'No way to Oecussi through West Timor'

'No way to Oecussi through West Timor'

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, chief of
the Wirasakti Military District supervising security in East Nusa
Tenggara, turned down East Timor's request for the province to
allow overland public transportation from Dili to proceed its
enclave Oecusi through Atambua for security reasons.

"I have been contacted several times, asking the local
military to allow East Timorese vehicles to go to the enclave via
Belu Regency. But I refused to meet the request as there will be
no security guarantees from the Indonesian authorities for buses
that would serve the ply," he said at his office here on
Thursday.

He explained that should the request be met, the bus route
from Atambua to Oecusi would be prone to attack as there were
around 20,000 former pro-Jakarta militiamen living in the
regency.

Deputy Governor Johanis Pake Pani concurred and said it was in
line with the agreement reached during a recent meeting in Bali.

"It looks like it is impossible for the East Timorese
administration to use the land route through West Timor to Oecusi
for security reasons," he said. -- JP