mBesok gantian. Biasanya demikian di dunia deplomatik --- In [email protected], "sunny" <ambon@...> wrote: > > http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-denied-visa-to-yudhoyono-aide-over-alleged-crimes-20110311-1brae.html > > US denied visa to Yudhoyono aide over alleged crimes > Philip Dorling > March 12, 2011 > > Not happy ... the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with his > wife, Kristiani Herawati, says the corruption allegations are lies. Photo: AFP > > > > THE US has blackballed one of the closest advisers to the Indonesian > President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, for alleged involvement in East Timor > war crimes, say leaked US diplomatic cables. > > But Washington kept secret the reasons for denying a visa to the former > Indonesian army general Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Dr Yudhoyono subsequently > appointed his friend as deputy defence minister. > > In September 2009 the US government withheld the issue of a visa that would > allow Sjamsoeddin, a former army general then serving as a senior > presidential adviser, to accompany Dr Yudhoyono who was about to attend the > G20 leaders summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. > > Mr Sjamsoeddin was subject to a US Department of Homeland Security > recommendation that he be denied entry owing to suspected involvement in > "terror activities" and "extrajudicial killings''. > > The US embassy cables leaked to WikiLeaks and provided exclusively to the > Herald show that the US embassy in Jakarta urged that Mr Sjamsoeddin still be > allowed entry, lest the issue become an "irritant" in bilateral relations > between Jakarta and Washington. > > ''We note that as a key adviser to the Indonesian president and possible > cabinet appointee, Sjamsoeddin's travel to the United States would facilitate > and strengthen US-Indonesian ties,'' the Jakarta embassy argued. > > ''Sjamsoeddin provides guidance and counsel to President Yudhoyono on a > number of issues of importance to the US, such as mil[itary]-to-mil[itary] > ties, which are a cornerstone of our efforts to ensure regional stability.'' > > The allegations against Mr Sjamsoeddin included that while serving as an > Indonesian Special Forces commander in East Timor, he was responsible for > directing the Santa Cruz massacre that claimed the lives of more than 250 > Timorese pro-independence demonstrators on November 12, 1991. It was further > alleged that he was responsible for widespread violence committed by > Indonesian troops in Dili in the aftermath of East Timor's August 30, 1999, > independence ballot. > > Mr Sjamsoeddin submitted a statement to the US embassy seeking to rebut the > allegations, saying he had not been present at the Santa Cruz massacre and > had instead been ''rescuing Australian and American journalists from Timorese > [Indonesian Army] officials who were angered that the journalists had accused > them of being involved in clandestine activities''. > > He also claimed he had been cleared by Indonesia's National Human Rights > Commission for any wrongdoing in relation to the violence that swept Dili in > September 1999. > > Mr Sjamsoeddin's denials were readily accepted by the US embassy in Jakarta, > which argued that ''circumstantial evidence'' linking Mr Sjamsoeddin to human > rights violations was insufficient to deny him a visa. > > However, this advice drew a sharp critique from the US embassy in Dili, which > drew on United Nations and Timorese human rights investigations to argue that > Mr Sjamsoeddin repeatedly had command responsibility for Indonesian troops > that committed atrocities. > > ''As commander of the Kopassus Intelligence Task Force in 1991 he was present > for the November 12 Santa Cruz massacre . His claim that he was rescuing > Western journalists during the massacre cannot be confirmed,'' the US embassy > in Dili reported to Washington. > > ''Sjamsoeddin served in Timor-Leste again in 1999 at the time of the August > 30 [independence ballot]. Multiple independent investigations declare him > criminally responsible for the atrocities that occurred at that time, and put > him near the top of the list of responsible parties.'' > > With regard to Mr Sjamsoeddin's claim to have been saving Western > journalists, the embassy observed that ''Multiple Western journalists were > present in Dili on November 12, [1991] . All have spoken publicly or written > about their experiences. > > ''None of these journalists have ever mentioned a rescue scenario like the > one Sjamsoeddin claims to have been involved in.'' > > The US embassy in Dili concluded that on ''Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin held senior > positions of command responsibility in both 1991 and 1999, moments when > atrocities undeniably occurred, and strongly indicate his personal > culpability''. > > On November 9, 2009, the US embassy in Jakarta informed the Indonesian > foreign ministry that if Mr Sjamsoeddin was to submit a new visa application > ''he would likely be found ineligible under a provision that requires > congressional notification and for which there is no waiver'''. > > A senior Indonesian foreign affairs official challenged the decision, > insisting that ''Sjamsoeddin is the President's man''. > > However, the US ambassador strongly recommended against Dr Yudhoyono raising > the case with the US President, Barack Obama, adding that he would ''request > Washington officials to refrain from any public comment on the case''. > > Two months later, in January last year, Dr Yudhoyono promoted Mr Sjamsoeddin > to the Deputy Defence Minister. > > In this role he has regular dealings with Australian officials as Canberra > and Jakarta implement closer defence relations including a 2009 bilateral > agreement covering enhanced co-operation in counterterrorism, maritime > security, intelligence, peacekeeping exercises and disaster relief. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >
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