• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=9/28/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-267186

TITLE=INDONESIA-TIMOR (L ONLY)

BYLINE=GARY THOMAS

DATELINE=BANGKOK

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Indonesian security forces are gearing up for what they say will be an operation to forcibly disarm the militias of West Timor. The deadline for the militias to voluntarily turn in their weapons was Wednesday. However, as VOA Southeast Asia correspondent Gary Thomas reports, security forces are in no hurry to begin taking the guns away.

TEXT: Thursday was the day when Indonesian security forces were to begin disarming the militia bands terrorizing West Timor. But enforcement was reported to be lax as authorities, in effect, gave the militias an additional day before commencing operations. Some military officers were quoted as saying they would not begin taking weapons away until Friday.

Although police and army units were deployed throughout West Timor, there were no reports of any weapons seizures by Indonesian forces. In Atambua, a group of militiamen voluntarily turned in six rifles and a hand grenade to authorities.

Hundreds of militiamen are reported to have gathered in the town of Betun, some 50 kilometers south of Atambua, and are vowing to resist any attempts to disarm them.

The official Antara News Agency quotes Brigadier General John Lalo as saying Indonesia would continue to use what he termed a "humanitarian and persuasive approach" with the militias.

Indonesia has come under increased international pressure to disarm the militias, especially after militia bands killed three United Nations aid workers in Atambua three weeks ago. The United States and the World Bank have warned Indonesia it risks losing international financial support if it does not rein in the militias.

Indonesia has repeatedly pledged to do so, but the lack of hard action so far has spawned considerable skepticism in international circles about Indonesia's ability and willingness.

Indonesia tried the voluntary approach until Wednesday. Indonesian authorities said that netted about one-thousand weapons. But U-N and diplomatic sources point out that most of those are crude homemade weapons, and that the sophisticated weapons believed to have been furnished by Indonesian military sources remain in militia hands.

The militias were formed to boost anti-independence sentiment in East Timor. They went on a rampage after East Timor voted for independence last year, then pulled back to West Timor, which remains under Indonesian control. East Timor is now governed by a United Nations transitional administration.

Some 120-thousand East Timorese refugees who fled last year's violence remain trapped in West Timor, where they are subject to militia intimidation. The lack of security caused all international aid agencies to pull their workers out of West Timor after the three U-N workers were murdered. (signed)

NEB/HK/GPT/JO/PFH