 |
| Picture credit: indonesiangamer.com |
When East Timor voted in 1999 for independence from Indonesia, militia groups trained and supported by the Indonesian army killed at least 1,000 East Timorese and forced three quarters of the population to flee to neighboring West Timor. In January, 2000 an Indonesian commission reported that the Indonesian military was involved in the violence, had committed crimes against humanity, and that overall responsibility lay with then commander in chief General Wiranto. Journalists claim that as the violence broke they pleaded with Wiranto to discipline his troops and boost efforts to stop the militia. Wiranto responded by denying the reports of violence.
Still No Justice in East-Timor War Crimes (July 14, 2008)
The Commission on Truth and Friendship has the task of researching Indonesia's crimes against humanity during its occupation of Timor-Leste between 1975 and 1999. This article argues that the commission failed to establish individual criminal responsibility for Indonesian officials because it only deals with crimes by the Indonesian state. 70 percent of the Indonesians responsible for the 1999 attack on East-Timorese citizens are still free, including General Wiranto, who led the attack. (East Timor and Indonesia Action Network)
Justice for Timor War Criminals? (February 18, 2005)
According to this BBC report, the United Nations will close its ad hoc court in East Timor before pulling out of the country altogether in May. This means that the court's most high profile indictee, General Wiranto, will likely go unpunished. East Timorese must now put their faith in government organizations such as the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, which works to re-assimilate former militiamen into the community.
East Timor Prosecutors Press Bid to Arrest Ex-Indonesian Military Chief (March 22, 2004)
Prosecutors of the UN Serious Crimes Unit released a 92 page report citing that former Indonesian military leader General Wiranto failed to prevent "the commission of crimes against humanity and failed to punish the perpetrators." Prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant for General Wiranto. (Agence France Presse)
Timor Ghosts Haunt Indonesian Poll (March 22, 2004)
This Weekend Australian article calls to mind the Indonesian army's involvement in the atrocities before and after the 1999 referendum for independence in East Timor. Former Indonesian military General Wiranto continues to deny his partial responsibility for the killings.
Ex-General to Make Run for President of Indonesia (January 16, 2004)
Two years after he released a CD of love songs called "For You My Indonesia," former chief of the Indonesian military General Wiranto is running for president. The indictment for war crimes by the United Nations doesn't prevent him running or affect his chances of unseating the current incumbent, Megawati Sukarnoputri. (New York Times)
UN 'Blocking Arrest of Wiranto' (January 14, 2004)
Longuinhos Monteiro, East Timor's chief prosecutor, had accused the UN of blocking an arrest warrant for former Indonesian armed forces commander, General Wiranto. Monteiro claims the UN wants to delay the warrant until it pulls out of East Timor in May 2004. (Sydney Morning Herald)
UN Indicts General for East Timor Crimes (February 25, 2003)
The United Nations indicted former Indonesian armed forces commander, General Wiranto, for war crimes committed during East Timor's bloody vote for independence. In spite of this, the Indonesian Government has questioned the UN's authority to put any Indonesians on trial and is unlikely to extradite him. (Guardian)
In Pursuit of The Truth (January 17, 2002)
The Commissions for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation will attempt to facilitate "community reconciliation agreements" between perpetrators and victims. In addition, special tribunals will judge alleged human rights violators. However the credibility of such tribunals is questionned as General Wiranto is not among those indicted. (Guardian)
Indonesian War Crime Suspects Get Promoted (May 7, 2001)
Wiranto, despite reccomendations that he be prosecuted, has honorably retired from the military and now enjoys a singing career. Other suspects have been promoted within the military. (Christian Science Monitor)
Evidence Against Wiranto: Militia Vowed Integration or Death (February 13, 2000)
Jonathan Head exposes just how intimate the Indonesian military was with pro-Indonesian paramilitary groups that murdered and displaced East Timorese in 1999 following the vote for independence, and how Wiranto, at the least, turned a blind eye to this relationship. (BBC)
Summary of Indonesian Human-Rights Invesigators' Report (January 31, 2000)
An Indonesian human rights commission reccomended that the attorney general investigate charges of crimes against humanity against General Wiranto.
