By Vaudine England

Jakarta - A handful of senior military officers serving in East Timor during last year's violence appeared at the Attorney-General's Office yesterday to answer state prosecutors' questions about their alleged complicity in the wave of destruction and killing that swept the region.

"We are encouraged that a beginning has been made," said an official at the United Nations, which is overseeing East Timor's transition to nationhood.

Indonesia's investigations of its generals, an unprecedented process at such a level, are in part intended to deter the United Nations and other pressures for an international tribunal to try the men. "There is no reason to think this is not a good start," said the official, when asked if the process was taking too long. "At least things have started moving."

First up for grilling were Major-General Adam Damiri, the former chief of Udayana Military Command overseeing Nusa Tenggara and East Timor, and the last two chiefs of East Timor Military Command, Brigadier-General Tono Suratman and Colonel M. Noer Muis.

Last month Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations outlining protocols for legal co-operation, and that has helped open the way to the summoning of the generals in Jakarta.

Their alleged role in the East Timor carnage was first confirmed by a report prepared by Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission and released on January 31.

Two weeks ago Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman formed special military-civilian teams to investigate evidence which so far has led to the political punishment of former armed forces chief General Wiranto by his removal from cabinet in February.

The Government has promised it will fairly prosecute any officers involved, in a bid to fend off foreign pressure for military accountability, although doubts remain about how far any actual punishment of some of those generals named will go.

The Attorney-General's spokesman, Yashar Yahya, says the questioning will lead to a naming of suspects and that more generals will be called in for questioning later this week.

Officers yet to be questioned include former army intelligence chief Major-General Zacky Anwar Makarim, former deputy army chief Lieutenant-General Johnny Lumintang and Major-General Garnadi.

The commission's report confirmed independent claims of links between the military and pro-Jakarta militias, which were blamed for most of the violence in East Timor. It also said there was proof of efforts to conceal and destroy evidence.

The inquiry's executive summary detailed several major incidents that occurred between January and October last year and recommended the office investigate 33 people, including General Wiranto.

Reports have suggested General Garnadi signed a contingency plan for systematic destruction in East Timor should the pro-independence camp win at the ballot box.

Meanwhile, General Lumintang, who is now the governor of the National Resilience Institute, has recently become the subject of a suit filed by two US-based human rights groups.