Refugees a world problem: Gus Dur

NEW YORK (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid admitted here on Thursday (local time) that Jakarta alone could not resolve the refugee crisis in East Nusa Tenggara due to its limited resources.

"It is difficult because our international friends demand us to do this and that, but they don't give us the necessary tools to operate," the President said in his speech at Columbia University, where he received the Global Leadership Award from the university.

Abdurrahman, who is in New York to attend the UN Millennium Summit, said the government would work closely with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) to return the refugees to the former Indonesian province or relocate them to other parts of Indonesia.

"So now, with the fact that there is UNTAET, I hope that our international friends will be ready to bear the cost of the relocation of refugees from West Timor to other parts of Indonesia," he said.

The President said he would take stern measures against hardliners in the Army who might be behind the killing of three UN humanitarian workers in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday.

"We have to scrutinize the Army. There are so many bad elements there that they will do anything to sabotage me and peace," Abdurrahman said.

Abdurrahman's comments came in the wake of an attack by a mob on the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, where three UN aid workers were murdered.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab said that the President had submitted a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan assuring that stern measures would be taken against those responsible for the brutal attack.

Patrol

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday the government would seek to establish a joint patrol of Indonesian Military and UN peacekeepers along the West Timor border to maintain security.

"Indonesia proposes to promote the existing cooperation along the border by establishing a joint patrol," Susilo told journalists after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation.

Susilo said joint patrols along the West Timor border "are very important to make sure we know exactly the situation ... so we can control and monitor the activities of the refugees, local people, as well as the militias".

When asked whether Jakarta would allow UN peacekeepers to enter West Timor to safeguard international relief workers operating in the area, Susilo said: "This is going to be discussed further but the principle of course is the UN peacekeepers will operate in East Timor".

Susilo also said that a battalion of troops and one company of the police's Mobile Brigade had arrived in West Timor on Friday and were quickly deployed to Atambua to maintain order.

Friday's hastily-called Cabinet meeting was presided over by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri. It was attended by top security and political ministers including the Indonesian Military Chief Adm. Widodo A.S., the National Police Chief Gen. Rusdihardjo, Home Affairs Minister Surjadi Sudirdja and Attorney General Marzuki Darusman.

Later in the day, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) lashed out at the Indonesian Military and police for "failing to prevent" the attack.

"They should have been provided with full protection by the Indonesian government," the rights body's Secretary-General Asmara Nababan told a press conference.

"But when the attack occurred, they didn't have the protection they needed from the military and police," he said.

Komnas HAM demanded that the government make the military and police take responsibility for the security failure, saying the attack "should have been anticipated."

The rights body also demanded the government swiftly disband and disarm the militia groups, and form a joint team with the UN to investigate Wednesday's attack.

The rights commission also demanded investigators immediately lock up the remaining 18 suspects named in alleged human rights violations in last year's violence in East Timor to prevent "the same fate befalling other suspects."

Komnas HAM was referring to the murder of one of the suspects, militia leader Olivio Mendoza Moruk, which was believed to be the catalyst for Wednesday's attack.

"What we fear is that suspects, who come from the militia, when they meet a fate like this ... we can lose all important evidence, that is what we fear," Komnas HAM chairman Djoko Soegianto said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Akbar Tandjung echoed Komnas HAM's sentiment saying swift action was needed to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.

Jakarta said it has sent a ten-member investigation team to Atambua, which has already arrested 15 people for questioning over Wednesday's killings.(prb/byg/bby/jun)