SIX E TIMORESE WITNESSES FAIL TO APPEAR AT RIGHTS TRIAL
Jakarta, Sept 2 (ANTARA) - Six witnesses from East Timor failed to
appear t the Central Jakarta district court here Monday to testify at
a human
rights ourt session to try former Dili regional military chief Lt Col
Endar
Priyanto.
"We received a facsimile from the East Timor attorney general saying
the six could not come to the trial because no international officials
were
available to accompany them," ad hoc prosecutor K Lere said.
Lere said the East Timor government had asked the United Nations in
New York to provide the officials but nobody had been sent to them and
therefore
they decided not to send the witnesses.
"Now we are planning to send one of our prosecutors there (to East
Timor) to accompany the witnesses," Lere said.
The six witnesses are Maria Christina Carrascalao (daughter of Manuel
Carrascalao), Leandro Isaac, Victor dos Santos, Domingus Boavita, Alfredo
Sanches and Florinto dos Santos.
The six witnesses had been summoned to the court session to testify
on
an attack on the house of Manuel Carrascalao on April 17, 1999. The incident
occurred after a rally to mark the launching of a Pam Swakarsa (civilian
security guard or militia) group.
In an earlier court session, former Dili district head Dominggus Soares
had confirmed that the rally had taken place. He said he joined the rally
but
did not immediately go home after it was over.
He said he did not hear any shot from the house of Manuel Carrascalao
which was only one hundred meters away.