UNAMET responsible for East Timor unrest: General

Tiarma Siboro and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak The Jakarta Post Jakarta

An Indonesian Military (TNI) general said on Wednesday that the United Nations had a share of the blame in the violence and human rights violations before, during and after the UN-organized referendum in East Timor in August 1999.

Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, former chief of the Udayana Regional Military Command which then oversaw the Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara and East Timor provinces, told a hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court that the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) was responsible for the unrest which erupted.

"The UN civilian police force was the only party responsible for and having the authority to maintain security and order in East Timor during the transitional period. But, none of its members were present when unrest broke out in the former Indonesian province," Adam told the human rights tribunal, presided over by Judge Emmy Marni Mustafa.

Testifying as a witness in the trial of former East Timor governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, the two-star general cited the clash between the pro-integration and pro-independence camps in the East Timor capital of Dili on Aug. 25, 1999 during the final round of campaigning before the referendum.

"Members of the pro-integration camp was holding its campaign in the Becora area when they were attacked by the pro- independence camp. There were many fatalities in the clash, but no members of the UN civilian police were there to control the situation.

"The Indonesian police later came to try to control the situation, but the clash had already broken up," he said.

Abilio, 54, is being tried for alleged human rights violations in East Timor before, during and after the 1999 referendum. He is charged with responsibility for violations by the civilian regents of Liquica and Covalima, Leonito Martins and Herman Sedyono respectively.

Adam, who is now assistant for operations to the TNI chief of general affairs, said that unrest in East Timor was also incited by alleged irregularities committed by UNAMET.

"UNAMET only recruited members of the pro-independence camp as its local staff and skipped those of the pro-integration camp.

"The polling booths were situated near the bases of the pro- independence camp, while the Indonesian police were only allowed to stand some 100 meters away from the booths," the military officer said.

He also accused the UN body of having threatened the East Timorese to vote for Independence.

"They said that they had come to East Timor to free the region from Indonesia and asked the local people to lower down the Indonesian Red-and-White flags or face possible attacks by the CNRT (the National Council for East Timorese Resistance)," Adam said.

Speaking about the attack on the residence of Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo after the referendum, he said it was reportedly triggered by the information that the ballot boxes were kept there, instead of at the UNAMET office.

Asked by presiding Judge Emmy whether he had evidence to support his allegations, the military officer said he had received the information from his subordinate, Brig. Gen. M. Noer Moeis, then chief of the Wiradharma Military Resort Command, which oversaw East Timor.

Meanwhile, former Dili mayor Mathius Maia accused the prosecution of lacking fairness, saying that it had only prosecuted Indonesian civilian and military officials.

"It's unfair as the alleged rights abuse has os only been directed at Indonesian officials, while UNAMET was supposed to be responsible for the situation there during the transitional period," Maia told the prosecution.

UNAMET, so far, has yet to appear in the trial although the prosecutors have requested the UN body present witnesses.

In a related development, Deputy commander of the East Timorese pro-integration militia (PPI) Eurico Guterres said on Wednesday that he, along with four military officers, would be summoned to testify as suspects at the Attorney General's Office on Monday over similar charges of rights violation during the transitional period.