NGOs condemn state violence in East Timor<\/p>\n
KUTA, Bali (JP): The International NGO Forum on Indonesian
\nDevelopment (INFID) condemned on Wednesday the campaign of terror
\nand intimidation by military-backed militias following the
\nhistoric ballot on East Timor's future on Aug. 30.<\/p>\n
INFID said that the violence and killings in the former
\nPortuguese colony were a crime against humanity and called for
\nthe establishment of an international tribunal to try those found
\nresponsible.<\/p>\n
\"These crimes have been systematically planned and executed
\nand represent a breach of Indonesia's human rights obligations as
\na member of the UN,\" INFID said in a statement, a copy of which
\nwas made available to The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
INFID is a forum of around 60 Indonesian and 35 overseas
\nnongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and it is having a four-day
\nconference here. It is holding its annual congress, the first to
\nbe held in Indonesia since its inception in 1985.<\/p>\n
The forum said that it supported the call by UN High
\nCommissioner of Human Rights Mary Robinson for the establishment
\nof an international tribunal.<\/p>\n
\"Everyone found guilty of crimes against humanity in East
\nTimor, including senior officials, members of the militias, the
\nIndonesian Military and Police, and proindependence supporters,
\nmust be held accountable for their actions,\" INFID said.<\/p>\n
International community and human rights activists said that
\nhundreds of people had been killed in the violence and nearly
\n140,000 more had fled to the western half of Timor island for
\nfear of further unrest.<\/p>\n
Relief workers said that tens of thousands of others were
\nbelieved to be in hiding in the hills and mountainous areas
\ninside the territory and were on the brink of starvation.<\/p>\n
\"East Timor is on the brink of humanitarian calamity as a
\nresult of systematic terror, mass displacement of the population,
\nwidespread destruction of infrastructure and the forced closure
\nof local and international aid agencies in the territory,\" the
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
INFID said \"action must be taken immediately to secure
\nhumanitarian access to East and West Timor and cannot wait for
\nthe arrival of the multinational peacekeeping force\".<\/p>\n
It said that the disastrous famine in 1978, which accounted
\nfor most of the deaths in East Timor since 1975, followed the
\ndenial of access to international aid agencies.<\/p>\n
Responding to the UN's decision to authorize a 7,000-strong
\nmultinational force to restore order in East Timor, the forum
\nsaid: \"The deployment must be accompanied by a phased withdrawal
\nof Indonesian troops and the multinational force must have a
\nmandate to disarm and arrest militia members and Indonesian
\nsoldiers responsible for acts of violence.\"<\/p>\n
It said that \"cooperation with the Indonesian Army will be
\nnecessary but command of the multinational force must be under
\nthe UN, not the Indonesian Army\".<\/p>\n
INFID appealed to governments in the Southeast Asia region,
\nincluding Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the
\nPhilippines, to make temporary safe haven visas available,
\nespecially to \"politically vulnerable East Timorese who are being
\ntargeted by pro-Jakarta elements\". (50\/byg)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-condemn-state-violence-in-east-timor-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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