Team set up to probe death of UNPKF soldier
Team set up to probe death of UNPKF soldier
KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): A joint team formed by East
Nusa Tenggara Police and the Provincial Prosecutors Office began
an investigation on Tuesday into the death of Pvt. Leonard
Manning, a member of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force
(UNPKF) killed in East Timor last year.
The team is headed by East Nusa Tenggara vice police chief Sr.
Comr. Gories Mere with members consisting of A. Sihotang of the
Provincial Prosecutor Office and several local policemen and
prosecutors, spokesman of the Provincial Prosecutor Office Robert
Tacoy SH told The Jakarta Post in Kupang on Wednesday.
The team will continue its investigation into the case and
collect additional evidence in New Zealand, where Manning's body
is buried.
The presence of the team in East Timor and New Zealand is
expected to expedite the settlement of the case, according to
Robert.
Manning, 24, was shot dead when New Zealand troops were
tracking a group of unidentified armed men in the rugged town of
Fato Mean, about two kilometers from the Indonesian border.
He was the first combat casualty since the UN peace
enforcement team arrived in the former Indonesian province.
Militia member Yacobus Bere is currently the prime suspect in
the case.
The probe by the joint team is a follow-up to the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the UN Transitional
Authority in East Timor (UNTAET) and Indonesian authorities in
Kupang.
While conducting their investigation in East Timor, with the
support of the East Timor Attorney General Office and police, the
team will visit the location of the armed clash and collect
additional information from key witnesses.
In New Zealand, the team will ask for information and a report
from doctors who handled the body.
"Pursuant to Article 86, paragraph 1 of the Indonesian
Criminal Code, the trial of Yacobus Mere as an Indonesian citizen
will take place in Indonesia, even though the murder occurred
outside Indonesia," Robert Tacoy said.
Yacobus Bere is now being kept in detention by East Nusa
Tenggara Police. He had earlier escaped from previous police
detention and became a fugitive for six months. He surrendered on
Jan. 15, 2001.(30)