Nobody killed in Dili riot, says rights body

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights disclosed yesterday that human rights violations had occurred in the latest incident in Dili, East Timor, but confirmed there were no fatalities.

Deputy chairman of the commission Marzuki Darusman said the conclusion came from "assessments or knowledge" of several people and government officials that the commission interviewed in the last four days concerning the clash at the University of East Timor on Nov. 14.

Marzuki, who led a fact-finding team of four, refused to elaborate, saying that the rights body would announce its findings at a later date.

Several people, including three soldiers, were injured in the melee pitting security personnel and university students who had been rallying in commemoration of the 1991 riot in Dili that, according to officials, left 50 people dead and scores of people missing.

At least 16 students were arrested in the recent clash.

The foreign press reported that a student was shot dead in the melee.

"Our sources who witnessed the incident confirmed that nobody was killed in the riot," Marzuki was quoted by Antara as saying.

Marzuki teamed up with B.N. Marbun, Soegiri and Clementino Dos Reis Amaral in the fact-finding team.

Marzuki said the fact that several people were wounded in the riot served as evidence of human rights abuses.

"It's certain that violence always brings about or leads to human rights violations," he said.

He blamed the violence in East Timor on the government's failure to improve sociopolitical conditions in the former Portuguese colony which was integrated into Indonesia in 1976.

"This has caused a relatively simple matter to escalate very quickly," he said.

Marzuki suggested the government place sociopolitical improvement as a top priority because East Timor continued to be scrutinized by the international community.

Separately, Clementino said the team's findings had been "an answer" to rumors disseminated particularly by the foreign press. He said many people had been confused by the press reports.

"We are here to find the truth. We must be aware of the rumors which may be intended to discredit the government and the Armed Forces," he said. (amd)