If guilty, Wiranto must quit: Wahid

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, JAN. 19. The latest shadow-boxing between Indonesia's civilian leaders and its military establishment (TNI) slightly eased today. However, the President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, said he would ask the Senior Minister for Politics and Security Affairs, Gen. Wiranto, to resign if he were to be named a ``culprit'' by the Government-supported panel on human rights violations in East Timor.

Known as KPP-HAM, the panel had recently interrogated Gen. Wiranto, formerly the TNI's overall commander, after having blamed his alleged acts of `omission' for the recent carnage in East Timor.

Gen. Wiranto, who retains his military rank despite being the highest ranking Cabinet Minister, met the President in Jakarta today. The Cabinet also discussed the presentation of Mr. Wahid's first budget tomorrow and the continuing crises of violence in several pockets of Indonesia, including the tourist resort of Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara near Bali.

Gen. Wiranto later said at least 50 suspected `provocateurs' were arrested in connection with the Muslim-Christian communal clashes that had led to the death of two persons even as the security forces took action to deal with the rioting there. While Gen. Wiranto said that stern measures would be taken to uphold the law, the President said he had received reports alleging a possible involvement of some military personnel in a sequence of events that led to the latest clashes at Mataram.

The European Union, the U.K. in particular, lifted an arms embargo against Indonesia clamped several months ago in the context of the suspected involvement of some TNI men in the anti- independence mayhem in September last year in East Timor.

The U.K.'s action drew considerable flak on the international stage, especially in the context of the U.S.' warning to the Indonesian military against attempting to overthrow the Wahid administration. The British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Robin Cook, however, justified the decision citing the democratic and non- military credentials of the Wahid administration.

Amid the coup rumours, the TNI leaders began a political counter- offensive disclaiming any move of that kind. The chief of the territorial affairs of the Army, Lt. Gen. Augs Widjojo, said in Jakarta that the TNI would continue to be loyal to the legitimate government of Indonesia at any given time. The notion of a coup was contrary to the TNI's `culture', he said. Similar views were expressed by several other top military officers too. The replacement of an outspoken military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Sudrajat, by the President was a routine matter associated with the prerogative of the Head of State to assign `tour of duty' to armed forces personnel, they said.

With relative calm amid acute tension in the troubled areas of Indonesia today, the regional military commander of the Maluku Spice Islands said today that a deadline of January 23 had been set for civilians to hand over their weapons to the authorities.

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Section  : International
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