| Subject: Gusmao
blames Wiranto for East Timor destruction
Gusmao blames Wiranto for East Timor destruction JAKARTA, Nov 29 (AFP) - Former Indonesian defence minister General Wiranto was responsible for the systematic destruction of East Timor, independence leader Xanana Gusmao on Monday said. Speaking to foreign journalists here, Gusmao said Wiranto, who was also commander of the Indonesian armed forces, was responsible for the discipline of troops during the runup and the immediate period after the UN-held August 30 pro-independence ballot in East Timor. "If in a small guerrila army, we have the discipline as our best strength, in a sophisticated army as that of Indonesia, I believe General Wiranto, as minister of defence was responsible for what went on," Gusmao said. Indonesian army-backed militias launched an unchecked campaign of terror, violence and destruction in East Timor after the results from the August 30 ballot were announced on September 4 showing an overwhelming vote for independence. Gusmao said the wave of terror across the territory that followed the polls in East Timor was a "systematic, planned destruction." He also pointed the finger at the Kopassus special forces. "I have to say that the Kopassus generals are very, very involved in the destruction," he said. "What I can say is that the Kopassus people, they are still backing the militias," he added, refering to the militias who fled to West Timor along with hundreds of thousands of refugees after the ballot. Kopassus was behind the formation of several militia groups in East Timor long before Jakarta in January offered the former Portuguese colony it invaded in 1975 the option of independence. The week of militia violence in East Timor, not only left whole towns across East Timor in ruins but also forced almost half of the territory's population to flee to the jungles or neighbouring Indonesian-controlled West Timor. More than 260,000 people fled to or were deported to West Timor in the weeks following the ballot. Nobel laureate and East Timorese independence activist Jose Ramos-Horta said the people responsible for the destruction of East Timor were "the same people who created years and years of resentment in Indonesia," citing the troubled Indonesian provinces of Aceh, Irian Jaya and the Maluku islands. "Indonesia must understand, it is the same people," he told the press briefing. Although "we say the past, is the past," any legal pursuit of those responsible for violence should be left to the "right instances," Gusmao added. The United Nations has sent a five member team commission of inquiry to East Timor to probe the violence in East Timor. Jakarta, which has said it would not be legally bound by the results of the UN probe, has set up its own inquiry which has so far also pointed to the involvement of the military and its generals in the violence. But Gusmao added: "What happened in the past must not be a reason not to improve our relationship (with Indonesia) in the future." Gusmao, accompanied by his Falintil guerrila deputy commander Taur Matan Ruak, has been in Jakarta since Saturday for a series of meetings with Indonesian officials and non-governmental activists. Gusmao, on the first visit to the capital since he was freed in September after spending more than six years in Indonesian jails for plotting against the state, was joined on Sunday by Ramos-Horta and Mari Alkatiri. They are due to meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid on Tuesday but the meeting has yet to be confirmed. Back to November Menu Note: For those who would like to fax "the powers that be" - CallCenter V3.5.8, is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge! Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |