---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- AFP, Saturday, March 11 6:54 PM SGT Pro-integration group denied their milita involved in East Timor raids JAKARTA, March 11 (AFP) - Pro-Indonesian East Timorese leaders on Saturday denied responsibility for a spate of recent armed cross-border raids into their homeland from Indonesia and said they did not know who had launched them. Speaking at a press conference in a hotel in the Indonesian capital on behalf of the Uni Timor Aswain (UNTAS), which includes a militia wing, Domingos Soares and Basilio Dias also said their men had disbanded. "As of November 1999, we have disbanded the Pro-Integration Fighters... we have no idea who committed the raids," Soares said in a press briefing here. "Everything is always blamed on the militia ... don't just look for scapegoats, and we deeply object to the complaints by the UN which suggested that it was the militia who committed the raids," he said. He was referring to strong protests lodged in Jakarta by the head of the UN peacekeeping force, Lieutenant General Jamie de los Santos, on Thursday over the raids which were launched from Indonesian-controlled West Timor. The 16 attacks in as many days have been conducted by troops of well-armed men. They left at least one East Timorese dead, one wounded and 10 houses burned and in one case the attackers shot at an Australian helicopter, officials of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) have said. Soares emotionally suggested that since UNTAET was the sole administrator in East Timor, it should just "arrest those who committed the raids" instead of "continuing their unprofessionalism by seeking scapegoats." The pro-Jakarta militia, who conducted the reign of terror in East Timor with at least the tacit support of the Indonesian military after its people voted for independence last year, fled to West Timor when Australian troops landed in September to halt the violence. Some have since regrouped. Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday ordered his armed forces to take stern action against perpetrators of the attacks and if necessary disarm them. A military spokesman said discussions were underway on whether to reinforce the Indonesian army presence on the border to help stop the raids. Soares also told the press conference that the pro-integration organization would continue to fight for "generations" for "a peaceful and fair solution for East Timor" but only through political means. He denied receiving funds from the Indonesian government. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 14 Mar 2000 jam 11:22:24 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
