Widows to visit husbands' graves in East Timor
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto ordered Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung yesterday to provide transportation for families of ABRI members killed in military operations in East Timor.
The order was an answer by President Soeharto to the request of widows who wanted to see their husbands' graveyards in East Timor.
The widows' request was headed by Ellen Mangenda Rantung, whose husband was killed in 1977, in the youngest province of Indonesia.
"Pak Harto, please help us so that we can visit our husbands' graves in East Timor," Ellen asked Soeharto during a meeting between the President and 300 other widows of ABRI members killed in action during battles in Irian Jaya and East Timor, and during battles when Indonesia was in conflict with Malaysia.
President Soeharto, in his capacity as chairman of the Trikora Foundation, met with the widows and their children who got scholarships from the foundation.
The meeting was to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the Trikora Foundation.
"Your request is very understandable, and as it is impossible to remove their graves from there, the Armed Forces commander will provide you with air or sea transportation to go to East Timor," said Soeharto. General Feisal accompanied the President during the meeting.
According to Indonesian military rule, the body of a soldier killed in military action must be buried on location, and the family or relatives have no right to remove it.
The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into Indonesia in 1976 as its 27th province.
Indonesia sent troops there to fight against the communist- backed Fretilin guerrillas, which unilaterally declared East Timor's independence, while other parties like Apodeti, preferred to integrate with Indonesia.
Hundreds of Indonesian soldiers were believed to have been killed during the battles.
The Trikora Foundation was established in 1963 to help widows and children of Indonesian soldiers killed in military operations to help liberate West Irian from the Dutch in the 1960s.
Later it was expanded to cover families of soldiers who were killed in Dwikora military operations in a confrontation against Malaysia in Kalimantan, and Seroja operations in East Timor.
Irian Jaya was eventually returned to Indonesia, after a long military clash with the Dutch. In August 1962, the Dutch government agreed to hand over West Irian to Indonesia, after an intensive negotiation mediated by the United Nations.
In his report to the President, the foundation's secretary Syaukat Banjaransari said the foundation has extended scholarships to 2,169 children for Trikora, and 512 for Seroja.
"Primary school students receive Rp 15,000 monthly, secondary school students Rp 20,000, senior high school students Rp 25,000, while university students receive Rp 45,000 a month," said Syaukat.
"This assistance is a reflection of my responsibility as your leader," said Soeharto.
The meeting was also attended by 24 tribal chiefs from Irian Jaya. They were accompanied by three officials from UNESCO.
Soeharto told the Irianese that he would visit Irian Jaya this year to officiate a bridge connecting Jayapura with Wamena.
He called on Irianese people to move from the mountains to areas near the new road, because they can get better facilities there. (06)