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Sunday August 23 6:55 AM EDT
Indonesia Unearths Mass Graves
ALI KOTARUMALOS Associated Press Writer
LHOK SUKON, Indonesia (AP) - A human rights team wrapped up a grave-digging mission Sunday after unearthingskeletons of people allegedly killed by the military.
Government investigators uncovered remains of at least two dozen people after three days of digging in the northernmost province of Aceh. Activists say hundreds more are buried in other mass graves.
Soldiers have been accused of arbitrary killings and torture while crushing a separatist movement in the Sumatra island province in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The inquiry by Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission is the latest sign of a new openness since former President Suharto resigned in May after nationwide riots and student protests.
Some of the skulls that investigators found had holes believed to be bullet wounds. Ropes that may have been used to tie the victims' hands were discovered as well.
Forensic scientists planned to examine the remains to determine whether they belonged to execution victims.
Baharuddin Lopa, chief investigator, declined to say whether he thought the military was responsible. But he urged the government to release all political prisoners from Aceh and to give financial aid to widows of Acehnese who had been reported missing.
He also suggested that local people dig up mass graves by themselves, with the assistance of the police. Indonesia's military commander, Gen. Wiranto, has publicly apologized for human rights violations in Aceh and ordered the withdrawal of about 1,000 troops. However, thousands remain deployed in the province, which lies 1,100 miles northwest of Jakarta.
Another fact-finding mission is expected to visit Lampung province in southern Sumatra island this week to investigate reports of military atrocities in the late 1980s. Soldiers also put down down a separatist movement there.
Suharto's successor, B.J. Habibie, has promised greater human rights for
Indonesia's 202 million people. But he opposes activists in some regions who want to break away from Indonesian authority. |
