Rights trial proposed for Dili

Rights trial proposed for Dili

JAKARTA: Due to the difficulty in bringing in victim witnesses from East Timor to testify in the human rights trial of Brig. Gen. Tono Suratman, an ad hoc prosecutor has proposed to move the hearing to the neighboring country's capital of Dili.

Prosecutor Gabriel Simangunsong said on Monday that a legal breakthrough was needed as he found it difficult to make the witnesses appear in court.

Gabriel was responding to presiding judge Andi Samsan Nganro, who questioned why no victim witnesses were present to testify against Tono, a former East Timor military commander.

The East Timor Attorney General's Office has informed its Indonesian counterpart that victim witnesses refused to appear in Indonesian court for, among other reasons, the absence of international escorts.

The separate trial of Lt. Col. Endar Priyanto, a former Dili District Military commander, had to be postponed earlier in the day following the absence of witnesses from East Timor.

None of the 12 witnesses from East Timor, who were summoned to testify, including Nobel laureate Bishop Carlos Bello, appeared in court. -- Antara