Precedence: bulk
PANCASILA YOUTH INVOLVED IN MILITIAS IN EAST TIMOR
JAKARTA (MateBEAN, 18/9/99). A group of Pancasila Youth (Pemuda
Pancasila) members, who had earlier arrived in Dili aboard the Indonesian
Navy's ship the Teluk Cirebon, are involved with militia operations to
annihilate pro-independence East Timorese. The civilian forces have
persecuted East Timorese communities, seeking them out in their places of
refuge.
The Pancasila Youth group is known to be under the leadership of
Ongen Sangaji, a Pancasila Youth leader who has been mentioned as also
having provoked the riots in Ambon. His involvement was discovered from a
number of MateBEAN informants from people from Irian.
"Some time ago, Ongen asked us to join him, but we refused," said
the source.
Before the referendum, scores of Pancasila Youth entered East Timor
under the pretext of belonging to the Referendum Monitoring Team. However,
when all outside people, including referendum monitors and the press were
evacuated from East Timor, the members of the Pancasila Youth joined the
militias.
"There is strong reason to believe that they have been the actors in
the destruction of churches and the persecution and torture of church
leaders in East Timor," said a source, adding that although Ongen is now in
Jakarta, his men are still operating in East Timor.
In the open debate about East Timor organised by CIDES at the Hotel
Menara Peninsula, Slipi, on Wednesday (15 Sept), Ongen Sangaji came with his
group. In the forum, they waved the flag of enmity against Australia,
against pro-independence parties, the UNAMET and foreign forces.
Information has been obtained that the militias who have attacked
the East Timorese people have also come from the military and the police. It
is said that 5000 of the 7000 East Timorese who became soldiers and
policemen have deserted from their units and have engaged in the persecution
and murder of East Timorese independence leaders. They have also stated
that they stand ready to fight the international forces. "Some of the
members of the Indonesian Military who are originally from East Timor, and
who are going to desert, are members of the KOPASSUS (Special Forces). They
are highly trained," said a source, as reported by a number of mass media
(14 Sept).
The source was not prepared to reveal where the 5000 soldiers who
will desert are at the moment. He only stated that they are already in East
Timor and are prepared to carry out geurilla warfare to defend their place
of birth against the threat of communists.
Department of Defence and Security/Indonesian Military Chief of
Information, Major General Sudrajat also indicated that there had been
desertions by Indonesian Military and Police troops. He went so far as to
allow East Timorese members of the TNI to stay in East Timor to fight. But,
said Sudrajat, East Timorese people must leave the TNI, because they cannot
formally use the name TNI.***
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