The Jakarta Post, December 17, 2005
Commission to summon Wiranto
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The Indonesia-Timor Leste Truth and Friendship Commission (CTF) plans to summon
former Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto and several other generals in
relation with the violence that took place in the then East Timor in 1999 prior to and
after an independence referendum.
"Yes, we will clarify the status of Wiranto, as well as other related sources, in the
violence which took place in East Timor in 1999," said CTF co-chairman Benjamin
Mangkoedilaga, who represents Indonesia on the joint commission established by the
governments of Indonesia and Timor Leste in August.
"The interviews, of course, will not name individuals as suspects in gross human
rights violations because this is not a pro-justicia process," Benjamin said.
Benjamin said commissioners would examine all of the information related to the 1999
violence, including a report filed by an Indonesian government-sanctioned fact-finding
team that investigated alleged gross human rights abuses in Timor Leste, and copies
of all of the documents from an ad hoc human rights tribunal in Jakarta that tried
rights abuse suspects.
The commission will also look over material given by the fact-finding team to
Indonesia's Attorney General's Office.
"Recently, we interviewed former members of the now-defunct fact-finding team and
several prosecutors at our secretariat in Denpasar, Bali. During the interviews, we also
tried to compare reports from the two institutions," Benjamin said.
A member of the government-sanctioned fact-finding team said earlier the team
proposed the names of almost 30 Indonesian generals to stand trial before the ad hoc
human rights tribunal, but the Attorney General's Office scrapped several of the
names, including that of Wiranto.
The CTF will not recommend that the government of either nation establish any form of
judicial body. The CTF process is not meant to lead to prosecution, but will instead
emphasize institutional responsibility.
The commissioners will work for one year, with the fact-finding process to begin in
January and last until June next year. From July to December, the commission will
focus on drawing up its conclusions.
Meanwhile, the New York-based Human Rights Watch has asked the Timor Leste
administration to publicly release the 2,500-page Reception, Truth and Reconciliation
Commission report on Indonesian abuses during 24 years of occupation, even if it
offends the Indonesian government.
Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao has repeatedly said he favors reconciliation
with Indonesia.
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