TNI members set to leave E. Timor within 48 hours
TNI members set to leave E. Timor within 48 hours
By Budiman Moerdijat and Lourenco Vicente Martins
DILI, East Timor (JP): The last 1,000 personnel of Indonesian Military (TNI) in East Timor are expected to be withdrawn within the next 48 hours, the spokesman for the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) Col. Mark Kelly said here on Friday.
"The actual date and time for the withdrawal is still being discussed among ourselves, the TNI and UN representatives," Kelly said, adding that Interfet "may also involve" independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao in the discussion.
Thousands of Indonesian troops and police were pulled out of East Timor after the ballot on the territory's future in August resulted in an overwhelming vote against the offer of autonomy within Indonesia. Multinational forces started to trickle into the former Portuguese colony to restore security in the territory in place of Indonesian soldiers from Sept. 20.
Less than 1,000 Indonesian police and troops, which also included dozens of the Air Force's special force (Paskas), were left in Dili even when the deployment of the international peacekeeping force was completed.
Kelly said he hoped the final withdrawal of TNI elements would be "conducted in an orderly manner".
"During the initial withdrawal (late last month), there was some destruction and we deplored the burning that occurred in some areas that (the TNI members) were withdrawing from."
An Indonesian navy ship arrived on Friday and Kelly said another Indonesian ship was expected to arrive early on Saturday morning as part of the final withdrawal.
"Interfet also expects the arrival of a number of (Indonesian) Hercules military airplanes to transport the last elements of the TNI," Kelly said.
Kelly revealed the remaining Indonesian troops canceled their planned memorial service at the hero cemetery in Santa Cruz, where dozens of people were believed to be killed during a proindependence protest in the area in November 1991.
The service was previously scheduled to be held minutes before the final withdrawal.
"They chose not to hold it in the vicinity of Santa Cruz," Kelly said without elaborating.
Informed sources told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the service was canceled for security reasons.
In previous weeks, departing Indonesian troops were pelted with rocks by East Timorese.
The TNI has been accused of allegedly perpetrating serious human rights abuses during its 23 years of occupation in the territory and it is now under international condemnation for its alleged links to pro-Jakarta militias which went on a rampage in the wake of the Aug. 30 vote.
Later in the day, visiting Australian defense minister John Moore said he was "surprised with the degree of devastation" in East Timor.
Moore was speaking after having a helicopter tour of the western part of the territory to meet with Interfet elements operating in the area.
Kelly said Moore also met with Xanana, United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) chief Ian Martin and Interfet commander Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove in Dili earlier in the morning.
Cosgrove acknowledged on Thursday evening that some areas in the western regions, known as the stronghold of pro-Jakarta militias, were still not "completely secured".
Meanwhile, a World Bank mission also arrived in Dili on Friday to start assessing the need for the rebuilding of East Timor.
Representatives of the Australian Consulate in Dili said the mission would be in the territory for several weeks to look at what might be needed by the East Timorese for their development.
Interfet officials said more than 24,000 internally displaced people had returned home by land, sea or air as of Thursday.
Relief workers estimated that nearly 200,000 others were still in areas of East Nusa Tenggara.