Violence on the border

Violence on the border

I can only endorse what David Jardine had to say (East Timor
issue, The Jakarta Post, Aug. 1). Militia the world over must
look at the skills of their Indonesian "counterparts" with envy!
Indonesia at a time when international faith and confidence is so
badly needed, is again facing critical scrutiny; but like before
is being less than honest with the world and its own citizens,
lapsing into the old and politically immature tactic of blaming
others or simply lying.

There have been several so-far unreported injuries from cross-
border incursions. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was wounded
as he trained younger peacekeepers at a distance of over two
kilometers from the border. He was shot with a 50 millimeter high
caliber long-range sniper rifle. My friend is an expert in
ballistics, so he literally knew what hit him. Another
peacekeeper was seriously wounded later that week. The young NZ
soldier was wounded trying to evade an engagement, and by all
accounts the killers then came across the border to execute and
mutilate him.

But does this faintly ring other bells: Try Maluku where the
Post has reported people being killed by shots to the head. Well
I suppose that villagers in Maluku could keep sniper rifles in
their rice jars. Or that the villagers, or our friends in the
erroneously called Jihad are fast learners, and able to learn in
a day and a half of range practice, the highly skilled tactics
usually reserved for special forces.

M. KEMP

Ubud, Bali