Foreign country plotted to free E. Timor: Witness

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A witness testifying on behalf of the defendants in the 1999 East Timor atrocities case said on Wednesday that a book prepared by Australian intelligence showed a well-planned plot to lead the territory to independence.

Ass. Sr. Comr. Imam Jauhari, who was a National Police liaison officer with the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), said he had come into possession of the book, titled the East Timor Handbook, which was issued by Australian intelligence.

The white-covered book, which detailed the capabilities of both the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police in East Timor, was issued sometime in 1998, when Gen. (ret) Dibyo Widodo was still police chief, and Gen. (ret) Wiranto was still the Armed Forces chief of staff.

"This book proves that preparations had been long in the making to free East Timor from Indonesia," he said.

The panel of judges, however, refused to accept the book as evidence, arguing that it should first be submitted to the prosecution.

Wednesday's session was to hear evidence regarding the actions of military and civilian authorities in Covalima regency, who are charged with failing to prevent or stop the armed pro-Jakarta camp from attacking proindependence civilians taking refuge in St. Ave Maria Church in Suai town on Sept. 6.

At least 27 people were killed in the bloodthirsty attack, including three priests.

Meanwhile, Dodi Hariadi, an expert on group psychology from the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University, told the court on Wednesday that the incident could be categorized as an unpremeditated mass action that could not be stopped until such time as the perpetrators had reduced their targets to helplessness.