Militias control refugee camps in West Timor: Report

Militias control refugee camps in West Timor: Report

JAKARTA (JP): Armed prointegration militias are in control of
a number of refugee camps on the western half of Timor island and
operating under the eyes of the Indonesian Military, a national
commission of inquiry on East Timor said in its preliminary
report here on Monday.

The commission, which visited refugee camps in East Nusa
Tenggara last week, quoted witnesses as saying refugees were
being intimidated not to return to East Timor.

"Witnesses spoke of arbitrary detention, threats and terror
against the refugees, and said each militia member was in charge
of monitoring 10 to 15 refugees," commission member Asmara
Nababan said at a media conference.

The three-page report said one or two members of refugee
families sometimes were held hostage by the militias to prevent
other family members from returning to East Timor.

It also said armed militias searched refugee camps and local
churches for proindependence supporters, including university
students.

"These militia operations were conducted openly. Security
personnel were present but they let these things continue,"
commission member and leading rights activist Munir said.

He said more than 20 militias were seen operating in East Nusa
Tenggara.

The report said the Aitarak, Red-and-White Iron and Do-or-Die
Integration militias were present in Kupang, while the Sakunar
and Laksaur militias were present in Kefamenanu and Atambua,
respectively.

The report said at least two students were still missing
following an ambush by the militias on a convoy of refugees in
Kefamenanu regency in mid-October.

It also said witnesses described the abduction and sexual
assault of East Timorese women in the refugee camps.

"We still cannot disclose how many people have allegedly been
sexually assaulted, but the commission managed to speak to one of
the victims to verify the reports," Munir said.

The commission report said that as of Oct. 29, some 220,000
East Timorese refugees were seeking shelter at camps in Kupang,
Kefamenanu and Atambua Belu regencies.

Humanitarian workers said the presence of militias in the
refugee camps hampered the repatriation of refugees to East
Timor.

The commission, which was established in early October, is
scheduled to complete its work by the end of the year.

Violence erupted in East Timor following the announcement of
the results of the Aug. 30 self-determination referendum, which
saw an overwhelming majority vote against wide-ranging autonomy
under Indonesia.

Hundreds of people are feared to have been killed in the
violence and some 250,000 East Timorese allegedly have been
driven from their homes to East Nusa Tenggara.

Rights groups claim pro-Jakarta militias and elements of the
Indonesian Military were involved in the violence.

The commission said earlier it would focus its investigation
on alleged human rights abuses which took place in the wake of
the historic ballot.

Meanwhile, Asmara said commission member Albert Hasibuan had
replaced National Commission on Human Rights chairman Marzuki
Darusman as the head of the commission of inquiry. Marzuki
recently was appointed attorney general.

Commission members said if the team found evidence of rights
abuses an ad hoc committee would be established to prosecute the
perpetrators in a national human rights tribunal.

The commission concluded in its report that there had been
systematic and organized human rights abuses -- in the form of
enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and violence against
women -- by proindependence militias in East Nusa Tenggara. (byg)