Zacky: TNI had 'contingency plan' for East Timor

Zacky: TNI had 'contingency plan' for East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The former military intelligence chief said on
Tuesday the Indonesian Military (TNI) prepared contingency and
operational plans in anticipation of the outcome of the Aug. 30
self-determination ballot in East Timor.

Speaking after two hours of questioning by the government-
sanctioned Commission of Inquiry into Human Rights Violations in
East Timor (KPP HAM), Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim said TNI had
even predicted that violence would erupt after the ballot.

"We knew long beforehand that whatever happened, there would
be feelings of discontent. Should the proautonomy side win,
proindependence supporters wouldn't be satisfied.

"TNI headquarters therefore prepared a contingency plan, while
the Udayana military commander (Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri) made an
operational plan," Zacky, who was a security adviser to the
Indonesian Task Force for the Implementation of the Popular
Consultation in East Timor, said.

Zacky said anticipating violence was necessary because
proindependence supporters had "more than adequate weaponry and
their communications system was more modern than TNI's".

"They got supplies and logistics that were flown in by
unidentified helicopters," Zacky said, adding that "some (of the
supplies) were from Australia".

Zacky said TNI had expected the results of the ballot to be
closer than the 78.5 percent landslide victory for independence.

However, he refused to discuss the military's contingency
plan. "I am not in a position to answer that question because
that comes under the authority of TNI Headquarters."

TNI has been accused of involvement in the campaign of terror
and violence in East Timor by prointegration militias.

Zacky however denied TNI and prointegration militias were
solely responsible for the violence in the territory, saying
proindependence supporters were also involved in the mayhem.

He also denied there was a systematic campaign of terror and
destruction in East Timor following the ballot. "Burning did
occur there, but I don't think that was systematic. What happened
there was part of the culture of the people who ran amok, so that
was an emotional outburst."

Zacky was the eighth general questioned by KPP HAM in the past
two weeks over the military's alleged involvement in the post-
ballot violence in East Timor.

KPP HAM is expected to question the former head of the
Restoration Operation Command in East Timor, Maj. Gen. Kiki
Syahnakri, the former East Timor military commander, Col. M. Noer
Muis, and former foreign minister Ali Alatas on Wednesday.

The inquiry was established in September by then president
B.J. Habibie after the government rejected calls for an
international inquiry to explore the possibility of establishing
a war crimes tribunal for Indonesian Military top brass.(byg)