Human rights body opens office in Dili

Human rights body opens office in Dili

JAKARTA (JP): The widely-acclaimed National Commission on
Human Rights opened yesterday its first branch office in Dili,
East Timor, as a way to help dispel internationally bad publicity
on the region's poor record of human rights.

Commission Secretary-General Baharuddin Lopa acknowledged that
the office was opened because of the many reports of rights
violations in the province it has received over past years. He
also admitted that the reports often became international issues
and strained Indonesia's foreign relations.

"Some of the reports were proven to be true while others were
baseless," Lopa said.

Lopa inducted Alex Refialy yesterday as the chief of the newly
established office.

Lopa said the Dili rights office will be expected to help
dispel reports of violations which are often blown out of
proportion. It is also expected to be a credible and trustworthy
source of information for both local and international
communities, he said.

According to East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares,
the province is often exposed as a trouble spot where human
rights abuses occur. "East Timor is an international issue, and
every incident that occurs here is often exploited," he said.

Alex Refialy is a retired prosecutor who served at various
provincial Prosecutor's Offices including Ambon, Denpasar and
East Timor over the past 30 years.

Besides Alex, two more personnel are expected to support the
office's function, Antara reported.

The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into
Indonesia in 1976; until now, however, the United Nations still
recognizes Lisbon as the administering power in the region.

Indonesia has often been the target of international criticism
for its human rights record in the province. Over the past
several years, rioting and a number of killings of anti-
integration protesters by Indonesian troops have taken place. The
commission, however, has been quick to investigate the incidents.

Samuel Alex Petruz, the deputy of the provincial legislative
council, said the new office is expected to bring a fresh breeze
to the local community.

"Now, the local community, regardless of background, can
directly express their grievances to the office instead of having
to go all the way to Jakarta," Samuel said.

Meanwhile, the position of the commission's chairperson
remains empty following the death of Ali Said last month.

Muladi, a member of the commission, told Antara that the
commission was preparing to elect a new chairperson in August.

President Soeharto appointed Said, a former attorney general
and justice minister, to head the then newly established 25-
member commission in December 1993. One of its members has since
died and has not yet been replaced.

The commission has been praised by observers for its critical
assessment on cases ranging from land disputes to human rights
violations by the military, despite initial skepticism from human
rights activists. (14)