World

Leaders to admit E Timor abuses

by Sanjay Jha | July 14, 2008 at 08:52 pm

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Finally truth has prevailed upon the leaders of Indonesia. After many years of Independence of Est Timor Indonesian leaders have have formally accepted to support militias with weapon , funding and operation help to target pro-independence supporters. This startling revelation might be hard for many Indonesian to believe.

The leaders of Indonesia and East Timor are to formally acknowledge the crimes against humanity committed during East Timor's vote for independence in 1999.

In Bali, they will receive the final report of their two countries' Truth and Friendship Commission - the world's first bilateral truth commission.

It was asked to find the institutions - but not the individuals - responsible for those human rights abuses.

The report lays much of the blame at the door of the Indonesian army.

This is a big step for Indonesia. Until now, its official position has been that the human rights abuses committed in East Timor in 1999 were isolated incidents - the random acts of individuals.

That is not true, says this report. The vast majority of those abuses were committed by pro-Indonesian militias backed by the Indonesian army.