TNI intended to kill me: Carrascalao

TNI intended to kill me: Carrascalao

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former East Timor independence leader Manuel Viegas Carrascalao
told the Human Rights Tribunal on Monday that the Indonesian
Military did nothing to prevent the bloody violence against
proindependence East Timorese in the run-up to the 1999
referendum.

"The military authorities were intent on killing me and
refused to take action against the militiamen when they attacked
my house and killed dozens of people who were taking refuge
there, including my son.

"Even Pak Tono Suratman, who at the time was the East Timor
military commander, just laughed at me and did not do anything to
prevent the attack when I went to his house and asked for
protection," Carrascalao said.

Carrascalao was testifying against defendant Lt. Col. Endar
Priyanto, former Dili military district commander, who is accused
of gross human rights violations for his failure to prevent pro-
Jakarta militias from attacking his residence on April 17, 1999.
At least 12 people were killed, including Manuel's 16-year-old
son Manelito Carrascalao.

If proven, the charge carries a minimum sentence of ten years
imprisonment.

Carrascalao's testimony was surprising even for the judges
because he was the first high-level proindependence leader to
testify before the tribunal that has charged 18 Indonesian
officials with crimes against humanity. The trial is in
connection with the violence that occurred in East Timor when the
former Indonesian territory voted for independence in a
referendum in August 1999.

Carrascalao blamed the militia and Indonesian soldiers for
attacking his residence and accused top officials of not
attempting to prevent the violence.

According to Carrascalao, pro-Jakarta militiamen attacked his
residence after they held a ceremony marking the establishment of
Pamswakarsa at the governor's office. Witnessing the ceremony
were former East Timor governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares; Tono
Suratman; Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, former Udayana Military
commander; Maj. Gen. Zaky Anwar Makarim, former chief of the
Armed Forces Intelligence Body (BIA); and Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki
Syahnakrie, former military emergency commander in East Timor.

"It was between 10 a.m. and 12 a.m. when the ceremony took
place. And at the time, I was driving to Comoro Airport to pick
up my wife. Then I heard on the radio that Eurico Gutteres, the
militia's commander, made a speech inciting his members to kill
me.

"But none of these generals, ... none of them, including Kiki
Syahnakrie, tried to stop it even though he (Kiki) knew that
these militiamen might kill his nephew (Manelito)," Carrascalao
said.

"For your information, your honor, Kiki's wife is my wife's
cousin," he was quick to add.

According to Carrascalao, he immediately returned to Dili when
he knew that the militiamen were on the way to his house at Jl.
Dr. Antonio de Calvarho No. 13. He decided to go to Tono's house
first in an attempt to ask for protection, considering there were
some 136 proindependence people who were taking refuge at his
house.

"In spite of that, Tono did not do anything but just laughed.
He said that he had to remain neutral and asked me to seek
protection from CNRT," Carrascalao said, referring to
proindependence National Council for East Timor Resistance.

Tono, whose trial was held on Monday in a different courtroom,
later denied Carrascalao's accusations and said he was a neutral
party during the fighting.

"Carrascalao came to me to ask for weapons. I didn't give him
the weapons. I didn't give weapons to either pro- or anti-
independence groups." Tono told reporters.

Earlier in a day, Carrascalao also gave a brief testimony for
former East Timor police chief Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen, saying
that "all Indonesian generals wanted me to die, except this
gentleman (Timbul Silaen)."