Refugees sue Megawati, Habibie

JAKARTA: Central Jakarta District Court postponed on Thursday a class action suit filed by pro-Indonesian East Timorese refugees against President Megawati Soekarnoputri and former president B.J. Habibie.

Presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro adjourned the hearing for a week due to the absence of the defence lawyers.

The suit was filed by the Indonesian Independent Judicial Study Institute (Ls-ADIP), which claims to represent over 280,000 refugees. The plaintiff demanded President Megawati provide them with a location to live in around Timor.

They also asked the court to order Habibie to pay Rp 1 trillion in compensation for his decision to allow the East Timorese to vote for independence.

"We have been confused following the election. We don't have any ID cards like other citizens," Eurico Gutteres, a former militia commander, told reporters after the hearing.

Nicholas A.B., a lawyer from Ls-ADIP, said the government had forced the refugees who chose to be Indonesian to go back to East Timor.

East Timor is no longer one of Indonesia's provinces as the majority of the province's population voted for independence in 1999.--JP