Militias control refugee camps in West Timor: Report<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Armed prointegration militias are in control of
\na number of refugee camps on the western half of Timor island and
\noperating under the eyes of the Indonesian Military, a national
\ncommission of inquiry on East Timor said in its preliminary
\nreport here on Monday.<\/p>\n
The commission, which visited refugee camps in East Nusa
\nTenggara last week, quoted witnesses as saying refugees were
\nbeing intimidated not to return to East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"Witnesses spoke of arbitrary detention, threats and terror
\nagainst the refugees, and said each militia member was in charge
\nof monitoring 10 to 15 refugees,\" commission member Asmara
\nNababan said at a media conference.<\/p>\n
The three-page report said one or two members of refugee
\nfamilies sometimes were held hostage by the militias to prevent
\nother family members from returning to East Timor.<\/p>\n
It also said armed militias searched refugee camps and local
\nchurches for proindependence supporters, including university
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
\"These militia operations were conducted openly. Security
\npersonnel were present but they let these things continue,\"
\ncommission member and leading rights activist Munir said.<\/p>\n
He said more than 20 militias were seen operating in East Nusa
\nTenggara.<\/p>\n
The report said the Aitarak, Red-and-White Iron and Do-or-Die
\nIntegration militias were present in Kupang, while the Sakunar
\nand Laksaur militias were present in Kefamenanu and Atambua,
\nrespectively.<\/p>\n
The report said at least two students were still missing
\nfollowing an ambush by the militias on a convoy of refugees in
\nKefamenanu regency in mid-October.<\/p>\n
It also said witnesses described the abduction and sexual
\nassault of East Timorese women in the refugee camps.<\/p>\n
\"We still cannot disclose how many people have allegedly been
\nsexually assaulted, but the commission managed to speak to one of
\nthe victims to verify the reports,\" Munir said.<\/p>\n
The commission report said that as of Oct. 29, some 220,000
\nEast Timorese refugees were seeking shelter at camps in Kupang,
\nKefamenanu and Atambua Belu regencies.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian workers said the presence of militias in the
\nrefugee camps hampered the repatriation of refugees to East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
The commission, which was established in early October, is
\nscheduled to complete its work by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
Violence erupted in East Timor following the announcement of
\nthe results of the Aug. 30 self-determination referendum, which
\nsaw an overwhelming majority vote against wide-ranging autonomy
\nunder Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people are feared to have been killed in the
\nviolence and some 250,000 East Timorese allegedly have been
\ndriven from their homes to East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Rights groups claim pro-Jakarta militias and elements of the
\nIndonesian Military were involved in the violence.<\/p>\n
The commission said earlier it would focus its investigation
\non alleged human rights abuses which took place in the wake of
\nthe historic ballot.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Asmara said commission member Albert Hasibuan had
\nreplaced National Commission on Human Rights chairman Marzuki
\nDarusman as the head of the commission of inquiry. Marzuki
\nrecently was appointed attorney general.<\/p>\n
Commission members said if the team found evidence of rights
\nabuses an ad hoc committee would be established to prosecute the
\nperpetrators in a national human rights tribunal.<\/p>\n
The commission concluded in its report that there had been
\nsystematic and organized human rights abuses -- in the form of
\nenforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and violence against
\nwomen -- by proindependence militias in East Nusa Tenggara. (byg)<\/p>",
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