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| Southeast Asia |
| Ex-East Timor militia gang armed to teeth set to attack |
| 2004-04-30 |
| A joint military and police force in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) are keeping a watch on pro-Indonesia militiamen suspected of attempting to create chaos in neighboring East Timor. The militia are hoarding thousands of firearms, grenades and ammunition in NTT territory bordering East Timor, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Friday. "There is the intention on the part of militia to create chaos in Timor Leste (East Timor). They still have many guns buried in border areas," said Wirasakti 161 military commander Col. Moeswarno Moesanip overseeing security in NTT province. He said soldiers and paramilitary Mobile Brigade police stationed in the border area were intensively monitoring the activities of around 20 militia leaders and members reported to be gathering there. The men often smuggle Indonesian goods into East Timor, while studying security conditions in the newly born country, Moesanip said, quoting TNI intelligence officers. It was not clear why the militiamen were not immediately arrested when it was discovered they were smuggling goods into East Timor. Why nor Moesanip divulged the plans of the pro-Jakarta militia group to launch an attack on East Timor, instead of keeping them secret to search for their guns and arrest them was not clear. It had widely been reported earlier that the TNI hired militiamen to help soldiers challenge independence fighters in East Timor during Indonesia’s occupation of the territory between 1970 and 1999. The military-backed militia were blamed for the rampage that followed East Timor’s vote for independence in August 1999. Only a number of militia leaders were jailed for the mayhem, while senior TNI officers who were then responsible for security in the territory remained free. However, Moesanip refuted claims that the TNI and police backed militia to destabilize East Timor, and vowed to shoot them on sight should they perpetrate new violence there. The most effective measure to prevent militia attacks, according to him, would be to reopen the three traditional markets in the NTT-East Timor border area, which were closed after a shooting incident last year. "The Timor Leste government should support the reopening of the three legal markets, so the activities of traders including militiamen can be controlled," Moesanip argued. Otherwise, illegal markets would increase and security forces would be unable to curb militia activities at border areas, he added. Moesanip said the East Timor authorities were worried about increasing militia operations at border areas ahead of the pullout of the United Nation Peacekeeping Force from the neighboring country, which is scheduled for early June. With the planned UN withdrawal threats of militia attacks in East Timor have increased. |
| Posted by:TS (vice girl) |