Dili – East Timor's Serious Crimes Unit (SCU) indicted 14 people Friday for war crimes committed in 1999, in what the joint Dili-United Nations body said would be its last indictments before winding up its investigations.

Those accused in the SCU's last batch of indictments of murder, rape and forced expulsion committed between January and September, 1999 include senior Indonesian military officers.

All of the accused are believed to be living in Indonesia and therefore out of Timorese jurisdiction.

Set up by the Timorese authorities and UN, the SCU has been tasked with investigating crimes against humanity committed in Timor from January 1, 1999 to October 25 of the same year.

During this period, up to 1,500 Timorese died in the carnage and destruction unleashed by pro-Jakarta militias who worked in connivance with the Indonesian military, which was withdrawing from the territory after its historic independence ballot.

Most Timorese found guilty of war crimes after being indicted by the SCU have received relatively light sentences and none of the Indonesian officials indicted have been tried. Three-quarters of those indicted are sheltering in Indonesia.

The Dili government says it prefers reconciliation with its larger neighbor to pushing for justice for war crimes perpetrators.