Timor criminals must be tried at home: Rights body

Timor criminals must be tried at home: Rights body

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights here on
Thursday defended the government's rejection of an international
tribunal on alleged rights abuses in East Timor as a soon to be
established national tribunal would be sufficient.

"The request for the establishment of a national human rights
tribunal was initiated by us to reduce foreign intervention,"
rights body chairman Marzuki Darusman told reporters after
meeting with United States Defense Secretary William Cohen.

"Whether we like or not, we must have a credible and complete
institution that can assure the international community that
should the (national) fact-finding mission find the alleged
rights abuses, they will be lawfully processed," he replied when
asked whether top military officials would be prosecuted if they
were implicated.

Marzuki's comment came as Jakarta rejected on Wednesday the
international commission of inquiry on East Timor. The government
said that it would launch its own investigation into alleged
rights abuses in the former Portuguese colony.

A United Nations human rights commission on Monday voted to
establish an inquiry into the violence that swept East Timor
following the Aug. 30 ballot.

Indonesia maintains the decision is non-binding.

Minister of Justice/State Secretary Muladi said Thursday that
the government, along with the rights body, would start drafting
a government regulation in lieu of a law on the establishment of
the human rights tribunal next week.

The minister said it might take some time to draft the
regulation due to the complexity of the problem. But he
emphasized that such a law was needed in preventing international
interference in internal affairs.

"This is an emergency, not only because we are facing a
crisis, but also because this is related to our national
dignity," said Muladi.

Muladi had boasted on Wednesday that President B.J. Habibie
would sign the regulation by Thursday.

Separately, leading rights groups on Thursday slammed
Jakarta's rejection of the international inquiry, saying that it
was a sign of reluctance to bring those involved to court.

"The rejection of the international inquiry on East Timor
reflects the apprehension of certain people who were allegedly
involved in the rights violations (in East Timor)," the
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said in a statement.

The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI)
feared that the rejection would trigger international economic
sanctions on the country.

Sources from the Madrid-based European Council of Humanity
Action and Cooperation claim that high-ranking Indonesian
officers were responsible for the violence.

It accused former TNI Intelligence Chief Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar
Makarim, former Jakarta military chief Maj. Gen. Syafri
Syamsuddin, three former East Timor military commanders, 13 pro-
integration leaders and TNI Commander Gen. Wiranto of being in
someway responsible for the violence.

Marzuki, however, dismissed the reports saying that "the
national human rights tribunal will only take into account the
findings of the national fact-finding commission's
investigation". (byg/prb)