Wiranto denies TNI played role in E. Timor chaos

Wiranto denies TNI played role in E. Timor chaos

JAKARTA (JP): Former military commander Gen. Wiranto, after
being queried by an inquiry commission, argued that violence by
militias in East Timor after the Aug. 30 ballot was an emotional
outburst which was neither premeditated nor controllable.

He contended that the Indonesian Military (TNI) did not plan
nor endorse any of the violence that took place.

"There was no planning process or policy to launch things that
can be classified as war crimes or crimes against humanity,"
Wiranto told journalists after being questioned for more than two
hours here on Friday.

"As an institution, TNI never gave orders to burn cities, kill
or create a mass exodus," he added.

Wiranto, who was replaced as military chief in October when he
became a Cabinet minister, claimed that violence in East Timor
was a result of "emotional outbursts triggered by unfair
practices during the UN-administered ballot".

Now the coordinating minister for political affairs and
security, he appeared before the government-sanctioned Commission
of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations (KPP HAM) in East Timor
for questioning on the violence that took place in the former
Indonesian province.

The inquiry in its midterm report claimed that, based on
preliminary investigation and witnesses accounts, the Indonesian
Military was directly or indirectly involved in the violence
perpetrated by militias.

However Wiranto, who after receiving his first summons asked
that Wednesday's questioning be rescheduled to give him more time
to prepare, refused to answer questions from journalists on the
alleged strong links between TNI and the militias.

During the questioning Wiranto was accompanied by his lawyers
and counselors who included Adnan Buyung Nasution, Hotma
Sitompul, Ruhut Sitompul, former justice minister Muladi and
former chief of the Udayana Military Command Maj. Gen. Adam
Damiri.

East Timor was under the supervision of the Udayana Military
Command when the ballot was held in the territory.

Wiranto and Adam are among a number of top military officers
to be questioned by the inquiry.

Other officers to be questioned include Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar
Makarim, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman,
Brig. Gen. Glen Kairupan and police Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen.

A source close to the investigation said Adam was scheduled to
be questioned on Monday while the other senior officers would be
questioned before the end of the year.

Speaking to journalists, Wiranto's lawyer Adnan Buyung
Nasution conceded that "certainly" there were human rights abuses
in East Timor, but stressed that they must be considered as
individual cases.

"If military personnel were involved, how many? And then it
has to be checked whether it was at the order of the local
commander, superior commander or the highest commander," Nasution
said.

Nasution rebuffed suggestions that Wiranto was shirking
responsibility over the matter.

"I do not see any tendency that he (Wiranto) is trying to
avoid responsibility, but he wants it (the alleged rights abuses)
to be studied carefully case by case," he said.

Nasution further argued that the outbreak of violence in East
Timor was the result of disappointment over the outcome of the
ballot and that "overreaction could not be anticipated".

"Like security for a soccer match, you can of course prepare
precautions, security measures and so on, but if the referee was
regarded (as being) unfair and the participants overreact then
that is something that cannot be anticipated beforehand," he
said.

Separately from East Timor, Dili Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes
Belo accused Wiranto of lying about the military's involvement in
the destruction of East Timor.

"Wiranto said that (the Indonesian military) as an institution
didn't kill or make bad things happen for us, but he lied," he
was quoted by AP as saying at a Christmas Mass late Friday.

Belo urged a congregation of almost 2,000 people to forgive
Wiranto and the East Timorese members of pro-Jakarta militias.

"We know very well that many of our friends, East Timorese
people, killed us, they burned our houses, they denied their
blood and they denied their country, but we must forgive them, we
must bring peace to our country," Belo said.(byg)