Judge us later pleads Alatas

JAKARTA - Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas yesterday asked the world to give Indonesia time before passing judgment on the imposition of martial law in violence-racked East Timor.

"Give us time now, see the results and judge us by the fact that we can now, under the rules and the arrangements of martial law, restore law and order in quick session," Alatas said.

He said martial law had enabled the Indonesian Army to start moving in the territory, which has been devastated by violence from pro-Jakarta militias in the past week.

"Now the Army is moving, and not the police. The Army is moving with a strong leader ... to move as they have to move," Alatas said.

"If it doesn't work, our President has said we are willing to sit down with the United Nations and talk about perhaps other measures," he added, without elaborating.

He said the military now had the authority to declare a curfew, stop people, disarm them on the street, shoot on sight if they violated curfew hours, arrest people for 20 days without warrants, and enter premises without search warrants.

"Right now I think it is only fair and reasonable and rational to allow this new situation to take root in East Timor," he added.

The Indonesian military has installed Major General Kiki Syahnakri as the new military commander of East Timor, heading up the Security Restoration Operation Command in Dili. A military press release highlighted his fluency in the local language, Tetun, and his 11 years' tour of duty in East Timor as well as a "commitment to upholding human rights."

Meanwhile, rumours that President Jusuf Habibie would step down were yesterday swarming through Jakarta. Cabinet ministers and presidential advisers have strenuously denied these reports.

Indonesian military chief General Wiranto brushed off allegations that the military had attempted to usurp Habibie.

"It's not true. There are so many rumours, of Habibie's resignation, of a coup d'etat. They're completely baseless," Wiranto casually told journalists while leaning across Habibie's official limousine. - ATIKA SHUBERT, AFP