Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has announced that it will shortly summon General Wiranto, Minister-Coordinator for Political and Security Affairs to explain the involvement of the military (TNI and the police) in the violence and human rights abuses perpetrated in East Timor from January this year. The Commission will also summon two other senior officers, Major-General Adam Damiri (until recently Udayana regional military commander) and Major-General Zacky Makarim, for the same purpose.
Komnas HAM member Albert Hasibuan who is chair of the Commission's special fact-finding mission to East Timor, announced this in Jakarta, following investigations in Dili and Suai undertaken from 9-14 November.
He said the fact-finding mission had discovered information incriminating the TNI and militias in the scorched earth and mass killings in various parts of East Timor.
Hasibuan said that the decision to summon these senior officers had be taken also on the recommendation of Bishop Belo during his meeting with the mission.
"The mission looked into at least five cases of violence resulting in hundreds of victims perpetrated by militias with the help of the military," he said. These cases included the incident at the Liquica Church and at the home of Manual Carrascalao in Dili, both of which occurred in April.
Another case occurred in Suai on 6 September when members of Laksaur militia, assisted by the TNI killed at least two hundred people, including three priests. Hasibuan said they had eye-witness accounts of the incident. Witnesses had also testified to seeing TNI trucks removing some of the bodies, while other bodies were burned on the spot.
Another case occurred at the resident of Bishop Belo when, according to witnesses, militias assisted by the police attacked the resident where many people were taking refuge. Witnesses had said that they clearly saw a member of TNI wearing an Aitarak t-shirt. Twenty-five people died in this incident. "An eye-witness claims to have seen Major-General Syafrie Syamsuddin present during the incident," Hasibuan said.
The fact-finding mission has also found evidence of acts of violences by the Bobonaro military commander, when five people suspected of being members of Falintil were killed.
The mission was also able to examine the bodies of victims and question witnesses who testified about the intimate relations between the militias and TNI officers.
He said that their evidence about the involvement of the military and their support for the militias would shortly be presented to President Wahid who would be asked for a recommendation to summon senior military officers for explanations about their responsibility for these cases.
Meanwhile John Harvey, head of the Interfet team for investigating human rights abuses in East Timor, said that 135 bodies had already been found but he thought that the final figure could reach two thousand.
"Considering all the reports now being received, I would not be surprised if the figure reaches one or two thousand," he said.
US ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke who was also on a visit to Dili, told CNN that the question of accountability was normal in countries moving towards democracy after a period of dictatorship. He said he had been told by the chair of Komnas HAM Marzuki Darusman that a number of officials still holding positions of power in the military would be summoned to account for human rights violations.