(1 Feb 2000) English/Nat
Indonesia's powerful security minister General Wiranto has dismissed calls for his resignation following the publication of a report blamed him and other top officers for last year's campaign of violence in East Timor.
General Wiranto condemned the findings of the state-appointed human rights commission as inaccurate and one-sided, and vowed to fight on to clear his name.
Lawyers for Wiranto and 32 other officers implicated in the violence denounced the report as a political attack rather than the findings of a proper legal investigation.
News of General Wiranto apparent fall from grace hit the front page of every newspaper in Indonesia on Tuesday morning.
The powerful security minister had chosen to lie low on Monday when the state-appointed human rights commission handed over its report accusing him of complicity in last year's violence in East Timor.
But as he emerged on Tuesday to face the media, Wiranto made it clear he doesn't intend to go down without a fight.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"There are a few things I do not like, that I do not agree with. Number one, KPP Ham (the human rights commission) has accused me and other individuals, TNI, publicly. They should have only gathered information, analysed that information and decided if human rights (were) violated. Secondly, all the information from the military and other witnesses. KPP Ham has not paid attention and thirdly, all that I did so that East Timor could hold the ballot was not mentioned."
SUPER CAPTION: General Wiranto, Minister for Political Affairs and Security and former army chief
Wiranto commanded the armed forces during a rampage by Indonesian troops and their militia allies following East Timor's overwhelming vote for independence from Indonesia.
He now holds the post of political affairs and security minister in President Wahid's reformist cabinet.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland after the release of the report, Wahid said he would now ask Wiranto to resign his post.
But Wiranto dismissed the calls for his to step down, saying he would defend himself to Wahid on the president's return.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We support the balloting carried out successfully and also we declared martial law to prevent human rights abuses continuing in East Timor after UNAMET announced the result of the ballot. KPP Ham doesn't care about this positive activity at all. This positive activity I did in the past. They don't care about that. I'm very sorry. Because of this thing I will continue to fight for the truth."
SUPER CAPTION: General Wiranto, Minister for Political Affairs and Security and former army chief
At a new conference later in the day, the heavyweight legal team assembled for the army officers' defense denounced the commission's decision to go public with their findings.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We have no alternative other than to reject and strongly protest the announcement of the result of the investigation."
SUPER CAPTION: Adnan Buyung Nasution, head of army officers' legal defense team
Adnan Buyung Nasution, the head of the legal team, argued that the human rights report could not be used as the basis for a legal investigation by the attorney general's office.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The whole recommendation is baseless and cannot be used as a primary evidence to go further with the investigation because any investigation into any suspect should be based on law, not by assumption."
SUPER CAPTION: Adnan Buyung Nasution, head of army officers' legal defense team
SOUNDBITE: (English)
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