Marzuki urges probe into E. Timor rights violations
JAKARTA (JP): A thorough investigation into human rights abuses and the lifting of the cloud of public fear are prerequisites to a comprehensive solution in East Timor, leading rights campaigner Marzuki Darusman said yesterday.
The deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights told a seminar that any talks seeking the best solution for the disputed territory would otherwise be useless.
He pointed out how East Timorese, just like the Acehnese and Irianese, were still haunted by fears of killings, shooting, tortures and arrests.
"If we want to seek a comprehensive solution to the East Timor issue, the government should first investigate human rights violations and bring the province back to normal ... this exercise would take a long time."
He said the recent withdrawal of combat troops from the province would not count as progress if human rights protection was not respected.
"Solution is in the hands of the East Timorese, including those living in exile overseas. Their political and human rights should first be reinstated and it is their right to determine their future."
Tripartite talks
Marzuki hailed the recent tripartite talks between Indonesia and Portugal under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which broached Indonesia's offer to grant more autonomy to the former Portuguese colony. He suggested the talks should ultimately involve all East Timorese groups.
F.X. Lopes da Cruz, ambassador-at-large on East Timor affairs, said in the same seminar the offer for special status would be a better alternative than staging a referendum on independence, a demand of anti-integration East Timorese groups.
"Granting special status with more autonomy is expected to be accepted by pro- and anti-integration groups," he said.
He warned a civil war could break out if the anti-integration group insisted on a referendum.
"East Timor does not need a referendum since it staged one when a majority of its people declared their integration into Indonesia in 1976 with the so-called Balibo Declaration."
East Timorese students Johannes Abby and Gabriel da Costa called for attention to the people's wish for peace.
Gabriel said that amid the reform era, the government should be more flexible in its stance on East Timor and let the province's people decide their future.
"I believe that a majority of the East Timorese people want special status with more autonomy and they want an immediate, comprehensive solution to the prolonged issue."
Abby said most East Timorese had no concern for politics, but merely wanted reconciliation to let them live in peace and harmony. (rms)