Smear campaign against military exists: TNI
Smear campaign against military exists: TNI
JAKARTA (JP): With their backs to the wall over relentless
allegations of human rights abuses, the Indonesian Military (TNI)
lashed back at detractors saying there was a conscious effort to
smear the military.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto said there was a
premeditated effort by certain groups to corner the military
through, among others, fallacious media reports and statements.
"There are indications that a group of people don't like TNI.
They want to gradually paralyze the military institution," Tyasno
said.
Without identifying who these groups were, Tyasno noted that
such smear campaigns were conducted through the media with human
rights the constant excuse.
"Those groups first attacked Kopassus, which is the army's
elite force," he said after presiding over a ceremony here on
Saturday which presented TNI Chief Adm. Widodo A.S. with an
honorary red beret from the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) at
its headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta.
The elite force's image was ultimately tarnished after the
disclosure that it was involved in the abduction of several
political activists before the resignation of former president
Soeharto in 1997.
Separately, military spokesman Maj. Gen. Sudrajat also said
that the military were aware of indications of a premeditated
attack to tarnish the military's image as an institution.
However, he said the military could respond but chose to
restrain themselves as not to create more conflict in the
country.
He did not elaborate on how the military could respond.
Sudrajat contended that human rights violations and military
operations could not be equated symmetrically and needed to be
observed under different perspectives.
"But I guess many don't understand this simple fact. The
military has its own procedures and approaches when forced to
handle a particular matter, which is absolutely different from
the way an activist would tackle it," he told The Jakarta Post.
Sudrajat also claimed that these groups had politically made
destructive comments against TNI in an effort to discredit the
institution.
However, he refused to give details about the groups.
Top military generals have rebuked a midterm report by the
Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights Abuses in East Timor (KPP
HAM) which alleged that military officials were in someway
involved in the violence in East Timor.
They bemoaned that such a report was issued without first
seeking clarification from the military.
Former TNI chief Gen. Wiranto, Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim,
former East Timor Military commanders Maj. Adam Damiri and Brig.
Gen. Tono Suratman, former Ministry of Defense expert staff
member Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and East Timor Police chief
Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen, have all sought the assistance of top
defense lawyers in anticipation of being summoned by the inquiry.
Wiranto, who is now coordinating minister for political
affairs and security, however denied allegations of the
military's role in the violence.(emf)