NZ soldiers 'excessive', say Indonesians

The Army was yesterday accused of reacting excessively after a report claimed the body of an Indonesian soldier shot by Kiwi peacekeepers in East Timor was riddled with bullets.

The Jakarta Post said today that an autopsy of First Sergeant Lirman Hadimu revealed 15 bullets in his body and that there were "hundreds" scattered around his body.

The paper quoted Indonesian Army Lieutenant General Kiki Syahnakri as saying that the New Zealand soldiers reacted excessively.

General Syahnakri also questioned whether the first shot was fired by First Sergeant Hadimu, who was wearing civilian clothing and wandering several metres from the roughly defined border between United Nations-administered East Timor and Indonesian-ruled West Timor when he was shot on July 28.



The exchange occurred in scrubland about 4km southwest of Tilomar, near East Timor's southern coast.

New Zealand Army spokesman Captain Mark Richards said the soldier fired first and a UN Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) report had cleared the New Zealand soldiers.

The investigation found the New Zealanders had "acted within reasonable grounds" in firing on Hadimu, alleging he was armed and the New Zealand patrol believed he had "fired on them from over the border from West Timor".

The report by UNPKF investigators also said two rounds were missing from the magazine of a weapon found at the scene.

"Right at the start the Indonesians accepted responsibility for the incident and the outcome," Captain Richards said.

"Unless we see a body, unless we see a report that is verified by an independent body we don't know how many times we shot him."

He said reports from Indonesia that up to 30 New Zealanders shot at the soldier were incorrect as only one section - up to nine soldiers - was involved in the firefight.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff said this week that New Zealand had indicated its regret but remained confident the New Zealand troops had acted in accordance with the UN's rules of engagement.

He said there had been no indication the incident would upset our relationship with Indonesia's new Administration, led by Megawati Sukarnoputri.

- NZPA

Feature: Indonesia

CIA World Factbook: Indonesia (with map)

Dept. of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Antara news agency

Indonesian Observer

The Jakarta Post

UN Transitional Administration in E Timor

East Timor Action Network