Three more militiamen to stand trial

JAKARTA: Central Jakarta District Court is scheduled to commence the trial of three more East Timor militiamen on Dec. 10 for the murder of a New Zealand peacekeeper in East Timor last year.

Yohanes Taek, Gabriel Hane Noni and Fabianus Ulu will be tried separately.

The three of them appeared at the court on Tuesday to testify in the trial of their colleague, Yakobus Bere, 37, who is facing a similar charge.

Bere's trial, however, was postponed because the defendant, who underwent prostate surgery on Oct. 19, had a stomachache.

The defendant's lawyer, Suhardi Somomoeljono, told reporters that Bere had been sick the day before and was waiting to receive medical treatment. Suhardi complained that there was no doctor and no medicine at Salemba Penitentiary, where Bere is being detained.

"The government should pay more attention to Bere's health. His illness could endanger his life. What if he dies? What will other countries say?" said Suhardi, adding that so far lawyers had covered the costs of Bere's medical treatment.

Bere, and five other militiamen, were accused of shooting Pvt. Leonard William Manning while the United Nations peacekeeping force were tracking militiamen in a border area near Suai, East Timor on July 24, last year.--JP