The Hindu : International : Probe into East Timor murders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

International

International

Probe into East Timor murders

Jakarta: Indonesia and East Timor have agreed to set up a truth and friendship commission to address the issues of 1,500 murders and thousands of other human rights violations committed during the 1999 independence referendum in East Timor. Jakarta hopes the commission will encourage the U.N. to abandon its plan for a panel of experts to assess what the two countries have done to prosecute those involved in the atrocities. Only 20 persons in Indonesia have been prosecuted and not one member of the military, the police or the then civilian administration has had a conviction upheld for his or her individual role in the carnage. This is in spite of the murders, destruction and the forced relocation of 275,000 people throughout the months of 1999 during which Indonesia still controlled the former Portuguese colony it invaded in 1975. East Timor has indicted almost 400 persons. More than 90 have been tried, while most of the rest, including many serving and retired generals, are living comfortably in Indonesia, which has no intention of handing them over for prosecution. —

Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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