Victim witnesses must testify before court: UNTAET official

Victim witnesses must testify before court: UNTAET official

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There was no reason for East Timorese victim witnesses to defy
the summons to testify before the Indonesian rights tribunal, a
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)
official said on Thursday.

UNTAET representative here Grant Wilson said East Timor
Attorney General Longuinhos Monteiro had promised to fly seven
East Timorese to Jakarta to testify against former provincial
military, police and civilian officials currently standing trial
for alleged involvement in East Timor atrocities in 1999.

"We leave the decision to them, but I have met the police here
to asked for protection for the East Timorese witnesses. The
police promised me to guarantee their safety," Wilson told The
Jakarta Post.

Jose Menezes Nunes Serrao, Emilio Bareto, and Joao Pereira
will testify against former East Timor Police chief Brig. Gen.
Timbul Silaen, while Dominggos Dos Santos Maujinho, Fres da
Costa, Armando De Deus Granadero, and Tobias Dos Santos will
testify against five military and police officers accused of a
massacre at a church in Suai town, which left 27 people dead.

Wilson said the seven would only arrive in Jakarta after May
27 at the earliest, due to the week-long celebrations of the
former Portuguese colony's independence.

The East Timor authorities have declared the holiday starting
from May 20 to give the people ample time to reflect and
celebrate the historic day.

"I even heard that air space over East Timor will also be
restricted for about two days after the ceremony on May 20
because many state guests will attend the event," Wilson said.

The ad hoc court decided in a hearing on Thursday to set a
June 6 deadline for prosecutors to present East Timorese victim
witnesses.

"We, the judges, will take a certain decision over the fate of
the tribunal if the prosecutors fail to meet our demand,"
Presiding Judge Andi Samsan Nganro said, without elaborating.

Legal observers have criticized the court's failure to present
victim witnesses, saying the tribunal will lose its credibility
if none of the witnesses testify.

Timbul's trial on Thursday heard the testimony of former Suai
Police precinct chief Lt. Col. Gatot Subiaktoro, who is also a
defendant in a similar case but being tried separately.