HUMAN RIGHTS HIGH COMMISSIONER WELCOMES INDONESIAN DECISION ON PEACEKEEPERS IN EAST TIMOR AND RECOMMENDS INTERNATIONAL PROBE

HR/99/87
14 September 1999



Jakarta, 13 September 1999-- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson welcomed today the Indonesian Government’s decision to accept international peacekeepers for East Timor and recommended the establishment of an international commission of inquiry as a step towards establishing accountability for the grave violations committed in the territory.

Speaking in Jakarta at the end of a visit aimed at assessing first-hand the human rights situation in East Timor, Mrs. Robinson said the deployment of peacekeepers would help stop the “well-planned and systematic policy of killings, displacement, destruction of property and intimidation carried out by militia groups and elements of the security force”.

The High Commissioner also highlighted a need to deploy the multinational force urgently in order to assist in addressing the dire humanitarian needs of thousands of displaced East Timorese, many of whom have been without food and water for days. She urged authorities to facilitate the immediate access of aid agencies to those in need while the force is being assembled and welcomed the urgent preparations by her UN colleagues in Indonesia and by authorities to air-drop aid to the displaced.

Mrs. Robinson came to Jakarta from Darwin, Australia, where she spoke with East Timorese and international United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) staff evacuated from the territory. Their accounts, she said, had brought home the importance of establishing accountability for the massive abuses committed, particularly since the 30 August ballot.

“The deliberate attempt to drive out the world’s eyes and ears in East Timor, namely the UN presence and the media, did not prevent the collection of a great amount of evidence- names, place and facts” she said. “This will allow the international community to put criminals responsible away, provided the resolve is there to do so”.

Much of this evidence pointed clearly to the role played by parts of the TNI, or Indonesian Army, in the violence, the High Commissioner said. “According to the reports collected, there was collusion between the military and the militias. I took my concerns directly to Indonesian President
B. J. Habibie earlier today. The Government has an important part to play in cooperation with a process of justice and accountability for the atrocities committed in East Timor. I was encouraged by the President’s stated commitment to support such a process, for addressing the massive abuse of power committed in East Timor is essential for the future of human rights and democracy not only in East Timor, but also in Indonesia”.

Mrs. Robinson recommended the establishment of a commission of inquiry by an international committee of experts to continue to gather and analyze evidence of the events in East Timor. The committee would make recommendations on how to establish accountability, including the possible creation of a special tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity reported to have been committed in the territory.

Earlier in the day, Mrs. Robinson met with independence leader Xanana Gusmao and pledged her Office’s support for building institutions for an inclusive and democratic society committed to human rights in the new East Timor.