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)