Sintong ignores U.S. court verdict

BANDUNG: Secretary of Development Operations Sintong Pandjaitan has decided to ignore the verdict of a Boston district court that he pay a US$14 million compensation to Helen Todd for the death of her son Kamal Bamadhaj in the 1991 Dili incident in which troops opened fire on protesters.

Sintong was then chief of the Udayana Military Command overseeing West and East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor when the incident occurred. Kamal was one of several foreigners killed in the tragedy.

Asked for his reaction over the court decision when accompanying President B.J. Habibie in the latter's visit here, Sintong said: "The government does not agree with the court's decision. I will just continue as usual."

He denied reports that he had been asked by Habibie to pay the compensation, saying the President did not agree with the court one-sided decision. (43)