Refugees sue Megawati, Habibie

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