Trial will test Mega's ties with military
Court case against high-ranking officers for E. Timor human-rights abuses
could erode military support for the President
By Devi Asmarani
STRAITS TIMES INDONESIA BUREAU
JAKARTA - The impending trial of army officers involved in human-rights
violations in East Timor two years ago will be a major test for President
Megawati Sukarnoputri's relations with the armed forces.
The trial - scheduled to take place on Jan 15 before a special court
- may
strain the President's thus-far cosy ties with the army which has backed
her
in the transition of power from ousted president Abdurrahman Wahid.
It will be the first time that high-ranking military officers are tried
outside of the martial court.
But analysts believe Ms Megawati will strike a delicate balance to retain
the
military's support while ensuring the trial does not disappoint the
international community and human-rights groups demanding justice for
the
East Timor violence.
Indonesia cannot afford to delay the matter further, because it is a
precondition for getting aid from foreign donors as well as for the full
resumption of Washington-Jakarta military ties.
The trial could also help the army leadership, which is seeking to improve
professionalism and to cleanse its corps of those accused of perpetrating
crimes.
Said military analyst J. Kristiadi of the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies: 'The armed forces are in a position in which they
can
no longer ignore the public demand.
'They would support the ad hoc trial as long as it is fairly conducted.'
Nineteen people, including 14 army and police officers, have been named
suspects in cases of gross human-rights violations in the months surrounding
East Timor's vote for independence on Aug 30.
The officers include Major-General Adam Damiri, who headed the Bali-based
Udayana military command overseeing East Timor in 1999, Brigadier-General
Tono Suratman and Brig-Gen M. Nur Muisformer, commanders of the Dili
military, Colonel Yayat Sudradjat, the former head of the much-feared
Tribuana Task Force, and former East Timor police chief Brig-Gen Timbul
Silaen.
Former governor Abilio Jose Soare and three pro-Jakarta militia leaders
are
also among the suspects.
But most human-rights campaigners are sceptical that the trial will be
fair
and independent, questioning the government's commitment to fighting rights
abuses.
They fear that the suspects will go free or get light punishment, as
was the
case when three United Nations staff were hacked to death in Sept 2000
in
West Timor.
In May 2001, three East Timorese militiamen were found guilty of the
crime
and sentenced to between 16 and 20 months in jail after the court dropped
manslaughter charges but upheld charges of 'fomenting violence which resulted
in the deaths'.
Said National Commission on Human Rights Secretary Asmara Nababan: 'The
government's role - in this case, the Attorney-General's Office - is to
provide a strong indictment and proof so that the perpetrators do not
get
away lightly.'
There is also suspicion that political bargaining is afoot in the selection
of judges for the special court.
President Megawati has yet to install a team of five from a panel of
40 that
comprises mostly career judges, some academics and activists.