Military admits rights abuses in E. Timor: UN<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations' investigator on violence
\nagainst women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, said here on Thursday that
\nthe military admitted past human rights abuses in the troubled
\nprovince of East Timor.<\/p>\n
Radhika, who was scheduled to leave on Friday after completing
\na 10-day trip here, including a three-day visit to East Timor,
\nsaid that the military however has made commitments to the
\npromotion and protection of human rights in the province.<\/p>\n
"They do accept that there were past human rights abuses,
\nincluding reports on violence against women," Coomaraswamy told
\nreporters on the sidelines of a human rights seminar.<\/p>\n
Coomaraswamy, a Sri Lankan jurist who serves as UN special
\nrapporteur on violence against women, said that she had met with
\nvictims, the local military commander and other officials in East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
She said that Wiradarma Military Chief Col. Tono Suratman had
\nagreed to three things that he would bring to the Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) headquarters here for approval.<\/p>\n
"He is ready to consider compensation for women victims of
\nviolence and for children of the soldiers ... secondly he said
\nthat he would make a public declaration that the army will not
\ntolerate violence against women and he will punish the
\nperpetrators ... and he will try to bring in programs for widows
\nwho lose their husbands in the conflict," she said referring to
\nprograms for widows in Aceh.<\/p>\n
"So in that sense we feel that there is a positive response to
\nour initiative but I do not know whether they will follow through
\nwith those commitments," Coomaraswamy said.<\/p>\n
The United Nations is currently brokering peace talks on East
\nTimor's future with Indonesia and its former colonial ruler
\nPortugal.<\/p>\n
Changes in the military's attitude toward the troubled
\nprovinces have been made since the resignation of longtime ruler
\nSoeharto. His successor, President B.J. Habibie, has promised
\ngreater political freedom and respect for human rights.<\/p>\n
"I am really encouraged by how vibrant civil society is in
\nIndonesia at the moment though I know that there is a darker side
\nto this," she said, referring to death threats faced by a number
\nof human rights activists here.<\/p>\n
Coomaraswamy said that she came to Indonesia because the UN
\nhas received "a lot of evidence and petitions about the problem
\nof violence against women in the May riots, Aceh, Irian Jaya and
\nEast Timor".<\/p>\n
The joint fact-finding team said last month that at least 52
\nwomen, mostly Chinese Indonesians, were raped in the riots which
\nkilled about 1,200 people, many of whom were looters trapped in
\nburning buildings. "It has been a very successful visit in terms
\nof access and so we hope the (UN) report will come out some time
\nin March ... we hope it will help Indonesia to some extent,"
\nCoomaraswamy said.<\/p>\n
Coomaraswamy said that she had also met with a number of
\nvictims of the May riots, government officials and non-
\ngovernmental organizations in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Coomaraswamy also met with First Lady Hasri Ainun Habibie
\nearlier on Thursday. Hasri is an advisor to the National
\nCommission on Violence Against Women. (byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-admits-rights-abuses-in-e-timor-un-1447893297",
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