Dow Jones Newswires October 5, 2000

Indonesia Min Sees $4.8B Aid At Tokyo Meet Despite Timor

By TIM MAPES

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government still expects to raise $4.8 billion in aid from its overseas donors at a meeting in Tokyo later this month, despite criticism from some donors about Jakarta's handling of the situation in West Timor, senior economics minister Rizal Ramli said.

Rizal told Dow Jones Newswires that the government has taken several actions over the past few weeks, including Wednesday's arrest of militia leader Eurico Guterres, to control the violent gangs that operate in the territory and murdered three United Nations workers last month.

The U.S. and the World Bank have warned that Indonesia risks jeopardizing its international assistance if the country doesn't move more aggressively to improve the security situation there.

"We expect everyone to be objective," Rizal said, noting that President Abdurrahman Wahid is trying his best to establish firm civilian control over Indonesia's military, which has been linked to some of the militia groups. "Please be more fair in judging us."

The World Bank will host a meeting of Indonesia's aid donors Oct. 17-18 in Tokyo.

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