Don Greenlees, Kupang – Even in a military known for disregarding civil rights, Korem 164 is a notorious unit. Its men will be remembered either for standing by and watching the rape of East Timor or joining in the final rampage of arson, lootings and murder.
But with East Timor's freedom, the Dili-based military command that oversaw two decades of political oppression is passing into history. With modest military fanfare at a barracks in Kupang yesterday, the regional commanders witnessed the disbanding of the so-called Wiradharma command, most of its men scattered among other army units. The last assignment of Korem commander Colonel Mohammad Noer Muis – under investigation by the Indonesian Attorney-General for his role in the carnage in East Timor – has been to work out what to do with nearly 6000 unhappy East Timorese soldiers and civilian employees.
It hasn't been an easy job. At a press conference announcing the end of the Korem, Colonel Noer Muis, an infantry officer who attended staff college in Australia, admitted the loss of East Timor had a big psychological impact on his troops. "I have already met them and told them there will be no misunderstandings in their new posts," he said.
According to Colonel Noer Muis, about 3000 soldiers and civilians, most close to retirement, have decided to resettle in East Nusa Tenggara province, which includes West Timor. Others are being sent elsewhere in the country.
About 780 Korem members stayed in East Timor during the Indonesian military withdrawal last September, and 390 chose to return later. "There's no prohibition on those who want to go back," Colonel Noer Muis said. "They go back of their own accord. We cannot limit human rights."
One of those who did go back was Sergeant Hermenegildo dos Santos. He was a member of battalion 745, which was staffed with a considerable number of East Timorese.
He says his battalion commander, Yacob Sarosa, told the troops: "Destroy everything" on the way out. In an interview with the US Christian Science Monitor, he remembers Colonel Noer Muis saying they did not even have to tell their wives what they did.
A recent investigation by the Monitor reported witness testimony that battalion 745 killed more than 20 people as it drove from its base in Los Palos, in the eastern part of the territory, down to the western border. Dutch journalist Sander Theones was one of the victims.
Along with the dissolution of the Korem command, the armed forces yesterday formally scrapped battalion 745. According to Australian military analyst Bob Lowry, the Indonesian military were always wary of their East Timorese recruits. "The Indonesians never trusted the East Timorese so there were only about 25 per cent of them in the battalions and of course most of the officers were non-Timorese," he said.
But one battalion from the old Korem that will survive is 744, which also contained a large number of East Timorese soldiers. Colonel Noer Muis says 1393 East Timorese will remain on duty in East Nusa Tenggara. The 744 battalion's new mission raises questions about how serious the military is in maintaining the peace with East Timor. "They will have to secure the border," Colonel Noer Muis said.