| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| East Timor Celebrates First Anniversary |
| 2003-05-19 |
| Cancio dos Santos readily admits he joined pro-Jakarta militias and torched three homes in East Timor when the territory voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999. But instead of being sent to jail, the 30-year-old farmer has been forgiven after apologizing to his victims during a recent truth and reconciliation meeting. ``There won't be a problem in the future,'' said Maumeta's village chief, Silvin Ribeiro dos Santos. ``The bad feelings toward him have vanished. People don't want to carry this hatred forward.'' They're better than I am. In some countries, the decision on the dos Santos case might have been seen as a miscarriage of justice. In East Timor, which on Tuesday celebrates its first anniversary as an independent nation, it is a small victory in the country's battle to balance calls for justice with the realities of prosecuting the thousands responsible for its bloody past. The work of the U.N.-sponsored Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation has been widely praised as a good way to dole out justice in war-torn countries where legal systems are unable to cope with the volume of cases. The United Nations, which administered East Timor prior to independence on May 20 of last year, established two systems to provide justice for crimes linked to the 1999 violence. The Serious Crimes Unit investigates and indicts those responsible for murder, rape, torture and forced displacement, and prosecutes them in court. Lesser crimes like arson, robbery and theft are handled by the commission. The Indonesian military along with their militia proxies laid waste to much of East Timor when it voted overwhelmingly to break from Jakarta in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999. More than 1,500 people were killed, 250,000 were forced from their homes and much of the county's infrastructure was sacked. Not counting what they did before the independence vote. Top Indonesian military officials believed ultimately responsible for the violence are beyond the reach of the East Timor panels, because Jakarta has refused to extradite any of them. After intense international pressure, Indonesia agreed to put on trial 18 Indonesian military and government officials for their role in the bloodshed, which only stopped after international peacekeepers arrived. But the Jakarta trials have been widely criticized as a farce, with only five of the defendants convicted. They all remain free on appeal. We all saw this coming! In East Timor, the reconciliation commission has completed 200 hearings across the country in the past year. There are more than 20 similar commissions in other countries with violent pasts - like Chile, South Africa and Sierra Leone - but East Timor's is the only one that can dole out justice. ``If not for this, the victim could remain angry and it could cause further problems,'' said Patrick Burgess, chief U.N legal adviser to the commission. ``The purpose of this is to avoid future violence.'' The hearings incorporate many traditional customs and beliefs. Coconut water is sprinkled to purify the ground, and a chicken is sacrificed and its entrails then read to determine if the hearing should continue. Defendants are made to sit opposite their victims, acknowledge their crimes and ask for forgiveness. Victims are given an opportunity to explain their suffering and question the defendant. Villagers and victims then join the commission in handing down a sentence - ranging from an apology to rebuilding burnt homes. After this, the defendant receives immunity from future prosecution. Do they get to read the defendant's entrails? The Special Crimes Unit has indicted 250 people, among them several senior Indonesian military officials living in Jakarta. East Timor's courts, however, have so far convicted just 30 of them. U.N. officials concede they will probably never catch many of the highest ranking defendants, including Indonesia's former military chief Gen. Wiranto. President Xanana Gusmao has been criticized for failing to support the indictments against the Indonesian officials. He says that relations with the county's former occupier and giant neighbor are more important. For someone who was tortured and vilified, he's remarkably pragmatic. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 Last year, East Timor. Today, Aceh. Maybe in a year or two, West Irian. Not long after that, maybe Borneo, then probably Celebes and Bali. Indonesia is going to be fighting "rebels" for a long, long time. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-05-19 11:21:35 |
| #2 At some times, diring the US intervention in Afghanistan, the taliban & co. accused the UN of having committed "war crimes" in East Timor by supporting its independance from Indonesia. Given which country was instrumental in liberating ET, I can see why the Master Religion's True Believers are pissed at Australia, regardless of its ties with the USA, involvement in WOT and such. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-05-19 08:20:51 |
| #1 Better a chicken give its life than... well... I can't find a good ending, but if it works, great! I, personaly, have been drinking pina coladas for years in a valiant attempt to purify my ground. Not enough coconut water? |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-05-19 07:32:10 |