Below are translated summaries of articles from Indonesian newspapers.
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Newspaper key: BP _ Bali Post; K _ Kompas
English language newspapers available online:
The Indonesian Observer _ www.indonesian-observer.com
Jakarta Post _ www.thejakartapost.com
Tuesday, 10 October 2000
K _ "UN mission to be invited"
JAKARTA _ The presence of a UN mission to Indonesia to investigate how
far Indonesia has complied with UN Resolution No. 1319 is difficult to
refuse because it is a precondition for international relations.
Nevertheless, the form of that mission has changed from a mission being
sent by the UN to become a mission that has been invited by the
Indonesian government with conditions determined by Indonesia. In a
meeting with a Kompas editor on Monday night (9/10), Foreign Minister
Alwi Shihab said that besides the UN mission, Indonesia would also
invite representatives from donor states. They are states that have
given attention and helped with the E. Timor refugee problem in
Indonesia, especially in terms of the financial aspect. Several of
these countries are the US, Japan, Canada, Gulf nations, and the
European Union. What must still be decided on Tuesday regarding the
invitation is when they will be invited to come. "Will it be during
refugee registration or when the first group leave for E. Timor or Wetar
Island?" said Alwi Shihab. He said inviting the UN mission will show
there has not been intervention in Indonesia. "The conditions are also
that they come with no investigative intentions, but rather to see our
performance and see directly the registration process," he added while
stressing that one registration condition is certainly that the UN be
present. With UN representatives present it can be seen whether or not
the refugees make a choice on the basis of their own desires. Alwi
Shihab stressed that Indonesia has never had the least desire to
challenge the international community. He said Indonesia wants to be
friends with people throughout the world, no matter how small their
country. Indonesia realizes that it is not possible to go it alone. It
is not free from the increasingly strong interdependence of nations in
the world.
K _ "Wetar ready to accept E. Timor refugees"
KUPANG -- Residents of Wetar island in W. Tenggara Maluku regency,
Maluku Province, has no problems living side by side with citizens from
E. Timor. Nevertheless, they hope their placement won't be concentrated
in one location but rather they must be spread out and the total may not
exceed the number of village or hamlet residents in any given location.
This is the result of observations by Womintra Foundation working
together with the Hanai Malu working group in Kupang, NTT. Results of
the observations were expressed by Womintra Director, Susy Katipana, to
Kompas on Monday (8/10). This NGO has taken the initiative to carry
out direct observations on the island of Wetar following the circulation
of the idea to move E. Timor refugees from NTT to Wetar. The island is
geographically closer to Kupang (NTT) than to Ambon. Wetar is about 10
hours by motorboat from Kupang and about 23 hours from Ambon. As
expressed by former PPI Vice Commander, Eurico Guterres, the refugees
themselves don't have any problem with this resettlement plan (Kompas,
15/9). According to the explanation, Wetar is not an empty island.
About 7,300 square kilometers in size, it has about 6000 inhabitants
spread throughout 24 villages.
From communication between Womintra Foundation and the working
group with social and religious leaders in Wetar, there has been a
positive response. The observations and simultaneous socialization of
the plan which covered 18 of the 24 villages in Wetar indicates that in
general the people of Wetar don't have a problem living side by side
with their brothers from E. Timor. From the group of E. Timor refugees
who now remain in NTT _ 17,000 households or 134,772 individuals _ about
500 households of them via Womintra have said they are ready to move
spontaneously to Wetar. Womintra has suggested to the government to
consider in the first phase to move about 1000 households or about 5000
refugees to Wetar. "We've given this input and made this suggestion to
the central government and the provincial government in NTT," she added.
Wetar is categorized as an island that is still very isolated in
Indonesia. In general, the educational level of its residents is only
grade school. There is not yet a main road that connects the hamlets
and villages on the island. Connections with other islands depends on a
government run ship whose schedule brings it to Wetar once every two
weeks. Other means of transportation are traditional boats owned by
local residents.
K _ "Guterres asks his followers to be patient"
JAKARTA _ Although colored by a very emotional atmosphere when meeting
with about 30 of his followers at National Police Headquarters in
Jakarta on Monday (9/10), Eurico Guterres asked them to be patient and
not engage in violence that would only prolong the problem. "Let me
face all of it. If you stay like that it will never be over," he said.
Vice Commander of the PPI from E. Timor who is now in police custody
asked his followers to go home to each of their places and wait to see
if there would be justice for him. Guterres meeting with his supporters
took place under tight security from members of the mobile brigade who
carried rifles. Earlier there was tension when Guterres' supporters who
had tied small red white flags on their heads like head bands and some
of whom wore black shirts with the word "Hunter" on them, camouflage
pants, complete with military attributes, arrived at the entrance gate
to police headquarters. In their oration they demanded that Guterres be
freed because he is a fighter and defender of red white [the Indo.
flag]. Furthermore, they said they were ready to die if they didn't
meet with Guterres. Therefore, tens of fully armed mobile brigade
police stood by in the yard of the Reserve Corps office. The
demonstrators were finally received by Head of the Police Reserve Corps,
Inspector General Engkesman R Hillep, Vice Head Brig. Gen. Ansyaad Mbai,
and Head of Natl. Police Information, Sr. Supt. Saleh Saaf. Even they
met with Guterres for about an hour.
The meeting was characterized by tears and oaths of loyalty to
Guterres with fresh blood dripped onto white cloth. The blood came when
some followers began to prick their fingertips with needles. When just
three of the followers had done this, Engkesman, at the request of
Guterres, asked that the action be stopped. "Enough, enough. This is
just symbolic," said Engkesman. In the meeting, Guterres spoke mostly
about the problem of his arrest and detention which he can't
understand. He is a fighting defender of red white, but now he's been
arrested and detained by police. After Guterres spoke, Engkesman
negotiated a dialogue with the demonstrators. Ahmad Zais, a student at
the Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar, still pressured police to
free Guterres who has clearly defended red white. He further
surrendered his red white head band to Engkesman as a sign he no longer
wanted to defend red white until Guterres is freed. Guterres was
hysterical in prohibiting his followers from surrendering the red white
they were wearing. "Don't surrender Red White, Red White isn't wrong,"
he said. The atmosphere became very emotional when Guterres hugged his
followers and sobbed. "I cry not because I'm afraid of arrest and
detention," he choked. He thinks Indonesia is a nation with lots of
inhabitants but with very few guts.
BP _ "Refugees rage again, Oebelo disturbed"
KUPANG _ The Tuapukan case from last month is not yet resolved, yet the
refugees from that camp have again done a dirty deed. Although their
mass disturband [disturbance? -EH] on Sunday (8/10) didn't result in any
deaths, at least 5 houses, one car, and two motorcycles of local
residents were destroyed and the majority of the goods in the houses
looted by refugees. It seems the incident was triggered by provocation
from a member of the mobile police in Kupang following the stoning of a
refugee-owned bus by local residents in Oebelo.
Oebelo Village Head, Moses Mooy and Oebelo social leader, Jorim J.
Nalle told reporters in Oebelo on Monday (9/10) that the action, which
happened about 17.30 on Sunday evening, began when it was guessed the
Mentari bus, owned by refugee Thomas de Silva Pareira, which operates
from Kupang _ Soe* (South Central Timor) was stoned. Local resident,
Adi Fernandez, suspected of stoning the bus, was arrested by MS, a
mobile brigade member, but was released without a clear reason. When
the mass disturbance occurred, 5 houses of local residents were heavily
damaged, a car was smashed, a motorcycle destroyed, a bicycle
disappeared, and there was looting of local residents. Mooy, a retired
police officer and former Chief of Police in E. Adonara (Flores) told
reporters that he was surprised if there was a mobile brigade member who
provoked masses of refugees to play the judge themselves with the target
to destroy in order to facilitate looting. Jorim Nalle, former section
head of the PDI party in Kupang and active in the NTT Krisna Party, also
questioned why a security officer would release Fernandez without a
further legal process because as a result of Fernandez's release the
house of the village head became a target of the mass disturbance, what
more MS accused Mooy's son of stoning the bus. As a result of reports
from the people, MS was directly arrested and secured in the Mobile
Brigade Headquarters in Kupang. Nevertheless, on Mon. morning this
provocateur was released and went to Mooy's house but his intentions
were unclear.
Meanwhile, the mobile brigade who was approached for confirmation
kept their mouths closed about this case. As of when this report went
to press, Fernandez, who was suspected of inciting the refugees' anger
had been arrested and was being held in a cell at the Kupang police
station. Nalle said he regretted the [lack of alertness _ EH] of the
police at the Kupang police station. "We asked the police to come to
the site of the incident, but it was 9 hours after the report before the
police arrived. It would be best were the Chief of Kupang police who
was so slow in his work be removed," he said angrily. The same thing
was expressed by Mooy. As a retired police officer, he showed that the
slowness of the Kupang police violated police regulation, Ch. 13 yang
instructs police to protect live and people's possessions, both those of
witnesses and victims of a crime. Mooy, who was asked for his response
yesterday confirmed that he had already extended this to Vice Gov. J.
Pake Pani. According to Mooy he pressured the Vice Gov. to coordinate
with Kupang police as quickly as possible to investigate this matter and
immediately complete compensation for all losses due to the unrest.
It's been noted that refugees around Tuapukan have received attention
from Oebelo Village Head, Moses Mooy. And why not? The land and
families in that village have given refugees places to stay. Even their
private wells have been used together with E. Timor refugees as sources
of drinking water. "What more good model is there? We've loved them,
now they want to eat our hearts," said Mooy. Kupang Chief of Police,
Supt. Agus Kusnaidi via police spokesperson Sergeant Sugeng Haryanto
when asked for a statement said the police were handling the case. The
man suspected of stoning the bus, Fernandez, has been arrested and is
being examined by police. The police have not yet arrested one person
involved in ruining the homes of residents in Oebelo.
----- End of forwarded message from Eliot Hoffman -----
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