Indonesia received the bodies of three peacekeepers killed in Lebanon, calling for UN security guarantees after three more soldiers were injured.
JAKARTA: Indonesia received the bodies of three peacekeepers on Saturday who were killed while on deployment in Lebanon.
President Prabowo Subianto attended a ceremony at the international airport where the flag-draped coffins arrived.
Foreign Minister Sugiono called for a thorough UN investigation into the incidents. “This is a peacekeeping mission. Incidents such as this should not happen,” he told reporters. “There must be a security guarantee for peacekeeping soldiers,” he added.
Peacekeeper Farizal Rhomadhon, 28, died when a projectile exploded on March 29 in southern Lebanon. A UN security source told AFP that fire from an Israeli tank was responsible for that attack.
Two more Indonesian peacekeepers died a day later after an explosion struck a UNIFIL logistics convoy. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said three more peacekeepers were wounded in another blast at a UN facility on Friday.
The UN Information Centre in Jakarta identified the injured soldiers as Indonesian. “Repeated attacks or incidents of this kind are unacceptable,” the Indonesian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The government urged the UN Security Council to convene a meeting to review measures to enhance personnel protection. The father of one fallen soldier expressed shock that peacekeepers were losing their lives.
“We were really sad and regretful, because this is a UN troop, a peacekeeping troop, not deployed for war,” Iskandarudin told reporters.
The military has promised financial support for the bereaved families, with all three men to be laid to rest on Sunday. After the latest attack, Armed Forces Commander General Agus Subiyanto ordered Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon to enter bunkers.
The Indonesian National Armed Forces will deploy more than 750 personnel to Lebanon next month as part of a scheduled UNIFIL troop rotation.
The Sun Malaysia
