TNI flexes its muscles for Megawati's visit to East Timor
TNI flexes its muscles for Megawati's visit to East Timor
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
People around Suralaya beach, West Java woke up to the thundering
roar of helicopters and troops calling out the name of East Timor
president-elect Xanana Gusmao in late April.
A group of soldiers were seen jumping out of a chopper using
parachutes and moving quickly forward with their weapons ready to
fire as soon as they touched the ground.
"Are we going to invade East Timor again?" a person in the
crowd asked a presidential security guard in astonishment, who
was at the site.
"Well, no," the soldier answered. "The President will visit
East Timor and we are undergoing training to provide security for
her."
The soldier told The Jakarta Post about the military operation
after returning from the week-long, day and night training
exercise, which was participated in by around 2,000 troops ahead
of President Megawati Soekarnoputri's visit to East Timor on
Sunday.
Not all the personnel will escort the President, but the joint
security task force has raised many eyebrows considering the fact
that the full-scale military operation is aimed at protecting
Megawati who will be in the East Timor capital for barely four
hours to attend the declaration of independence of the nation.
Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda said on Saturday most of the
troops would stay on alert along the areas bordering Indonesia
and East Timor.
A fleet of six warships will join the mission.
The number of soldiers is equivalent to those dropped at the
former Portuguese colony under a military operation named Seroja
in 1975 which paved the way for the Indonesian military's
presence there.
Protests were heard on Saturday, with the East Timor Minister
of Foreign Affairs Ramos Horta demanding the withdrawal of
Indonesian warships.
Xanana expressed his disappointment, saying: "Dili will not
even let a fly touch Megawati."
Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Maj. Gen. Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin, who once served in East Timor, said TNI would not
take any risks as the celebration in Dili would take place at
night and in the open air.
Aside from Sjafrie's explanation, TNI has not disclosed any
threats that may have prompted the mission, the largest since
East Timor voted for independence three years ago.
Analysts say that the mission is simply a show of force to
bolster the military's ego to compensate for the loss of the
former province and the human rights trial against TNI officers
accused of genocide and violence that followed the 1999
independence vote.
"The number of soldiers is 1,500 higher than normal and the
warships are four too many. The action is very disappointing from
a nation that should have shown more humility," former minister
of defense Juwono Sudarsono said.
He said that it was an understandable show of defiance from
the TNI toward the international community, which was uncalled-
for.
"It is urgent to safeguard the President, but the scale is a
bit exaggerated," Juwono remarked.
Funding is also another question as no military officer is
willing to disclose the source of funding for the mission.
A presidential security guard told the Post on Saturday that
the fund was taken from the operational budget of each unit in
TNI, therefore there was no special allocation for it.
While Sjafrie said that the fund was taken from the regular
presidential security operation.
The mission has sparked jealousy among the soldiers involved.
"Some of us are being sent only to Kupang, some stay on the
warships and the rest go all the way to Dili. Those who go to
Dili receive an allowance in dollars, which is unfair as we all
underwent a similar training," one of the troops complained.
Soldiers posted in Dili will receive US$150 as a daily
allowance, while the rest receive only Rp 100,000 per day.