Wiranto On The Issue

DAMNING testimony and documentary evidence against Indonesia's former armed forces commander Wiranto has for the first time been released by the UN-funded Serious Crimes Unit in East Timor.

The 92-page evidence summary squarely blames former general Wiranto and his subordinates for the carnage in East Timor in 1999.

"Wiranto's de facto or effective control over the militia is demonstrated by evidence that the militias were formed, funded, armed and controlled by the Indonesian army with the knowledge of the accused," says the summary, released on Monday night.

Citing "overwhelming evidence", the summary adds that the military "often either assisted in the militia violence or stood by and let it happen". It notes that military and government documents from 1998 and 1999 proved some militia members were in fact enlisted Indonesian soldiers.

These militias, controlled by the military, wreaked havoc in East Timor in the months before and after the 1999 independence referendum, killing as many as 1500 East Timorese.

Wiranto was indicted by the unit more than a year ago, but the complexity of 15,000 pages of legal argument and evidence has delayed the issuing of an arrest warrant. The summary is a last-ditch attempt to push the Special Panels judges to issue the warrant. Although Indonesia will never allow Wiranto to be

extradited to East Timor, an arrest warrant could be forwarded to Interpol, and he could be detained in a third nation.

Now a presidential candidate, Wiranto was yesterday campaigning in the eastern Indonesian city of Makassar. He has always denied any responsibility for the mayhem in East Timor, and rebuts the whole notion of chain-of-command responsibility. However the summary includes testimony alleging his claim to have power over the militias.

The UN mission chief in East Timor at the time, Ian Martin, is quoted regarding a meeting with Wiranto in 1999. "I clearly recall General Wiranto telling me that if Falintil (the independence guerillas) was ready to surrender its weapons to the Indonesian police, he could guarantee that the militia would be disarmed in two days," Mr Martin said.

The Deputy Prosecutor- General for Serious Crimes, Nicholas Koumjian said he was confident an arrest warrant would now be issued.

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