No more safe haven for Wiranto<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The failure of Indonesia's rights tribunal to bow to
\ninternational demands for the prosecution of the alleged
\nperpetrators of human rights abuses in East Timor prompted the
\nindictment of several high-ranking officers, including former
\nmilitary chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto.<\/p>\n
Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law expert from the
\nUniversity of Indonesia, said the indictment of the seven
\nofficers and the former governor of East Timor meant that should
\nthey travel outside of Indonesia they faced the possibility of
\narrest and extradition to East Timor.<\/p>\n
Wiranto and the other seven men could be arrested by Interpol
\nif they travel overseas. They would then face extradition to East
\nTimor if the country where they were arrested had an extradition
\nagreement with the former Indonesian territory.<\/p>\n
Munir, a cofounder of the National Commission for Missing
\nPerson and Victims of Violence, said East Timor's indictment of
\nthe eight men was the result of the dissatisfaction with
\nIndonesia's failure to bring to justice all those responsible for
\ncrimes against humanity before and after the August 1999 UN-
\nsponsored referendum in East Timor.<\/p>\n
He said the ad hoc rights tribunal set up by Indonesia to try
\nthose accused of abuses in East Timor should have handed down
\nprison terms of at least 10 years for the perpetrators, as
\nmandated by Law No. 26\/2000 on ad hoc human rights tribunals.<\/p>\n
In Kuala Lumpur, President Megawati Soekarnoputri said
\nIndonesia was not obliged to send Wiranto to East Timor because
\nthe countries did not have an extradition treaty.<\/p>\n
"We have to be very careful in responding to such demands. So
\nfar the government has yet to receive any official request from
\nthem (East Timor)," the President said on Wednesday during a
\npress conference in Malaysia, where she was attending the
\nrecently concluded Non-Aligned Movement summit.<\/p>\n
"We also have to see whether such a request is legally
\npossible as we do not have any arrangements to send our citizens
\nto stand trial there (in East Timor)," the President said.<\/p>\n
Megawati said she met with East Timor's President Xanana
\nGusmao on the sidelines of the summit and "he did not mention
\nanything about any request to arrest Indonesian officials. We
\nonly discussed how we could improve our relations as neighbors".<\/p>\n
East Timor indicted on Tuesday former Indonesian Military
\nchief Wiranto, along with several other high-ranking military
\nofficers and the ex-governor of East Timor.<\/p>\n
Those indicted besides Wiranto were Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar
\nMakarim, Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, Maj. Gen. Adam Rachmat Damiri,
\nCol. Suhartono Suratman, Col. Mohammad Noer Muis, Lt. Col. Yayat
\nSudrajat and former governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares.<\/p>\n
Several of those indicted are among the 18 military and police
\nofficers who have faced trial in Jakarta for their alleged
\ninvolvement in the violence.<\/p>\n
But both Hikmahanto and Munir said the indictment did not
\nviolate the principle of nebis en idem, or double jeopardy,
\nshould "East Timor consider the ongoing trials in Jakarta to be
\nunwilling and unable to bring these perpetrators to justice".<\/p>\n
Late on Wednesday, Wiranto held a press conference to
\npronounce his innocence and say he did everything in his power to
\nprevent the violence in East Timor before, during and after the
\n1999 ballot by promoting reconciliation between pro-Jakarta and
\nproindependence groups.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-more-safe-haven-for-wiranto-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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