Jakarta – Two Indonesian soldiers were among seven people indicted Wednesday in East Timor for killing a Dutch journalist and 19 others during the country's independence struggle in 1999, the UN said in a statement.

Financial Times reporter Sander Thoenes was the last person killed in a murderous rampage across the former Indonesian province in September 1999 by Battalion 745, the statement said.

The Serious Crimes Unit's indictment of Maj. Jacob Sarosa and Lt. Camilo dos Santos, both members of the battalion, marks the first time anyone has been charged in the Thoenes murder. Indonesia has argued it lacks evidence to charge anyone, despite receiving information from Dutch authorities that allegedly links the battalion to Thoenes' death.

It remains unclear, however, if the two soldiers will ever see a courtroom for Thoenes' murder. Both are on active duty with the Indonesia military, and Indonesia has so far refused to hand over eight other Indonesians charged in East Timor for 1999 war crimes.

UN officials said the indictment also challenges the Indonesian government's claim that its soldiers played only a minor role in the bloodshed that followed a UN referendum in which East Timorese voted for independence.

The UN has long blamed the Indonesia military and its militia proxies for the violence that left nearly 1,000 dead and forced 250,000 to flee their homes.

Battalion commander dos Santos and platoon commander Sarosa are charged with 17 counts of crimes against humanity, including Thoenes' murder.

Thoenes was forced off his motorbike and shot dead in East Timor's capital, Dili, September 21, 1999. His death came soon arriving in the city to report on the arrival of an international peacekeeping force and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops.

In Wednesday's other indictment, five members of the Mahadomi militia – including its commander and a former district chief – are charged with 13 counts of crimes against humanity.