East Timor massacre survivors shun Jakarta trial over safety fears
JAKARTA, June 4 (AFP) - Three survivors of a 1999 militia massacre in
East
Timor failed to show up Tuesday to testify at the Jakarta trial of five
Indonesian soldiers and policemen, citing fears for their safety.
The human rights court postponed the hearing until June 11 after Armindo
Deodeus Gronades, Tobias dos Santos and Fez da Costa failed to attend.
Prosecutor Darmono (eds: one name), reading a letter from the East Timorese
prosecutor's office dated Monday, said the three would not testify in
the
capital of former ruler Indonesia due to "concerns for their safety".
"This reasoning is excessive because whenever East Timorese are
testifying,
security authorities are deploying up to four companies of men (around
400
men), so their security is totally guaranteed," Darmono told the
court.
Three East Timorese, including one woman, testified under tight security
at
the same court last week. The woman gave evidence against the five officers
while the two men testified in two other trials -- of a former East Timor
governor and a former police chief there.
The five defendants in Tuesday's trial are Colonel Herman Sedyono, Captain
Sugito (eds: one name), Colonel Liliek Kushadianto and Major Achmad Syamsudin
-- all from the army -- and Adjunct Senior Police Commissioner Gatot
Subiyaktoro.
They are accused of gross rights violations by failing to prevent a massacre
of 27 people at a church in Suai on September 6, 1999. They face sentences
ranging from 10 years in prison to death if convicted.
Judge Cicut Sutiarso said that if the three witnesses fail to apear next
week, the court would read out their written testimony.
Apart from the seven already on trial, 11 others -- including security
and
civilian officials and an East Timorese militia chief -- are due to face
the
court over army-backed attacks by pro-Jakarta militias against East Timorese
independence supporters in April and September 1999.
Militiamen organised by senior Jakarta officials waged a campaign of
intimidation before East Timor's August 1999 vote to break from Indonesia
and
a bloody "scorched earth" revenge campaign afterwards.