TNI denies role in Dutch journalist's murder
TNI denies role in Dutch journalist's murder
JAKARTA (JP): A former battalion commander in East Timor
admitted on Thursday that his troops ambushed two foreign
journalists in the territory's capital of Dili on Sept. 21.
However, Maj. Jacob Joko Sarosa, who commanded battalion 745
Sampada Yudha Bakti, denied involvement in the murder of Dutch
journalist Sannder Thoenes, who was slain two kilometers from
where his troops concurrently stopped British reporter Jon Swain
and American photographer Chip Hires.
"My men seized two cameras and some 50 rolls of film from
those journalists and I was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment
for failing to control my subordinates," Jacob said after being
questioned by the Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights
Violations (KPP HAM) in East Timor.
He said his soldiers were "emotional and frustrated with
white-skinned people" due to their belief there were unfair
practices during the UN-administered ballot, which resulted in
the rejection of an autonomy proposal within Indonesia.
"Tension was also high as my men had already been intercepted
many times by Falintil members on their way from Los Palos, so
the battalion stopped a taxi to check whether there were any
proindependence supporters in it. But they turned out to be
journalists."
Jacob said Thoenes, the Jakarta correspondent for London's
Financial Times, was murdered when the battalion was passing the
East Dili area of Becora on its way from Los Palos to the East
Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang.
He noted that "apart from battalion 745, at that time a number
of other TNI units were still in Becora".
He did not elaborate.
Thousands of the Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel were
pulled from East Timor and dispatched to neighboring East Nusa
Tenggara when the International Force for East Timor (Interfet)
began to trickle into the territory in September.
Thoenes was killed one day after the arrival of the
multinational troops and less than two hours after he arrived in
the province.
His body was found in Becora on Sept. 22 with multiple wounds
and a severed ear.
Eyewitnesses said Thoenes was killed after he tried to flee a
roadblock manned by a number of armed civilians in the area.
Swain and Hires escaped into bushes, made their way to a nearby
village and phoned their office in London, who conveyed contacted
Interfet in Dili.
A rescue operation was mounted involving a light armored
vehicle, 100 troops and a number of Black Hawk helicopters.
KPP HAM in its midterm report claimed that, based on a
preliminary investigation and witness accounts, TNI was directly
or indirectly involved in the violence perpetrated by militias.
Former TNI chief Gen. Wiranto and a number of army generals
have denied the allegations, saying the violence was an emotional
outburst which was neither premeditated nor controllable.
Other Army officers questioned included Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar
Makarim, Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri and former East Timor military
commander Col. M. Noer Muis.
KPP HAM members said former foreign affairs minister Ali
Alatas was scheduled to be questioned next week.(byg)