New E. Timor violations unveiled

New E. Timor violations unveiled

JAKARTA (JP): A researcher said on Thursday that more than
1,000 East Timorese women had been raped or sexually assaulted
since the process of integrating the region into Indonesia began
22 years ago.

Aida Milasari from the Yogyakarta-based Tjoet Nyak Dhien
Foundation also alleged that Armed Forces (ABRI) personnel were
responsible for the violations.

In her study entitled Violence against women in East Timor,
Aida found that many women had been sexually abused and that many
more had been left widowed by widespread arbitrarily killings in
the province.

Aida was quoted in a statement issued by Solidamor, a
solidarity movement for peace in East Timor, as saying that
violence against women in East Timor was a logical consequence of
ABRI's presence there.

Aida presented the results of her study during a discussion
held in Jakarta on Thursday. The event was attended by 100 East
Timorese activists.

"Violence against women has received less attention than the
issues of a referendum and independence for East Timor," Aida was
quoted as saying in the statement.

Human rights activists have also said that hundreds of women
were raped in Aceh during the military operation there. The
operation was brought to an end in August.

Former East Timor governor Mario Viegas Carrascalao praised
Aida's study and said the real situation was even worse. He cited
what he called "the Cararas tragedy", where so many of the men in
one particular village were slain that the settlement became
known as "the village of widows."

He said he was sure the atrocities were not committed at the
orders of military commanders, but by renegade individual
servicemen. "Indonesian people have a duty to end the tragedy in
East Timor," Mario added. (prb)