Indonesian military authorities have said they have discovered evidence of a new movement aiming to achieve independence for the whole of Timor island, according to an article in an Indonesian newspaper.

The "State of Timor" movement has begun gathering support in some parts of Indonesian West Timor in recent months, leading some military commanders to concede that the group's supporters favor the unification of the Indonesian half of the island with East Timor, according to the report.

The military commander of the Indonesian region of Wirasakti, Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, is cited by the Jakarta Post as saying that the group has recently opposed the stationing of an Indonesian army battalion on the border with East Timor.

"Investigations carried out reveal that this group has other ambitions, not simply rejecting the military presence along the frontier. This group knows that the deployment of the battalion will result in a curtailment of its activities ... which aim to achieve an autonomous state of Timor", Col. Moesanip told the Jakarta Post.

The members of the group have still not been identified by Indonesian authorities, but the Colonel said it was believed they included some East Timorese, still in West Timor, and some residents of the northern half of Indonesian Timor.

The group could talk about a state of Timor but it would not become a reality. If it was declared, the rebels would build their own camps and then have to confront the Indonesian military, Col. Moesanip added.