Indonesian warships surprise East Timor

The Indonesian military says Megawati's military entourage is routine for a presidential visit

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's visit on Sunday to former territory, East Timor, will be secured by six warships and 2,000 military personnel.

On Friday, one warship had already docked at the capital Dili, according to Reuters news agency, surprising hundreds of East Timorese.

The Indonesian military said the mobilisation of such a large force was "nothing out of the ordinary" and was routine in securing a presidential visit.

"The force which will be deployed will be around 2,000 personnel drawn from the army, navy and airforce. There will also be six warships," military spokesman Major-General Sjafrie Sjamsuddin told a news conference.

Sjamsuddin said the warships had obtained permission to enter the waters of its former territory from the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Not all the ships and personnel will enter into East Timor, however.

IN-DEPTH East Timor: Birth of a Nation    WEB MOVIE Flash intro: Birth of a Nation    RESOURCES Photo gallery: Voices of Timor  Photo gallery: Countdown to nationhood    PROFILES • Xanana Gusmao  • Jose Ramos-Horta  • Bishop Belo    CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Atika Shubert reports on how observers are rating the performance of the United Nations as it prepares to hand over administrative duties to a newly independent East Timor. Play video • East Timor video archive    EAST TIMOR • Timeline: Road to nationhood  • Country profile

"Most of them will be stationed at the border," said Sjamsuddin, adding that only some 100 presidential guards will enter the new nation.

Indonesian armed forces chief Admiral Widodo will monitor the situation from a warship at base camp.

Sjamsuddin said Megawati wasn't concerned about her security.

"Ibu Megawati is very confident of going there."

Opposition

Megawati's visit to East Timor to witness the territory's birth as a new nation was opposed by retired generals, war veterans, and senior politicians within her ruling coalition who were bitter over losing the province in 1999 in a U.N.-sponsored ballot.

The victory by the independence movement unleased violence by pro-integration militias, backed by elements of the military, who rampaged through the territory in an orgy of killings and arson leaving more than 1,000 dead.

On Friday, some 150 widows and war veterans who participated in the 1975 campaign to invade East Timor, with the tacit approval from the United States and Australia, demonstrated in front of the presidential palace, urging Megawati to cancel her trip to East Timor.

The government said Megawati's trip was aimed at strengthening bi-lateral ties between the two nations.

It also said it was a reflection of Indonesia's commitment to facing the reality that East Timor will become a sovereign state.

Sjamsuddin said the military supported Megawati's visit to East Timor.

"The armed forces' is the stance of the country. There is no difference in opinion between the armed forces and that of the country," he said.

Megawati will only spend four hours in East Timor. During that time, she will lay a wreath at the Indonesian Military Cemetery.