Bugis man gets 11 years for E. Timorese murder

Bugis man gets 11 years for E. Timorese murder

DILI, East Timor (JP): The district court sentenced a South Sulawesi man to 11 years in prison yesterday for murdering a fellow East Timorese trader late last year.

The council of judges found Muhamad Sakir, 21, guilty of killing Mario Vicente, 20, at the Bekora market here on Nov. 12, 1994, after a minor feud.

The murder occurred on the eve of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Jakarta and sparked days of politicized, ethnic rioting in the former Portuguese colony.

Sakir's lawyer, Ponco Atmono, said he needed one week to decide if he would appeal.

Earlier, prosecutor T.H. Panggabean demanded that the Bugis migrant be sentenced to 14 years behind bars.

The panel of judges led by Agustinus Loto Runggu said that Sakir was guilty of assault, which caused the death of Mario.

Runggu said Sakir chopped Mario to death with a machete after the victim smashed Sakir's bird cage. A long argument ensued, in which Mario called Sakir names in a local dialect incomprehensible to the Bugis migrant.

In deciding the verdict, the judges also considered the fact that Sakir's act had triggered social tensions, which resulted in days of rioting.

Sakir's honesty and straightforwardness during the trials were looked upon favorably by the judges, who handed down a sentence lighter than what the prosecution had demanded, Runggu said. (yac/pan)