Six witnesses fail to appear at trial for E. Timor mayhem

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The failure of witnesses to appear in court forced a human rights tribunal to postpone on Tuesday the trial of five middle- ranking military soldiers and police officers charged with crimes against humanity in East Timor in 1999.

Presiding judge Cicut Sutiarso adjourned the trial until next week, urging the prosecutors to produce the six witnesses, who include a relative of some of the victims, Dominggos dos Santos Mouzinho.

The other witnesses are three police officers -- Jehezkiel Berek, Jacobus Tanamal and Yopi Lekatompessy -- and two military soldiers -- Sonik Iskandar and I Wayan Suka Antara.

Prosecutor Darmono told the court that the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor was making efforts to fly Dominggos dos Santos Mouzinho, a resident of East Timor's Suai district, to Jakarta.

Two of the other witnesses, Berek and Sonik, are ill, while Tanamal is currently taking part in a training exercise, Darmono said.

"And due to bad weather, I Wayan could not fly to Jakarta from Rote island in East Nusa Tenggara, while we have yet to locate Lekatompessy," Darmono said, adding that this last witness had retired from the police and could not be reached.

Prosecutors plan to call two additional witnesses at the next hearing, but refused to reveal their identities.

The court session on Tuesday was to be the fifth for former Covalima regent Col. Herman Sedyono, former Suai Military Command chief Lt. Col. Liliek Koeshadianto, his successor Lt. Col. Sugito, former Suai Military Command chief of staff Capt. Achmad Syamsudin and former Suai Police chief Lt. Col. Gatot Subiaktoro.

Suai is the capital of Covalima regency on the southwestern tip of East Timor.

The five have been accused of failing to control the people under their command, including five pro-Indonesia militia leaders, resulting in the killing of at least 27 people taking refuge in the St. Ave Maria Church in September 1999. The massacre took place days after the results of the self- determination ballot in Indonesia's former territory were announced, with nearly 80 percent of East Timorese voting for independence.

The five also are accused of ignoring information that their troops were attacking the church's Catholic priests: Tarsisius Dewanto, Hilario Madeira and Fransisco Soares.