Associated Press, Wednesday April 09, 2003
East Timor indicts 16 more Indonesians for war crimes
DILI, East Timor (AP) Prosecutors in East Timor indicted 16 Indonesian officials,
including eight military officers, for crimes against humanity allegedly committed
during the country's bloody bid for independence in 1999, a U.N. statement said.
Several of those indicted are among 18 military and police officials who already have
faced a special tribunal in Jakarta for their role in the violence. That court so far has
freed 11 of the defendants, and convicted three.
Lt. Col. Achmad Mas Agus, a former district military commander, and former district
chief Col. Herman Sedyono are the highest-ranking officers named in the East
Timorese indictment, which was received Wednesday.
They are charged with helping to establish a pro-Jakarta militia gang that killed
dozens of refugees at the Ave Maria Church in Suai on Sept. 6 1999. Sedyono is
accused of participating in the attack in which three priests were also killed.
Charges against the other 14 include murder, and the forced transfer of thousands of
residents following the U.N.-sponsored independence referendum in September 1999.
Prosecutors said they believe all 16 suspects are in Indonesia, which means it is
unlikely they will face justice in East Timor. Past demands for extradition have been
ignored by Indonesian authorities.
The United Nations, which is assisting the investigations, says the indictments in
East Timor serve a symbolic purpose and give victims some sense of retribution.
Eventually the warrants will be forwarded to Interpol, which would allow other countries
to arrest the suspects.
East Timor has so far indicted 243 people for crimes committed during the violence,
including Gen. Wiranto, Indonesia's then-military chief.
About 30 people, most of them former militiamen, have been convicted by the
Timorese courts.
Nearly 2,000 civilians were believed killed and 250,000 forced to flee their homes when
Indonesian troops and their militia proxies launched a campaign of terror aimed at
forcing people to vote to remain part of Indonesia.
East Timor gained full independence in May, after a period of transitional rule by the
world body following Indonesia's brutal 24-year occupation.
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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