LAKSAMANA.Net, January 19, 2005 11:32 AM
Guterres Denies Forming Militia in Aceh
Laksamana.Net - Eurico Guterres, the notorious former leader of pro-Indonesia militias
in East Timor, has denied a report that he visited Aceh to establish a paramilitary
group to fight the province's separatist rebels.
"I have never been to Aceh. I would be happy to go to Aceh to help the rehabilitation
effort, but not to fight. But that would require organization which is beyond my
resources," he was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday
(19/1/05).
Guterres, who is close to influential senior Indonesian generals, is the former leader of
the feared Aitarak (Thorn) militia group, which unleashed carnage in East Timor in the
period surrounding the territory's 1999 vote to secede from Indonesia.
Indonesia's special human rights court in November 2002 convicted Guterres of
crimes against humanity and sentenced him to 10 years in jail. Jakarta High Court in
July 2004 reduced his sentence to five years. He still remains free pending a lengthy
appeal process.
Human rights groups in 2003 accused Guterres of going to remote Papua province to
establish the 'Merah Putih' (Red & White) pro-Indonesia militia group to oppose the
separatist Free Papua Organization.
The London-based Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday that associates of Guterres said
he visited Aceh last week and that 900 members of his Army-backed militia had
assembled in the province.
But Guterres told the Herald from Jakarta he was confined to the capital while
continuing his appeal against his jail sentence.
The Telegraph said the militia had "vowed to defend the province" from the separatist
Free Aceh Movement (GAM). "The militia's appearance raises fears that the military is
using it to sabotage a proposed ceasefire and intimidate Acehnese civilians," said the
daily.
The report quoted Eddy Juliansyah, an Acehnese who allegedly runs the militia's
Aceh headquarters, as saying the group had already assembled 900 members to
defend "Indonesian unity".
Juliansyah claimed the militiamen were in Aceh to give assistance to the refugees
and to help remove corpses.
But the Telegraph said there was "little evidence" the militia was conducting relief
work. It said the group was not reporting to a local military commander, but instead
reported to Major General Adam Damiri, the former chief of Indonesian forces in East
Timor.
Damiri was convicted in August 2003 convicted of crimes against humanity and
sentenced to three years in jail. He remained free pending appeal and his conviction
was overturned by Jakarta High Court in July 2004. Over recent years he has been
posted in Aceh, reportedly leading offensives against GAM. Rights groups have for
years demanded he removed from Aceh.
The Indonesian military denied any knowledge of Guterres or his former militiamen
traveling to Aceh. "Many volunteers have come to Banda Aceh from all over Indonesia,
but to help in the tsunami tragedy. We do not know of any militia units," military
spokesman Colonel Ahmad Yani Basuki was quoted as saying by the Herald.
He declined to confirm whether Damiri was still in Aceh, but merely said "many retired
generals" had come to help.
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