Skepticism greets UN mission<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Observers cast doubt on Tuesday over the ability of the UN-
\nsanctioned Commission of Experts (COE) to bring the perpetrators
\nof the 1999 atrocities in East Timor to justice.<\/p>\n
They said the UN mission could instead actually disrupt the
\nefforts by a reconciliation commission jointly established by
\nIndonesia and East Timor to heal past wounds.<\/p>\n
Agung Yudhawiranata of the Institute for Policy Research and
\nAdvocacy (Elsam) said the UN and the international community had
\nbeen facing what he termed \"technical and psychological\"
\ndifficulties in pushing the COE to work optimally as they lacked
\npolitical support from both Indonesia and East Timor, which have
\nset up the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) to promote
\nreconciliation between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"The COE's credibility has been at stake as it is not fully
\nbacked up by Indonesia and East Timor. And its position has
\nbecome more difficult since the Special Panel for Serious Crimes
\nin East Timor and the Indonesian rights tribunal failed to bring
\nthe perpetrators of the 1999 mayhem to justice,\" he said.<\/p>\n
COE members Justice Prafullachandra Natwaral Bhagwati from
\nIndia, Prof. Yozo Yokota from Japan and Dr. Shaista Shameen from
\nFiji are scheduled to start their three-day mission on Wednesday
\nto evaluate the judicial process against members of the
\nIndonesian military and officials charged with involvement in the
\n1999 violence in East Timor.<\/p>\n
During their visit here, they are slated to meet with the ad
\nhoc rights tribunal's prosecutors and judges to obtain documents
\non the human rights cases.<\/p>\n
Johnson Panjaitan, a member of the team of lawyers
\nrepresenting human rights victims in East Timor, said he and many
\nother lawyers and activists were not only skeptical about the UN
\nmission, but also afraid of the consequences of being outspoken
\nin calling for the trial of the Army generals believed to have
\nbeen responsible for the crimes against humanity in East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"It looks unlikely that the UN experts will recommend another ad
\nhoc tribunal or call on the International Court of Justice to try
\nthe human rights perpetrators because besides all this being costly, the
\nexperts will find it difficult to work independently and
\nobjectively simply because they lack support from Indonesia and
\nEast Timor,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Johnson said his team had long doubted Indonesia's willingness
\nand ability to carry out a thorough investigation into the gross
\nhuman rights abuses.<\/p>\n
\"We were skeptical ever since General Wiranto, who should have
\nbeen held responsible for the rights violations, became involved
\nin the presidential election last year, while many other generals
\nand officers were acquitted of all charges, and even got
\npromoted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He also expressed disappointment with East Timorese President
\nXanana Gusmao, who he once represented when on trial here, as
\nwell as former Indonesian presidents Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid
\nand Megawati Soekarnoputri for their failures to press for fair
\nand objective trials.<\/p>\n
According to Johnson, the most important thing at present was
\nto encourage the victims of the atrocities to seek justice.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto Anggoro, a military analyst with the Centre for
\nStrategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the ad hoc
\ntribunal has failed to force the Indonesian Military (TNI) to
\npush through its much touted internal reform.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, the reform process within the TNI has stagnated and
\nit has retained its colonial style. This means there will be no
\nchanges as regards its stance on human rights violations, as
\nshown by the way it treats Aceh and Papua,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/skepticism-greets-un-mission-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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