Soeharto's 'Ojo Dipateni' Message After Xanana Gusmao's Arrest

That morning in Dili was still quiet when a car pulled up at the residence of the Commander of the East Timor Operational Command, Brigadier General Theo Syafei, on 20 November 1992. On the living room sofa, a thin man, bare-chested and in shorts, sat listlessly without saying much. His hair and beard no longer resembled the grainy photos that had circulated among Indonesian military circles for years. The man was Xanana Gusmao, former leader of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (Fretilin). Hours earlier, the man, now serving as Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, had been captured alive by Nanggala X Task Force from Kopassus under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mahidin Simbolon, who now holds the rank of retired major general. “A gift for you, sir, Xanana has been captured,” Mahidin told Theo Syafei, who had just stepped out of his bedroom half-asleep. Theo rubbed his eyes several times. Before him sat the figure who had only appeared in operational reports and intelligence photos, now calmly seated in his living room. “Not yet (in clothes, still in shorts), still original (post-arrest condition). So imagine, General Theo, he might have a beard like in the photos,” Mahidin said. Shortly after, Theo went to another room to report to Jakarta. The command chain moved swiftly. At the time, President Soeharto was on an official visit to Egypt. Around 10 minutes later, Theo called Mahidin back. “The President’s instruction: ‘ojo dipateni’,” he explained. According to Mahidin, the short Javanese phrase signified that the state wanted Xanana alive. As the official order for the operation was clear: capture the top leader of the Fretilin Security Disturbance Movement (GPK) alive or dead. However, there was no shootout during the arrest that morning. There was no resistance. Xanana was captured in a weakened state in a bunker of a hideout known to belong to a police officer.