By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Oct 9 (ANTARA) - The involvement of an Indonesian retired military officer in an arms smuggling conspiracy in the United States has raised concern as the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) might be accused of having a link with the retired serviceman.
Amidst reports about the involvement of four Indonesians in the arms conspiracy, the TNI leaders stepped forward quickly to explain that the TNI had no link whatsoever with the retired admiral who was arrested early this month for allegedly conspiring to sell arms and equipment to Sri Lanka rebels and Indonesian customers.
TNI spokesman Rear Admiral M. Sunarto Sjoekronoputro said that Erick Wotulo, 60, who was arrested in the U.S. territory of Guam, along with another Indonesian and two foreigners, had acted on his own.
The Defense Ministry also denied any link saying that Erick Wotulo was not its partner for weaponry purchases.
"He is a retired officer and we have no link with him, with regard to arms purchases for TNI's weaponry system," Director General of Defense Facilities of the Defense Ministry, Rear Marshal Slamet Prihantino said.
In the meantime, Vice President Jusuf Kalla also expressed the same view saying that the case of arms smuggling in the US involving four Indonesians, including retired brigadier general Erick Wotulo was the responsiblity of the persons concerned.
"The government cannot control everyone. So (Erick's case) is his personal responsibility," the vice president said.
Four Indonesian citizens being held in Guam on charges of selling illegal arms to Tamil Tiger fighters in Sri Lanka, will this week be transferred to Baltimore in the US State of Maryland, for further trials.
"The four detainees have agreed to undergo court proceedings in Baltimore because they bought the arms there," Cicilia Rusdiharini, Indonesian consular official in Los Angeles said on Friday.
The four Indonesians were Erick Wotulo (60), Subandi (60), Reinhard Rusli (34) and Helmi Soedirdja, along with Haniffa bin Osman (55) from Singapore and Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa (36) of Sri Lanka. They were now detained for the alleged conspiracy.
According to the Washington Post, the suspects are accused of arranging, during negotiations that accelerated in April, for a $900,000 shipment of arms to be delivered at international waters in the Indian Ocean.
The shipment was to be received by members of the violent separatist group, which the United States has designated as an terrorist organization since 1997.
Mark J. Bastan, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Baltimore office, said at a news conference that the shoulder-fired missiles, grenade launchers, machine guns and other weapons amounted to "an arsenal of U.S. military hardware -- enough to inflict serious casualties on any military force, let alone a civilian population."
The indictment unsealed accuses Indonesian nationals Erick Wotulo and Haji Subandi of conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization, conspiring to export arms without a required State Department license, and money laundering.
A related criminal complaint filed in Guam charges Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa, 36, a citizen of Sri Lanka, of participating in the alleged conspiracy to export arms.
Subandi is also charged in a separate complaint, along with two other Indonesian nationals, with conspiring to ship state-of the-art night vision goggles to Indonesia without the necessary State Department approvals.
Authorities said Subandi described the other defendants -- Reinhard Rusli, 34, and Helmi Soedirdja, 33 -- as his financial partners in the transactions.
The six persons, arrested in Guam, were believed to be brokers acting between an arms factory and the Tamil Tigers, a group so far considered a terrorist group by the US government.
They were captured in an undercover operation involving officers pretending to be arms brokers. If they were found guilty of conspiracy in the export of weapons, ammunition and support equipment to terrorists they could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison and fined up to US$500,000.
Haniffa bin Osman, Erick Wotulo, Haji Subandi and Thirunavukarasu were believed to have engaged in a conspiracy in the shipment of latest light firearms and military equipment to the Tamil Tigers.
Several times in May, Subandi sent various combat equipment such as special force weapons, helicopter parts, sonar technology equipment to undercover customs and immigration officers.
He also sent a list of 53 military weapons including machine and sniper's guns needed by Tamil Tigers, a US justice department says.
TNI Chief Marshal Djoko Suyanto said that Erick, who began his military carrier as a marine amphibious reconnaissance tank company commandant, was not a TNI partner for arms purchases. "What is clear is that he is not a TNI partner. But we will investigate the case," he added.
But the ministry of defense would not recheck the existence of the man who was born in North Sulawesi 59 years ago, because he was not listed as its partner for weaponry purchases.
"We fully leave the case to the U.S. government because it was the US government who arrested him and will investigate him further. What is clear is that we will not conduct a recheck because Erick was never registered as a partner," he said.
Slamet Prihantino said that the ministry of defense had so far purchased arms for the development of TNI's weaponry system through an export credit while the small scale procurement of arms for strength development had been carried out directly by the TNI headquarters.
According to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the country's population now reached around 220 million so that it was impossible for the government to control each person.
He said however that the Indonesian consulate general in Los Angeles had been asked to provide Erick with legal or other necessary aid. (T.A014/A/HNG/M016) (T.A014/A/A014/M016) 08-10-2006 22:01:12
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar