Annastashya Emmanuelle, Jakarta – The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCHR) stepped up its pressure on Wednesday for Indonesia to act swiftly against militiamen and others connected to human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999, promising to send international observers to monitor an upcoming rights tribunal.
At the end of a three-day visit to Indonesia on Wednesday, UNHCHR Chairman Leandro Despouy told the press that, by March 18, he hoped to be able to report to the Geneva-based commission that an ad hoc trial – based on international standards of promptness and fairness and conforming with Indonesian law – was already underway.
"We view the establishment of the ad hoc tribunal as maximum cooperation. The presence of international observers would be unavoidable; the observers will come," to monitor the proceedings, Despouy said, without further elaboration.
Despouy arrived here on Monday to get first-hand information on steps being taken by Jakarta to bring to justice those guilty of mass human rights violations in East Timor before and after a UN-sponsored referendum on independence in 1999.
During his visit, Despouy met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and officials from the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, the Supreme Court, and Attorney General M.A. Rachman. On Monday, he told the Megawati administration to get serious about the upcoming human rights tribunal.
While offering a positive note on Indonesia's effort in establishing the tribunal, Despouy added that the court should meet international parameters so as to have credibility with the international community.
In his meeting with Attorney General Rahman on Wednesday, Despouy received assurance that those responsible for the 1999 killing of Dutch journalist Sander Thoenes in East Timor would also be brought to justice. "Investigation by the Dutch government in East Timor has allowed for submission of evidence to the court," Despuoy said.
Before and after the UN-sponsored ballot 1999, in which East Timorese overwhelmingly voted to break away from Indonesia, local militias – financed and backed by the military – went on a rampage throughout the territory, slaughtering hundreds of pro-independence East Timorese.
Human rights activists and East Timor's transitional government, represented by East Timor Public Administration's Department of Foreign Affairs, Philipe Rodriguez, have threatened to bring the human rights violators before an international tribunal.
After several delays, on January 14, President Megawati issued decree No. 6/2000 establishing the long-awaited ad hoc tribunal to study evidence against reported human rights abusers in East Timor and the Tanjung Priok incident in 1984. Thus far, no trial date has been set.
The suspects in the cases include, Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, who headed the Udayana military Command; Brig. Gen. Suhartono Suratman and Brig. Gen. M. Nur Muis, former commander of the Dili Military Command; Col. Yayat Sudrajat, then head of Tribuana Task Force, and Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen, the former East Timor police chief.