Eurico included in list of East Timor violence suspects

JAKARTA (JP): Four more people, including notorious militia leader Eurico Guterres, joined on Monday the list of 19 suspects responsible for last year's violence in East Timor.

Leader of the investigation team, Deputy Attorney General for General Crimes M. Rachman, told a news conference that the other three were an army lieutenant colonel and two militia members.

Rachman, who is facing an Oct. 17 deadline for completion of the investigation, said the other three were Vasco da Cruz, leader of Mahidi militia group, Motornus of Laksaur militia group and Lt. Col. Endar Priyatno, former military commander of the East Timor capital of Dili.

"These four names came out when we were questioning the first 19 suspects in the earlier investigation," Rachman said referring to the first list of suspects which was made public exactly one month before Monday's announcement.

Several high-ranking military officers were on the original list of suspects including former Udayana Military commander Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, former East Timor military commander Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman and former East Timor police chief Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen.

All suspects, except Vasco da Cruz, Motornus and Endar, had been named in an earlier report by a National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) team that implicated 33 military and civilian officers, including former military chief Gen. Wiranto.

Rachman said Eurico was named suspect for his alleged involvement in an attack on proindependence leader Manuel Carrascalao's house in Dili in April last year that killed at least 12 East Timorese.

He added that Endar was also named suspect as he failed or did not do enough to prevent the attack on Manuel's house from taking place.

Meanwhile, Vasco da Cruz and Motornus were named suspects for their alleged involvement in a massacre in a church in the East Timorese town of Suai in September 1999 where at least 26 people died.

Rachman said there was still a possibility of naming more suspects in the violence.

However, Rachman dismissed suggestions that the decision to name Eurico as suspect was made in connection with President Abdurrahman Wahid's statement last week that he had asked the police to issue a warrant to arrest Eurico.

"The decision to name Eurico suspect is only based on the previous investigation," Rachman said adding that Eurico was scheduled to be questioned on Friday.

He added that pending the completion of the deliberation of the bill on a human rights by the House of Representatives, the investigation would be based on the 1999 government regulation in lieu of a law on human rights.

Earlier in the day, Eurico maintained that he was innocent and that what he did in East Timor last year was "to defend Indonesia's honor".

"I haven't done anything wrong," Eurico told journalists.

Separately National Police Chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro said on Monday that police needed a warrant from the Attorney General's Office to arrest Eurico.

He said the police were ready to carry out the President's instruction, "but we have yet to get the warrant."

In Yogyakarta, political observer Bambang Cipto said the President's statement was overdue and that it was aimed at giving the impression that Jakarta was in control of the situation in West Timor.

"We would not have been in such a difficult position if stern measures had been taken a long time ago," Bambang, who is a lecturer at the Muhammadiyah University, said.

Indonesia has been under mounting international pressure to disarm the militias in West Timor following the killings of three UN relief workers in the border town of Atambua on Sept. 6.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday that the weapons collected from week-long massive operations to disarm the militias in West Timor included 63 military-issue weapons, 1,113 homemade weapons, 40 hand grenades and 3,840 rounds of ammunition. (team)