LtCol (Inf) Sulastiyo
District military commander of Manatuto (Dandim 1631)
During Sulastiyo's tenure, the north central coast district of Manatuto was the site of several clashes between the Indonesian military and pro-independence elements as well as militia activity.
Thousands of local East Timorese attacked the Manatuto military headquarters in June 1998 to protest against the shooting death of a civilian by a soldier.
In April 1999 a 'Rajawali Team' under his command joined troops from Dili as well as Aitarak and Mahidi militias and reportedly launched an operation against Falintil and pro-independence civilians in the villages of Tasivatil and Bikastula, Manatuto district (probably near Laclubar). An unconfirmed report said that the troops attacked civilian houses and killed two people, injuring five others.
The two main militias in Manatuto were Mahadomi, led by Vidal Doutel Sarmento, and the long-standing but rather small militia Morok, led by Thomas de Aquino Kalla, a local civil servant. Morok was part of the regular military structure. Its previous commander Filimeno Lopez da Cruz, brother of Francisco Lopez da Cruz the Indonesian roving ambassador for East Timor, was killed by Falintil in mid-April 1999. The two militias were fused at a ceremony on 18 May 1999. They were then trained by the deputy commander of Combat Sector B, LtCol Nus Rahasia.
In 1999, Sulastiyo’s chief of staff (kasdim) was Capt (Inf) Suparman, while his intelligence chief (pasi intel) was Capt (Inf) Doel H.
Sulastiyo was born in about 1959 and graduated from the military academy in Magelang in 1982. He was appointed district military commander of Manatuto in November 1997 and replaced in July 1999 by LtCol Lexi Herson Pontoh.
'TNI kembali datangkan pasukan', Solid-Net, Solidaritas untuk Penyelesaian Damai Timor Leste (Solidarmor) Jakarta, 27 April 1999. Sulastiyo's name appears on one list of officers who should be investigated for atrocities committed in East Timor ('Komisi HAM PBB daftar nama jenderal Indonesia', TNI Watch! posted to SiaR News Service, 29 September 1999).
