Working together

Working together

The ensuing furor since Sunday's clash between a military
patrol of the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) and
Indonesian troops on the border separating East Timor and East
Nusa Tenggara once again illustrates the precarious nature of
Indonesia's relations with Australia. Involvement of Australian
troops in the reported fatal shooting of an Indonesian policeman
has clearly bolstered anti-Australian sentiment in Jakarta.

There seems to be no clear agreement on what precisely
happened in the incident. The Indonesian Military (TNI) account
is that Interfet soldiers forayed briefly across the border and
shot at the Indonesians, killing the policeman and injuring three
others. Interfet denies this version, insisting that its troops
were on patrol well inside East Timor when they were shot at by
pro-Indonesia East Timorese militias and were forced to return
fire in self-defense.

However one may look at the brief but fatal skirmish, one fact
seems clear: There is an urgent need for both sides -- TNI and
Interfet -- to cooperate more closely and to better coordinate
their measures to prevent similar fatal mix-ups in the future.

TNI Commander Gen. Wiranto's offer to minimize border tensions
by holding joint patrols in the area is to be commended. So is
his stated intention to disarm and rein in the pro-Jakarta East
Timorese militias who are operating in Atambua, Kupang and
elsewhere in East Nusa Tenggara. A joint investigation of the
incident would certainly help to clear up any remaining confusion
and help prevent similar clashes.

Since there is little doubt that Wiranto's offer will be
wholeheartedly accepted by the Interfet command in Dili, it only
remains to be seen how the promises and good intentions are
implemented on the ground. The point is that it is important not
only for Indonesia but for all the parties involved in the UN
peace efforts in the territory -- Australia in particular -- to
do all they can to defuse the possibility of tensions escalating.

However heated emotions in Jakarta may be over what many
Indonesians consider Australian arrogance and interference in
this country's internal affairs, Indonesians must keep firmly in
mind that long-term relations between the two countries are too
important to be lastingly disrupted by irritations, big or small,
which are transient in nature.

After all, however Indonesians may feel over the loss of East
Timor, they will sooner or later have to accept the reality that
East Timor became a past issue as far as this country is
concerned once the United Nations took over. However strong the
objections, there is no way Indonesia can defy the world and turn
back history by reclaiming East Timor, especially now that the UN
and UN multinational forces are effectively in control of the
territory

Hopefully, a joint investigation into the incident can be held
forthwith. Measures to avoid a repeat of the clash must be taken
promptly, especially if border violations by Interfet troops did
indeed occur. While no argument can justify the militias' actions
to block humanitarian efforts to help the thousands of East
Timorese refugees now sheltering in camps in East Nusa Tenggara,
neither can border violations be justified. It would only
aggravate Indonesia's already strained relations with the world
outside, particularly Australia.