On Thoenes' death

As a journalist, I read with confusion your article on page 2 of the newspaper on June 2, 2000 beginning with the headline: Thoenes' death still puzzling as no bullet wounds found.

The article opens: "The cloud of mystery surrounding the death of Dutch reporter Sander Thoenes thickened on Wednesday when a former East Timor military commander said doctors had found no gunshot wounds in the slain journalist's body".

The article then goes on to comment: "Previously he was suspected to have been shot to death".

Anyone familiar with the scientific evidence still believes he was shot to death.

But The Jakarta Post's readers could not find the names of the Indonesian doctors mentioned or explanations from them, or Mr. Syahnakri's, explaining why and how Mr. Thoenes died.

They will not read that forensic scientists who examined the body found both entry and exit gunshot wounds.

They will not read that an international coroner reported Mr. Thoenes died from bullet wounds, or that the 745th Battalion of the Indonesian Military had been on patrol in Becora, Dili that day.

Nor could they read, as Kompas reported, that Mr. Syahnakri claimed Indonesian doctors found spear and machete wounds in Thoenes' body.

Set in context, Mr. Syahnakri's comments take on a different light. It is a tone familiar to the friends and families of anyone who has fallen on the wrong side of a rifle, from Aceh to Trisakti, from Sabang to Merauke.

And perhaps, with the relevant facts, the Post's readers can begin their own assessment of the "mystery" of the death of Mr. Thoenes, and of who is responsible.

TOM MCCAWLEY

Jakarta