Rights body to summon top brass

Rights body to summon top brass

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's top military brass will be summoned
by a human rights commission for clarification over murders and
destruction in East Timor, which followed the Sept. 4
announcement of an overwhelming vote in favor of independence.

After returning on Sunday from a visit to West Timor, the
chairman of the Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights
Abuses in East Timor, Albert Hasibuan, told The Jakarta Post that
former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Wiranto was included
in the list of people to be questioned.

"We will also summon other military officers allegedly
associated with the bloodshed in East Timor, such as Gen. Sjafrie
Sjamsoeddin, who according to a witness, was seen at the scene
when Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo's residence was attacked
by militias," Albert said.

He said other senior officers included an advisor to the TNI
chief, Maj. Gen. Zaky Anwar Makarim, and the former regional
commander overseeing East Timor, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri.

"After our latest visit to West Timor, we found many
indications of a close association between the Indonesian
Military and militia in the mass destruction and murder in East
Timor," Albert said.

He described the destruction in East Timor after the
announcement of the ballot results in early September as a form
of systematic terror perpetrated by the militia with the help of
TNI personnel.

"Almost all office buildings and between 60 to 70 percent of
houses were destroyed.

"It is only fair that Wiranto as the highest military
commander at the time would be held responsible, at least for his
apparent inaction to try to stop the bloodshed in East Timor,
especially in Dili.

"We will seek a meeting with President Abdurrahman Wahid to
formally report our findings and to ask for his permission to
summon Wiranto, now coordinating minister for political affairs
and security," Albert said.

"We have a long list of people to be questioned, including
many military personnel, civil officials and militia leaders," he
said, adding that the former police chief in East Timor, Col.
Timbul Silaen, was among those who would be queried.

The nine-member commission was formed in September by the
Habibie government as an independent body fully authorized to
conduct investigations into human rights abuses in East Timor.

The government, which rejected the United Nations inquiry of
human rights abuses in East Timor, gave the commission subpoena
powers to carry out its task.

During the commission's four-day visit to West Timor, the team
held meetings with Bishop Belo, commander of the International
Force for East Timor (Interfet) Maj. Gen. Peter Cosgrove, non-
governmental organizations, East Timorese leaders and many
eyewitnesses.

The commission, which was given three months to complete its
task, has so far made four visits to West Timor and one to East
Timor.

"We will send more teams to West and East Timor to gather more
evidence," Albert said.

During its latest visit, the team interviewed several
witnesses, especially in Suai. One of the witnesses was a militia
commander named Johnny Marques, who was held in custody by
Interfet.

Albert quoted Johnny as saying that he had been threatened by
several TNI personnel to carry out the destruction in Los Palos.

Bishop Belo told the commission team that the exodus of
refugees from East Timor to West Timor was set off by threats
from TNI personnel.

Belo also said that the former TNI chief Gen. Wiranto should
be held responsible for the East Timor bloodshed.

Justice

Meanwhile, the United States urged Indonesia on Sunday to
ensure that individuals guilty of past rights abuses were brought
to justice to help the country on its path to democracy.

Washington's Ambassador to the United Nations Richard
Holbrooke called on all parties in Indonesian politics to support
the state human rights commission's efforts to uncover past
abuses.

"The human rights commission has put forward some
proposals ... which are not being fully supported by everyone
else in the political system," Holbrooke was quoted by Reuters
as saying.

"You cannot deal with the future unless you come to terms with
the past," Holbrooke said at the end of a brief visit to Jakarta,
during which he met new President Abdurrahman Wahid and other
leaders.

"We would hope, again without interfering in the internal
affairs of a great nation,... that the Indonesian parliament will
move to put into place a system of full accountability."

A separate United Nations investigation is underway into
allegations of abuses in East Timor by pro-Jakarta militias and
Indonesian security forces after the territory voted in August to
split from Indonesia after more than 23 years of rule. (02)