Unnatural deaths

Unnatural deaths

When the Soeharto government appointed the board of
Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission more than a year
ago, many observers expected the body to be a tame one. Quite
unexpectedly on Wednesday, the commission challenged the all-
powerful armed forces when it accused the military on Wednesday
of torturing and murdering six East Timorese villagers in
Liquisa, west of Dili, on Jan. 12.

The commission in its report said the six died "unnaturally"
during an army operation in the former Portuguese colony. While
the Indonesian military command maintained the six were Fretilin
pro-independence guerrillas, eyewitness reports after the
shooting told a different story. Truth will out.

-- The Nation, Bangkok