December 13, 2000
Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Admiral Widodo AS's objection to foreign intervention in the alleged human rights violation in East Timor by a number of military and police officers is a correct attitude, because an intervention by UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor) in handling this case would make things worse.
Regardless of the memorandum of understanding reached between the Attorney General's Office and UNTAET last April in the settlement of the alleged human rights violations, Indonesian citizens are supposed to be tried in their own country, a political affairs observer at the state Padang University Amir Benson said here on Wednesday.
The eleven suspects included Lt Sayful Anwar of the army's special forces (Kopassus) who was accused of killing Averisto Lopez on April 21, 1999, at a camp of a proindependence militia group.
Amir Benson felt that a trial by UNTAET would obviously serve the interest of Australia and the United States which have been rather hostile toward Indonesia, and because basically UNTAET is a puppet of Australia and the US. Therefore, the Indonesian military and police officers who were accused of violating human rights in East Timor must be tried in Indonesia and the Indonesian government has no obligation to meet the demand of UNTAET which in fact did not represent East Timor's interests.
However, he admitted that the East Timor case is of international significance, and so are all the problems related to the case, but the Indonesian government should not be "stupid" by handing over their best sons to the imperialists. He believed that the charges (of human rights violation in East Timor) were all made-up by Australia with the support of the United States as part of their cunning strategy of provocation and intervention in Indonesian territory. Therefore the suspects must be given a fair trial in Indonesia, he said.
In the meantime on Monday this week UNTAET was reported to have filed the first dossiers of the alleged crimes against humanity by Indonesian troops and pro-Jakarta militias during violence in East Timor last year.
The political observer further believed that if the settlement of the case is entrusted to UNTAET, things would become worse, and Australia and the United States would have fresh reasons for an intervention in Indonesian territory. He also reminded that whatever measure Indonesia decided to take, Australian and US imperialism would never stop in trying to destroy Indonesia, much like Israel has been trying to destroy the Moslem world.
He said the imperialists were used to impose their will on others, indirectly or with the use of force, like the US demand to Libya to hand over two of its citizens for trial according to their wish on charges of bombing a PANAM airliner. Libya refused to meet the demand -- or better called threat -- and as a consequence a UN economic sanction was imposed on Libya. However, while being intimidated and faced an economic sanction, Libya still exists as a country with self-respect.
