RI troops faced 'Mission Impossible' in E. Timor: Wiranto
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former Armed Forces chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto testified in his capacity as a witness on Thursday at the Central Jakarta Human Rights Court, trying former East Timor Police chief Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen.
Wiranto appeared as a witness in the three-hour questioning at the court where Timbul is on trial for committing gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999.
It was the fourth hearing for Silaen. Unlike the previous hearing, Silaen was wearing his police uniform during Thursday's hearing.
Silaen is charged under Article 9 of Law No. 26/2000 on rights tribunals with the killing of civilians that occurred at separate locations in East Timor, including the Liquisa incident on April 6, 1999, and attacks by pro-Jakarta militias on the residences of pro-independence leaders, Manuel Viegas Carrascalao and Leandro Isaac, on April 17, 1999.
Wiranto said that Indonesian Military, which had just taken over the security operation from the police at that time, had been put in an exceptionally difficult situation which he dubbed "Mission Impossible".
He said that the transfer was made under his orders in his capacity as the Armed Forces chief at the time when a massive rampage occurred in the former Indonesian province before, during and after the 1999 ballot.
Wiranto said that it was the military's duty to handle the chaotic situation there, in view of the fact that the security situation had grown totally out of control, following an announcement by the United Nations Mission in East Timor (Unamet) of the vote result on Sept. 4, declaring victory to the pro- independence group.
"Unamet's failure to remain neutral during that historic moment sparked anger among East Timorese who felt that were being treated unfairly ... Who should be blamed should they ... these East Timorese of the pro-Jakarta group ... who expressed their anger through vandalism and arson in the territory hours after the Unamet announcement?" Wiranto asked the court in an emotional tone.
Aware that the police would be unable to control the situation, the Indonesian Military Headquarters decided to totally take over the security operation from the police on Sept. 5, Wiranto added.
When presiding Judge Andi Samsan Nganro asked whether the defendant was an officer in charge of the security operation when violence from April to September took place, Wiranto said: "No ... it was the military officer ... that was the military commander ... but I didn't say that their responsibility would be any different."
As the hearing went on, members of the panel of judges repeatedly made mistakes, by saying that the vote result was announced by Unamet on Aug. 4. They were also sometimes confused the four incidents involving the defendant so that Wiranto was forced to correct their remarks.
The hearing was supposed to hear testimonies of former Udayana Military commander Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri and former Wiradarma Military Resort commander Brig. Gen. A. Noer Muis, but Judge Andi adjourned the trial until April, 11, as time had already run out.
Earlier in the day, the court decided to continue the trial of Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, former East Timor governor. Should the domestic legal system fail to conduct a fair trial, the international community has the authority to take over the process.
Like Silaen, Abilio has also been charged with committing gross human rights violation in East Timor before, during, and after the 1999 ballot.
"Everyone has equality before the law so that any impunity must be wiped out," Presiding Judge Emi Marni Mustafa told the court.
The trial was adjourned until April 11 to hear the testimonies from witnesses, including Wilhelmus Dos Santo, former regent of Bobonaro, and Suprapto Tarman, former regent of Ailieu.