Exchange of fire on April 21, 2005 near Maliana
On April 21, 2005 there was an exchange of fire between Indonesian soldiers and East Timorese police officers of the Unidade de Patrulhamento de Fronteira UPF ( German unit of the border patrol , English Border Police Unit BPU ), at the Tactical Coordination Line ( German tactical coordination line ) between the two countries, near Maliana .
background
East Timor, which was occupied by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999, was granted independence on May 20, 2002 after three years of interim administration by the United Nations . UN soldiers and -Polizisten the support the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNMISET) in 2005 were still in East Timor to the establishment and support of the security forces of the new country. The head of the mission was the Japanese Sukehiro Hasegawa .
At the time of East Timor's independence, most of the border with Indonesia was already regulated. Controversial remained only smaller areas, a territory of 37 hectares between the East Timorese Memo (Suco Tapo / memo , district Bobonaro ) and the Indonesian Dilumi ( district Lamaknen , Region of Belu ), close to the East Timorese district capital Maliana. The provisional border between the countries was marked by the Tactical Coordination Line TCL. Border protection on the East Timorese side is done by the UPF, not the military .
Incident and investigation
The incident occurred near the Junction Point Memo (JP memo). Apparently, Indonesian soldiers had pursued East Timorese smugglers who wanted to bring kerosene across the border. The UPF had observed this from its position. The military liaison group ( English Military Liaison Group MLG ) came to the conclusion that an East Timorese border policeman had fired a shot that hit the Indonesian Lt. Col. Tedy Setiawan in the leg.
According to the UPF, the Indonesian soldiers shot at the smugglers, with at least one Indonesian crossing the border river and advancing into East Timorese territory. The UPF responded with three warning shots. One of them probably met the Indonesian officer. One policeman also admitted that he shot in the Indonesian's direction. The UPF commander was convinced that the incident took place on the side of the river that belongs to East Timor.
The soldiers instead stated that they were suddenly shot at by unknown sources as they were chasing smugglers on the Indonesian side of the river. They then shot back for a long time. The local commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) denied that his soldiers had invaded East Timor. He assumed that his patrol was being fired on intentionally and called for the United Nations to provide clarification .
The investigation of the incident was carried out on the East Timorese side by the National Investigation Unit of the National Police (PNTL) and the United Nations Police Force (UNPOL). Photos were taken, cartridge cases collected and traces of blood secured on the East Timorese side. The bullets and sleeves found by UNPOL appeared to come from both sides. The traces indicated that at least part of the incident took place in East Timorese territory. But there was no ultimate certainty for this assumption. Hasegawa also immediately traveled to the scene of the incident to see for himself firsthand.
On Hasegawa's recommendation, the East Timorese rifleman was withdrawn from the border police in order to avoid tension. Reports from local East Timorese people that they had seen two Indonesian tanks along the border caused concern. The UPF reported two armored vehicles. The TNI denied this. There were no tanks or armored vehicles in the area. Reports on Indonesian TV stations with the message “Lt.Col. Teddy shot by Timorese police “generated nationalist reactions to the incident.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g Sukehiro Hasegawa: Routledge Revivals: Peacebuilding and National Ownership in Timor-Leste (2013) . limited preview in Google Book Search, April 21, 2005
- ↑ Vivanews, November 7, 2009, Indonesia - E Timor under Borderline Dispute ( Memento of February 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ International Crises Group: Managing Tensions on the Timor-Leste / Indonesia Borde , Asia Briefing N ° 50, May 4, 2006, p. 9, accessed on November 14, 2019.