INDONESIA: EAST TIMOR GOVERNMENT DISTANCES ITSELF FROM INDICTMENTS AGAINST INDONESIAN MILITARY CHIEF OVER 1999 VIOLENCE ON INDEPENDENCE VOTE

Record ID: 278343

  • Title: INDONESIA: EAST TIMOR GOVERNMENT DISTANCES ITSELF FROM INDICTMENTS AGAINST INDONESIAN MILITARY CHIEF OVER 1999 VIOLENCE ON INDEPENDENCE VOTE
  • Date: 3rd March 2003
  • Summary: (W3) JAKARTA, INDONESIA (MARCH 3, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EAST TIMOR FOREIGN MINISTER RAMOS-HORTA AND INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HASSAN WIRAJUDHA ARRVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 0.10 2. SCU (SOUNDBITE)(English) WIRAJUDHA SAYING: "Of course during this bilateral meeting, Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta explained to me what was the situation and how the Go
  • Embargoed: 18th March 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MARCH 3, 2003 AND FILE
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Reuters ID: LVA8ZAYGBAQ4IG8U9T6B9XVX5V1J
  • Story Text: The East Timor government has sought to distance itself
    from indictments issued against a former Indonesian armed
    forces chief over violence that ravaged the territory in 1999
    when it voted to break from Jakarta's rule.



    On a brief visit to Indonesia, Foreign Minister Jose
    Ramos-Horta said on Monday (March 3) he had come to Jakarta to
    make clear that East Timor's ties with its giant neighbour
    were too important to be undermined by issues such as the
    indictments.

    East Timor prosecutors from the country's Serious Crimes
    Unit last week charged scores of people, including Indonesia's
    then military chief General Wiranto, with crimes against
    humanity over the territory's bloody 1999 vote to break from
    Jakarta's rule.

    Indonesian reaction to the indictments has been relatively
    muted, partly as the government has already ruled out sending
    any of its former officials to East Timor to stand trial.

    East Timor President Xanana Gusmao had criticised the
    indictments last week.

    However, Ramos-Horta said the East Timor government would
    try to find ways to pursue justice over the carnage without
    creating misunderstandings with Indonesia. He did not
    elaborate.

    "The relationship between East Timor and Indonesia is far
    too important for any issue that might arise to discourage us
    or to derail this relationship," he said after meeting his
    Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajudha.

    "(The government) will not interfere with the work of the
    (serious crimes) panel. We have the greatest respect, they
    have been interviewing a very large number of witnesses," he
    added.

    Wirajudha welcomed Horta's trip to "explain" the
    indictments.

    "Of course during this bilateral meeting, Foreign Minister
    Ramos-Horta explained to me what was the situation and how the
    Government of Timor Leste view this. Of course in view of the
    efforts of both Indonesia and Timor Leste develop a good and
    friendly relations," he said after meeting his Indonesian
    counterpart, Hassan Wirajudha," said Wirajudha.

    The United Nations created the serious crimes unit when it
    ran East Timor in the aftermath of the orgy of violence, which
    the world body estimated left more than 1,000 people dead.

    East Timor become formally independent in May last year.

    Most of the violence in East Timor was blamed on
    pro-Jakarta militias acting with Indonesian military backing.

    Indonesian human rights courts have been running their own
    trials into the violence, so far handing down verdicts in the
    cases of 15 out of 18 suspects. Those courts have only
    convicted four people so far, drawing criticism from rights
    groups.

    Wiranto himself was not charged in that process.


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