Washington – Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is demanding punishment for those responsible for an "orgy of violence" in East Timor after it voted for independence from Indonesia.

The prospects are promising, she said Friday, citing recent moves by Indonesian investigators to question top generals.

"The bottom line is those responsible for orchestrating this blood bath must be brought to justice," Albright said in a speech on war crimes to an editors group in Arlington, Va.

The United Nations took over administration of East Timor last year to end a campaign of violence by pro-Indonesia militias.

Albright said she was encouraged the Jakarta government has appointed a commission of inquiry, which means hard-liners cannot dismiss the process as Western-imposed, politically motivated justice.