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.