Paying for the Militias

After the killings of three UN workers in West Timor’s Atambua town, Indonesia is now facing a serious threat of international economic sanctions. But disarming the militias alone may not solve the problem.

September 25, 2000

Major General Kiki Syahnakri looks very tired. As regional military commander for Bali and islands all the way to West Timor, he has a tough job. He is supposed to ensure that the pro-Indonesia militias in West Timor are disarmed, even though they were previously trained and armed by the Indonesian armed forces themselves.

"I will not hesitate to resign if I fail to disarm them," he said.

Kiki may lose his job if he fails, but then the wh

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