Wiranto quits after Timor grilling

Wiranto faces more questions

Former Indonesian army chief General Wiranto is resigning from the cabinet after being questioned over last year's military backed violence in East Timor.

He announced he was giving up his post as senior security minister following a grilling lasting several hours by state prosecutors.

General Wiranto was military chief when pro-Jakarta militias went on the rampage in East Timor last September after the territory voted for independence.

Militiamen were behind the violence

He has been partly blamed for the rioting which left hundreds dead and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes.

Following his interrogation, the general told reporters he was quitting "in order not to affect the synergy of the [cabinet]".

He added that he would meet President Abdurrahman Wahid shortly to inform him of his resignation.

He had been suspended from his cabinet position by President Wahid in Feburary.

Defence

The pro-Jakarta militia were backed by elements of the Indonesian military in their campaign of terror following the East Timor vote.

Multinational troops were sent in to stop the violence

But General Wiranto defended his record in the territory, suggesting that the United Nations bore some of the blame for the violence.

"Riots broke out not because of the ballot which we successfully guarded. But it was triggered by disappointment among the pro-Jakarta people over the results of the ballot which they thought had been run unfairly by the Unamet," he said.

Unamet was the UN body in charge of the 30 August independence vote.

"It [the mayhem] was beyond our anticipation," General Wiranto said.

"I am disappointed about what happened with military personnel who violated their duties, but in the end nothing is perfect," he added.

Responsibility

In the past week, several generals and military officers have been questioned by the attorney-general's office over the East Timor bloodshed.

General Wiranto said that after months of preparing his defence he was relieved to be able to give his account of events.

Earlier this year a government human rights investigation and a UN inquiry found that he, as military commander, bore ultimate responsibility for atrocities committed by Indonesian forces and their militia allies.

But they did not uncover evidence that he was personally involved in organising the violence.

The general is due to be questioned again next week.