DATE=9/9/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=E. TIMOR MILITARY
NUMBER=5-44220
BYLINE=BRONWYN CURRAN
DATELINE=JAKARTA
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: One of Indonesia's retired generals has added
his voice to calls for an international peacekeeping
force for East Timor. As Bronwyn Curran reports from
Jakarta, former Lieutenant General Hasnan Habib says
Indonesia's military is incapable of ending the
militia-led violence, even under martial law.
TEXT: Former General Hasnan Habib says he and other
retired generals believe Indonesia should have agreed
to bring in a peacekeeping force when the independence
vote was finalized in May under U-N auspices. He says
now it is crucial, to save Indonesia's credibility.
// HABIB ACT//
I for one and some, many of us, would you know.
To avoid embarrassing the reputation of the
country and to release the armed forces from an
embarrassing. dilemmatic situation (dilemma), it
would be better for the international, or not
international, United Nations peacekeeping force
to take over the responsibility of returning
peace and stability in East Timor.
// END ACT//
After two-days of martial law in the anarchy-riven
territory, witnesses say militias are continuing their
rampage -- looting shops, burning houses, and driving
thousands of refugees into West Timor. But Jakarta
insists martial law is starting to take effect.
Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Wednesday Dili was
quiet.
After meeting (Thursday) with an emergency U-N
Security Council delegation and President B-J Habibie,
Mr. Alatas said the situation had calmed down further,
and soldiers were arresting people for carrying
weapons.
Retired General Habib supports Tuesday's declaration
of martial law, but does not believe it will work. He
says the military, formerly known as ABRI, has lost
control in the former Portuguese colony, and is
incapable of reigning in the anti-independence
militias.
He says they do not want to.
//HABIB ACT///
The military is supposed to control the militia.
But they have not been able to do that. Why?
Because of the psychological and political
problems: those are my own brothers, and those
are my own nephews, and so forth. I mean the
creation of ABRI, the militia from the very
first day when the military, ABRI, headed East
Timor, they established the militia among the
East Timorese themselves.
//END HABIB ACT //
// REST OPT //
General Habib also doubts commanders on the ground are
adhering to the orders of military commander General
Wiranto. He says former soldiers are among the
militia gangs and some gangs are being directed by
elements within the military -- among them, officers
who have fought in East Timor during the past 24-
years.
/// HABIB ACT ///
In the military there are many rogues, you know,
and these rogues, you know, they are trying
perhaps not only to make it impossible for the
government to abide by the New York agreement,
but they want to sabotage.the institutional
process. Their strategy is to thwart, to make
it impossible to implement the New York
agreement and make the outcome of the referendum
invalid.
// END OPT //
The delegation of five Security-Council ambassadors
will visit the ravaged territory Saturday.
They are due to meet Friday with General Wiranto, and
again with President Habibie and Foreign Minister
Alatas on their return from East Timor.
The Habibie government and the military are continuing
to reject the notion of armed international
peacekeepers, until the government formally
relinquishes ties with East Timor.
This would be, at the earliest, October. (SIGNOFF)
NEB/BC/RAE
09-Sep-1999 10:17 AM LOC (09-Sep-1999 1417 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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