Tempo May 27, 2000

Agreement on Indonesia - East Timor Border

TEMPO Interaktif, Denpasar: The two-hour meeting between the United Nation Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the Udayana Military Command in Bali on Friday, May 26, ended in various agreements regarding the Indonesia - East Timor border. However, the two sides have yet to resolve the incident in which an Indonesian civilian was shot in East Timor on May 11.

On behalf of the TNI, Chief of Udayana Military Command Major General Kiki Syahnakri said that the shooting had gone against normal procedure. Let. Gen. Jaime De Los Santos, representing UNPKF, said that they had to shot because the civilian crossed the border carrying a gun. “It was against procedure, we think, because the man was shot without prior warning,� said Kiki. A TNI investigation revealed that the victim, shepherd Manuel Martin, was not carrying a gun.

Meanwhile, Jaime said that the Australian battalion had reported that Manuel was not alone when he crossed the border. He was accompanied by another man who was the one carrying the gun, but he ran away. It was because of this the battalion shot.

To resolve cases such as these, Kiki said UNPKF and TNI have agreed to hold joint investigations. He added that the meeting had a positive impact. At the very least, different perceptions of border infringements can now be avoided

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