Military

DATE=10/18/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-268098

TITLE=OGATA-INDONESIA (L ONLY)

BYLINE=GARY THOMAS

DATELINE=BANGKOK

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The head of the United Nations refugee agency says she believes Indonesia is making some effort to rein in the militias in West Timor, but the situation is not yet secure enough for international aid agencies to return there. As VOA Southeast Asia correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is also concerned about the spread of separatist and sectarian violence in Indonesia.

TEXT: Sadako Ogata says she believes Indonesia is at least trying to disarm the militias, but that West Timor is still too dangerous for international aid workers.

Three workers of Ms. Ogata's agency, the U-N-H-C-R, were killed by militias in West Timor September sixth, prompting the agency to pull all of its workers out of there. Ms. Ogata says she is not yet ready to give the green light for U-N-H-C-R workers to return.

/// OGATA ACT ///

The real issue there is that most of the pro-integrationist militias moved with the refugees to West Timor. And West Timor, it's a no-man's land virtually. The government could not maintain law and order. Our colleagues, three of them killed there, is a great loss. And it does make the international community feel a bit more determined to work on this. And I think the Indonesian government is trying, at least, these days.

/// END ACT ///

The militias formed to fight pro-independence sentiment in East Timor went on a rampage after East Timor voted last year to break away from Indonesia. Some 300-thousand refugees fled to Indonesian-controlled West Timor and 120-thousand remain. East Timor is under a transitional U-N administration.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab told the U-N Security Council last week that Indonesia is working to rein in the militias. And a senior foreign ministry official told Reuters News Agency Wednesday that it is safe for the U-N-H-C-R to return a comment that one U-N-H-C-R official in East Timor labeled as "naive."

Ms. Ogata says the United Nations wants to see more action and less talk by the Indonesian government in bringing the murderers of the U-N workers to justice and disarming the militias.

/// OGATA ACT TWO ///

I hope they are moving more seriously in that direction, as the foreign minister stated at the Security Council. But, I mean, words and deeds the deeds have to follow what they are saying. And we are watching very closely because we are worried about the refugees.

/// END ACT ///

Ms. Ogata also says she is, as she put it, very frightened at the violence that has erupted in other parts of Indonesia. Any Balkan-type fragmentation of Indonesia, she says, would create huge refugee problem in Asia. Ms. Ogata says she hoped the Indonesian government is, as she puts it, strong enough, wise enough, and flexible enough to prevent any such breakup. (signed)

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