating in West Timor.

"It's no use for the military to keep denying the fact that
the militias are backed and aided by them," Marzuki said.

He also pointed out that one of the consequences of the
relationship between the militias and the military was that
disarming the former would be difficult.

"It's not that simple to disarm, let alone dismiss militia
groups, for there is a psychological relationship between old
elements in the TNI, recent troops deployed in East Nusa Tenggara
and the displaced militias," he told journalists at his office.

The Indonesian government has pledged to disarm the militias
next week following a bloody incident in the border town of
Atambua earlier this month when a mob attacked the United Nations
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office and killed three aid
workers.

The attack occurred following news that ex-militia leader
Olivio Moruk had been murdered the previous night.

Marzuki earlier revealed that among the 13 suspects in the two
incidents, at least one was connected to the military.

Pressed by journalists again on Friday if there was TNI
involvement in the attack, Marzuki confirmed that a "military
member" was involved in the raid that occurred on Sept. 6.

That date is the day a mob ran amok and attacked the UNHCR
office.

Meanwhile on Thursday, UN personnel marched at the world
body's headquarters in New York and Geneva demanding better
protection during their missions in some of the most dangerous
places in the world.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan told hundreds of staffers
taking part in the solidarity march that more needed to be done
to protect those working to help people caught in conflict zones.
Hundreds more took part in a similar march at the UN European
headquarters in Switzerland.

"We are taking all measures to strengthen security, to work
with the governments concerned to ensure the security of our
staff," Annan said as quoted by Reuters

The demonstrations in New York and Geneva were intended to
draw attention to the killings of their colleagues over the last
three weeks in Atambua and the West African nation of Guinea.

Since 1992, 198 UN workers have been killed on duty, 30 of
whom worked for UNHCR. (bby)