U.S., Australia attack RI failure to control militias
JAKARTA (JP): Compounding the sharp criticism from the United Nations over Tuesday's attack on a UN post in Maliana, East Timor, the United States and Australia have castigated Indonesia for failing to rein in members of militias in the province.
"Pro-Jakarta militias, which have operated with the acquiescence and support of elements of the Indonesian military, are responsible for much of the recent violence and killings in East Timor," State Department spokesman James Rubin was quoted as saying AFP reported Wednesday.
"We're not satisfied with the fact that the Indonesian military has not taken the steps to bring under control these militias. We're not satisfied with the position of the Indonesian military and its government."
Rubin urged the authorities to immediately bring to trial those responsible for the incident and that Indonesia should create a conducive climate for August's self-determination ballot which was free of fear and intimidation.
In Jakarta the government said on Wednesday it "deeply regretted" the attack on the post of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) in Bobonaro regency in which at least seven people were hurt. A South African electoral officer was among the injured.
In a statement distributed by Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus, the government said it was investigating what it termed a "stone-throwing incident between prointegration and anti-integration groups" in front of the post.
"The Indonesian police, in cooperation with the Task Force for the Implementation of the Popular Consultation in East Timor, are now conducting an investigation into the incident."
Representatives of the rival factions concluded a round of peace talks in Jakarta on Wednesday.
UNAMET said on Tuesday that the post was attacked by about 100 militia members. A witness said a member of the local military command was involved in the attack.
From Sydney, Reuters on Wednesday quoted foreign minister Alexander Downer as saying that Australia lodged a protest with Indonesia's envoy in Canberra over the attack.
He warned Jakarta it would "realize the consequences for Indonesia's international reputation if incidents of this kind are repeated.
"It simply reinforces our message that the Indonesians have to improve their control of the security environment in East Timor. The Indonesian authorities need to take stronger action to protect the United Nations presence".
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan late Tuesday said he held the Indonesian government "accountable" for the incident.
"To the hoodlums who carried out this despicable attack on the UNAMET premises, UNAMET is not scared nor will it ever be," Annan's personal envoy on East Timor, Jamsheed Marker, said shortly before leaving Jakarta.
An Annan spokesman stated that "such acts of provocation and vandalism will not deter UNAMET from fulfilling its obligations".
Marker and UNAMET insisted there was no need for the deployment of a peacekeeping force to take over from the unarmed UN civilian police.
The UN Security Council voiced "grave concern at the attack" on Tuesday and demanded "that all parties respect the safety and security of UNAMET personnel".
Paolos Pereira, chief of pro-Indonesia militia group Dadurus Merah Putih from Maliana, confirmed his organization was involved in the attack, but said he wanted to "protect" the UN staff, AFP reported on Wednesday.
"The situation is peaceful here now... but there are antiintegration people who want to spoil the situation," Pereira said. He said his militia was unarmed.
Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military chief Gen. Wiranto said on Wednesday that the military could not control everything in the territory.
But he said he believed the situation now was more conducive for the direct vote. "About 1,000 Falintil (proindependence) members also pledged to leave the jungle," Yunus quoted Wiranto as saying.
On the grounds of ensuring stability before the ballot, the government banned Jose Ramos-Horta, a proindependence campaigner attending the peace talks in Jakarta, from visiting the province.
Ramos-Horta said earlier he wanted to see his family for the first time in 23 years. Yunus said Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo agreed to the decision to bar all overseas East Timorese attending the talks from visiting the province.(prb)