No subject

08nov02

THE al-Qaeda terrorist network has said it carried out last month's devastating 
bombing on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, CNN reported today. 

The group led by Osama bin Laden said it had attacked "nightclubs and 
whorehouses in Indonesia" in a web site message which was translated by CNN.com.

More than 190 people, mainly foreign tourists, were killed when a huge car bomb 
went off outside Bali's Sari nightclub on October 12.

CNN said that the web site has been used in the past by al-Qaeda to claim 
responsibility for attacks, including the synagogue fire in Tunisia in which 
mainly German tourists died, and strikes on two ships in Yemen.

"By attempting to strike a US plane in Saudi Arabia and by bombing a Jewish 
synagogue in Tunisia, destroying two ships in Yemen, attacking the Fialka base 
in Kuwait, and bombing nightclubs and whorehouses in Indonesia, al-Qaeda has 
shown it has no qualms about attacking inside Arab and Islamic lands," the 
statement said. 

"This is provided that the target belongs to the Jewish-Crusader alliance," it 
added.

A spokesman for the Bali-based multi-national investigation team which is 
hunting the perpetrators of the bombing said he had information about the 
reported claim by al-Qaeda.

"Our investigation has not yet reached a conclusion that far," General Edward 
Aritonang told AFP by phone from Bali.

Indonesian police said yesterday that a man now under interrogation has 
admitted being part of a group which carried out the deadly Bali bombing.

National police chief Da'i Bachtiar, announcing an apparent major breakthrough 
after weeks of false leads, said the man identified as Amrozi was one of a 
group with various tasks concerning the bombing assigned to them.

Police have said that the Bali bombing contains the hallmarks of previous 
attacks carried out by the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiah.

Indonesian police are questioning its alleged spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir 
over a series of church bombings on Christmas Eve 2000 and a plot to 
assassinate Megawati Sukarnoputri before she became president although he is 
not a suspect in the Bali bombing.

Indonesian police arrested Bashir after Omar al-Faruq, an alleged al-Qaeda 
operative who is now in US custody, implicated him in terrorist operations in 
Indonesia.

Bashir is an avowed admirer of Osama bin Laden, whom he sees as a "true Muslim 
fighter," although he has denied any links to terrorism. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesia police issue sketch of fourth Bali bomb suspect 
07 November, 2002 16:13 GMT+08:00  
Bali, Indonesia (Reuters) 

Indonesian police released on Thursday the sketch of a fourth suspect in last 
month's devastating bomb blasts on Bali, which killed nearly 200 people. 

"According to our witnesses, he is thought to have a very close connection to 
the case. His status is a suspect," deputy National Police spokesman Edward 
Aritonang told reporters at a news conference on the resort island. 

Police released sketches last week of three Indonesian men they said might be 
perpetrators or planners of the devastating blasts that ripped through a Bali 
nightclub area. The man in the latest sketch had Indonesian features but police 
did not give more details. 

Police have said they believe the group responsible for the attacks consisted 
of up to 10 members. But they have not named any individuals or groups as 
suspects. 

No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts but speculation has centred on 
Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian Islamist organisation intelligence agencies 
say has planned attacks throughout the region, and which has been linked to al 
Qaeda. 

Aritonang also said that a possible suspect arrested in East Java had been 
moved to Bali to face further investigation but the police brigadier general 
declined to elaborate on his role. 

"For the sake of his rights and our investigation, we won't disclose his 
specific role but we are confident he has close links to the case," said 
Aritonang, who is also spokesman for the multinational joint investigation team 
looking into the Bali tragedy. 

Asked whether the man was the owner of a minivan packed with explosives that 
caused the biggest of the three blasts on October 12, as East Java police had 
stated on Wednesday, Aritonang said: "This is what we are looking 
into...whether he is the owner or only has a connection to the car. 

"We still have to do many matchings to our witnesses and evidence. That's why 
he was brought to Bali." 

The van had been parked outside a packed Sari nightclub that was destroyed when 
the vehicle exploded, killing at least 184 victims, most of them foreigners. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
National News
November 08, 2002
Angry mob forces closure of church in Bandung 
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A church minister called on the authorities to seek a quick and peaceful 
solution to the closure by force of a Christian HKBP church in Bandung, capital 
of the predominantly Muslim West Java, saying the anarchic act could trigger 
sectarian conflict in the immediate future.

Church minister Revered Oloan Nainggolan told The Jakarta Post by telephone on 
Thursday that the city mayor, legislative council, the police and the military 
have already been informed about the terror but so far no actions have been 
taken to solve the problem. 

"We are astounded that the authorities are fearful of taking actions against 
this anarchic act. We have no objections to the church's closure if we have 
violated the law or the church's establishment is against the law," he said. 

Oloan said more than 100 Muslim people terrorized church-goers inside the 
church on Wednesday, forcing them to leave the premises and ordering them to 
close it permanently. 

"The mob was led by Wildan Anas who introduced himself as chairman of the 
Mosque Security Council (FSDKM). The angry mob pelted the church building with 
stones and, then, entered the church and stood on the holy altar shouting 
provocatively. 

"The most ironic thing is that a number of police were present at the site but 
did nothing to prevent the mob from entering the place of worship," said Oloan. 

Oloan explained that the terror followed the Nov. 6, 2002, deadline set by 
(FSDKM) for a permanent closure of the church. 

FSDKM has long objected to the presence of the church which it claims has no 
permit from the city authorities. 

Oloan said the church was constructed in 1990 with a permit from the relevant 
authorities in the city and with support from 13 people representing social 
groups in the area. 

"Now, let the authorities solve the problem and we will comply with any 
decision made by the government in accordance with the law," he said, adding 
that the church has been handed over to First Insp. Dachi, chief of the 
Baleendah Police Station. 

A non-governmental organization Solidaritas Nusa Bangsa condemned FSDKM, saying 
security authorities should take actions against the angry mob because freedom 
of religion was guaranteed by the Constitution and the law. 

Asmin Fransiska, spokesman for the NGO, said the terror was committed by a 
certain group of people in the name of religion in an apparent attempt to 
provoke sectarian conflict, an action that could threaten religious tolerance. 

He added FSDKM had launched similar actions in six other Christian churches in 
the city. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
November 08, 2002
Military continues siege on GAM headquarters 
Ibnu Mat Noor and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh/Jakarta

Over a thousand soldiers surrounded a Free Aceh Movement (GAM) stronghold in 
North Aceh for a second consecutive day on Thursday, as the military urged the 
rebels to surrender to avoid a bloody showdown.

Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus Komarno told The Jakarta Post Thursday that the 
soldiers were delaying an attack on GAM's Paya Cot Trieng headquarters, located 
some 35 kilometers southeast of Lhokseumawe, East Aceh, to give the rebels 
ample time to surrender. 


"We are still giving GAM members there the opportunity to surrender," Firdaus 
said. He did not say how long the military would delay an attack on the 
headquarters. 

Meanwhile, in Jakarta, the government reiterated its intention to continue 
peace talks with GAM even during the fasting month of Ramadhan. 

Speaking to journalists after meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri on 
Thursday, Usman Hassan, a member of the Aceh Forum, said the government had 
conveyed its hope of continuing the peace talks through the Henri Dunant Center 
(HDC), which has been facilitating the dialog between GAM and the Indonesian 
government. 

"The President has asked HDC to urge GAM to continue the dialog immediately 
during the fasting month," Usman said. 

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo 
Bambang Yudhoyono underlined that the peace talks with GAM were continuing and 
could not yet be considered as failed. 

"We are going to continue efforts to sign a peace deal as soon as possible ... 
if needed we will reformulate the whole deal to get a peace deal signed," 
Susilo said after a Cabinet meeting. 

In Aceh, Lt. Col. Komarno said there were about 50 GAM fighters in the 
surrounded rebel camp and over 100 civilians being held as human shields. 

Military officers in Banda Aceh suggested that top GAM commander Muzakkir Manaf 
and GAM spokesman Sofyan Dawod were among the rebels in the camp. 

Sofyan Dawod confirmed that he was among the dozens of GAM fighters in the 
surrounded camp, but denied the presence of Muzakkir. 

He also said that there were about 100 civilians with them who came to the camp 
to seek protection from the Indonesian Military (TNI). 

Firdaus said the civilians were being used as human shields by the rebels, 
prompting TNI to delay its attack. 

He said the government would grant the rebels amnesty if they surrendered 
immediately. 

On Wednesday, five people including one soldier died in a gunbattle between GAM 
fighters and the TNI around the besieged camp. 

According to Firdaus, over 1,000 military personnel are blocking all roads 
leading into and out of the camp and preventing people from entering the area. 

A certain Tengku Agam, who claims to be a GAM spokesman in North Aceh, said on 
Thursday he spotted helicopters hovering over the swampy forest area of Paya 
Cot Trieng distributing flyers urging the rebels to surrender. 

"The flyers are a waste of money; we will not surrender," Tengku Agam told the 
Post. He claimed to have escaped from the rebel camp on Thursday morning. 

According to Tengku Agam, TNI will not dare approach the camp because of the 
numerous booby traps the rebels have laid along the roads in the area. 

"What is certain is that two military personnel, including one middle-ranking 
officer, were shot dead by friendly fire," Tengku Agam said. 

Firdaus Komarno, however, dismissed these allegations as groundless. 

The siege of GAM's Paya Cot Trieng headquarters came after GAM leaders in 
Geneva, Switzerland, unilaterally delayed the signing of a peace agreement 
until after the Idul Fitri holiday. 

This decision baffled the government, which wanted to sign the agreement before 
the fasting month of Ramadhan began on Nov. 6. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crisis Centre Diocese Of Amboina
Jalan Pattimura 32 – Ambon 97124 – Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195   Fax 0062 (0)911 355337   E-mail 
crisiscentre01 at hotmail.com 
Ambon, November 6, 2002

The Situation In Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 325

1. Further News On The Capsized Motor Vessel – At 8.00 p.m. on November 3, the 
motorboat “Masohi Star”left from Ambon on its routine voyage to Masohi. 
However, after twenty minutes it capsized and sunk. Five people were found 
drowned: two women (30 and 40 years old) and three children (2 and 3 years 
old). Of the initially 140 persons that were taken to several hospitals, most 
have returned home meanwhile, leaving 37 for further treatment in the Military 
Hospital and the Al-Fatah Hospital. The harbour authorities acknowledged that 
besides the 104 passengers in possession of a ticket, another 50 passengers had 
forcibly boarded the ship. They further said that fifteen people are still 
missing. However, it is said that the total number of passengers exceeded 300, 
and today’s Muslim “Ambon Expres” newspaper says that 63 are still trapped 
inside the vessel on the bottom of the sea. For two hours the captain had in 
vain tried to get the illegal passengers off his ship, but had at last decided 
to take the risk and set sail.

2. Visit By Minister Of Home Affairs – The Minister of Home Affairs, Hari 
Sabarno, came to Ambon yesterday for a “routine” visit, as he declared to the 
local mass media. All Provinces are being visited now by Cabinet Ministers, he 
said, in a Government Consolidation endeavour. As the Minister of Home Affairs, 
he happens to be the one that will appoint the person that will be the 
caretaking governor, starting on November 12, when Latuconsina’s term will have 
ended. He admonished the Provincial House of Representatives quickly to compose 
their list of conditions that will apply to any candidate for this temporary 
office. But in this Civil Emergency situation he himself is the only one to 
choose and appoint the caretaker, even for indefinite time, until the situation 
is safe enough for a free election of a new governor. The Minister returned to 
Jakarta today. 

3. SPMM Radio Silent – The local illegal and provocative Radio Station SPMM 
(Suara Perjuangan Muslim Maluku = Voice of the Moluccas Muslim Struggle) has 
been silent since the Laskar Jihad left Ambon some weeks ago.

4. Information For Dutch Moluccans – We advise Dutch Moluccans that want to 
come to the Moluccas for family visits, to get in contact with Mrs. Paulien 
Joel-Pareira in Ambon: Tel 0062-911-314285 or joel at ambon.wasantara.net.id in 
order to be informed on the conditions that have to be fulfilled to obtain an 
entry permit from the Civil Emergency Administrator at Ambon.

C.J.Böhm msc
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crisis Centre Diocese Of Amboina
Jalan Pattimura 32 – Ambon 97124 – Indonesia
Tel 0062 (0)911 342195   Fax 0062 (0)911 355337   E-mail 
crisiscentre01 at hotmail.com 
Ambon, November 8, 2002

The Situation In Ambon / Moluccas – Report No. 326

1. Involvement Armed Forces In Moluccas Conflict – We read on “infomaluku” that 
reports of possible involvement of Indonesian Military Forces (TNI) keep 
appearing in the media. There seem to be ties between on the one hand two hard-
line muslim organizations, namely the Jamaah Islamiyah and the Laskar Jihad, 
and on the other hand some TNI generals. Recently arrested members of the 
(supposedly) terrorist Coker gang in Ambon already confessed that they received 
training and funds from the Kopassus (TNI elite force). CNN mentioned the 
statement of an Ambonese Muslim warrior, who had joined the Laskar Jihad, that 
the Laskar Jihad was disbanded by TNI generals in order to hide their 
individual ties with the organization. The TNI, however, denies any ties 
between the military and the Laskar Jihad.

2. Berty And Members Coker Gang Possibly In Papua – The police is still 
searching for the whereabouts of Berty Loupatty, leader of the Christian Coker 
gang, who is suspected to be an instigator of violence in Ambon. The police in 
Jayapura (Irian / Papua) began to suspect that Berty and seven Coker thugs are 
in Papua after the arrest of two men, Daniel Sangor and Ronald Fautngilyanan, 
connected with an incident at the Cendrawasih University’s campus, where Daniel 
possibly wanted to start a conflict. Both have been detained by the Jayapura 
police for further investigation, because they are suspected to be members of 
the Coker gang (Coker is short for Cowo-Cowo Keren – Ambonese, meaning “Bold 
Youngsters”, see Report 89 no.4).

3. Need For Equipment To Raise The Wreckage Of The Sunk Vessel – The “Masohi 
Star” motorboat that sank in the bay of Ambon on November 3, is believed to 
contain the bodies of more than sixty drowned passengers. However, in Ambon 
there is no equipment available to raise the vessel from its estimated 100 
meters / 110 yards depth. So the governor has submitted a request for the 
appropriate equipment.

C.J.Böhm msc
Crisis Centre Diocese of Amboina
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Die in Indonesia Plane Crash
The Associated Press
Jakarta, Indonesia Nov. 7 

A commuter plane crashed early Thursday in an Indonesian province on the island 
of Borneo, killing seven people and injuring three, an airport official said.

The plane an 8-seat Britten-Norman 2A owned by Dirgantara Air Service went down 
minutes after takeoff from Tarakan in East Kalimantan province, said the 
official, named Zainuddin.

The plane was on a 80-minute flight to the nearby town of Lombawan located 
about 1,500 kilometers northeast of the country's capital Jakarta, he said.

"Just two minutes after taking off, the pilot radioed that he had to return to 
the airport," said Zainuddin, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name.

Borneo island, which is divided between Indonesia and Malaysia, is covered by 
vast tropical forests. There are few roads and air travel is common. Because of 
many poor maintenance, plane crashes occur frequently.

In July, nine people were killed when a cargo version of the Britten-Norman BN-
2B smashed into a mountainside while on a routine, one-hour flight in the same 
region. One person survived and was found after a five-day search.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
East Timor issues indictment over Dutch reporter murder 
07 November, 2002 15:12 GMT+08:00  
By Dean Yates 
Jakarta (Reuters) 

Investigators in East Timor have issued an indictment against two Indonesian 
military officers over the 1999 killing of a Dutch journalist around the time 
the territory voted to break from Jakarta's harsh rule. 

The United Nations, which administered East Timor until its formal independence 
last May, said in a statement that arrest warrants had been requested from the 
Dili District Court and would then be forwarded to Indonesia's attorney-
general. 

The indictment, the first to be issued over the murder of Financial Times 
reporter Sander Thoenes, also covered the alleged killing of 20 other 
civilians. A military spokesman in Jakarta denied all the accusations against 
the two officers. 

Thoenes, 30, was killed in the East Timor capital Dili on September 21, 1999, 
when tension was high following a landslide vote by East Timorese to break from 
24 years of Indonesian rule. He was shot in the torso and an ear was cut off. 

Machete-wielding pro-Jakarta militia -- backed by elements of the Indonesian 
military -- laid waste to East Timor following the vote and the U.N. estimates 
more than 1,000 people were killed. 

The statement by the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) 
said the indictment was against the commanding officer of Battalion 745 at the 
time and a platoon commander. 

"The indictment charges 17 counts of crimes against humanity, including 14 
counts of murder in which members of Battalion 745 are alleged to have killed 
21 civilians during September 1999," the statement said. 

The U.N. is providing assistance to the fledgling democracy for another two 
years following East Timor's formal independence, including rebuilding the 
territory's legal and court system. 

Both the military officers are believed to be residing in Indonesia, the 
statement added. It did not name them. 

Deputy military spokesman Brigadier-General Tono Suratman -- East Timor's 
military commander at the time of the bloody vote -- said Battalion 745 found 
Thoenes's body, but did not kill him. 

"It was certainly not them that did it," Suratman said. 

A special human rights court in Jakarta has been hearing 18 cases connected to 
the East Timor violence, including that of Suratman, who faces the death 
penalty after being accused of letting his troops murder civilians. He denies 
any wrongdoing. 

Barman Zahir, spokesman for the Attorney-General's office, said Indonesia's own 
investigation into the journalist's killing had been suspended because of 
limited staff. 

He indicated Indonesia would not cooperate in sending the two officers to East 
Timor. 

"We have to look at the arrest warrant first. We cannot arrest our (military 
officers) just like that...We had an agreement with East Timor that human 
rights trials should be held in Indonesia, not in East Timor," Zahir told 
Reuters. 

The Jakarta court has delivered verdicts for seven of the 18 defendants but 
only one has been found guilty. The other six, all Indonesian soldiers or 
policemen, have been set free, triggering scorn from human rights groups. 

Suratman, like the other military and police defendants on trial, has remained 
on active duty during a process being closely watched by the international 
community. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laksamana.net
Guterres Suffers Memory Loss
November 7, 2002 09:11 PM, 
 
Laksamana.Net -  Former pro-Indonesia militia leader Eurico Guterres, who three 
years ago ordered his followers to murder pro-independence East Timorese, now 
denies any wrongdoing and claims he is a victim of the government's desire to 
deflect international criticism. 

Guterres (28) is being tried at Jakarta’s special human rights court for one of 
many atrocities committed in the months surrounding East Timor’s 1999 vote for 
independence. 

On April 17, 1999, he ordered his fighters to kill pro-independence supporters, 
including Manuel Viegas Carascalo and his family. Shortly after his speech, pro-
Jakarta militiamen murdered 12 people at Carascalo’s residence in Dili, the 
capital of East Timor. 

This is what the militia leader said at the time: “From today, 17 April 1999, I 
order all militias of pro-integration to clean up the traitors of integration, 
arrest and kill them… I, Eurico Guterres will be fully responsible.” 

At the commencement of his trial on October 24, 2002, he told the court he felt 
no remorse because his violent actions in East Timor were based on his moral 
and legal obligation to fight for Indonesian sovereignty. 

But on Thursday (7/11/02), Guterres claimed he could not be held responsible 
for the attack because he was not in control of the frenzied mob. 

"I'm not a monster who has no heart. I never ordered, directed or assisted 
people to injure or kill other people," he was quoted as saying by Agence-
France Presse. 

Reading out a lengthy defense plea, the former leader of the Aitarak (Thorn) 
militia group claimed he did not witness the attack and did not know who did 
it. 

If that’s the case, Guterres should sue various international human rights 
groups and media organizations for slander. 

This how human rights website Masters of Terror recounts the events of April 
17, 1999. 

On 17 April 1999 he [Guterres] was recorded on national and international 
television as inciting his own and thousands of other militiamen from every 
district in East Timor gathered in a rally of 3-5000 to kill pro-independence 
supporters. The rally, to launch an anti-independence 'cleansing' campaign in 
Dili, was attended by the governor and all top government and military 
officials in East Timor. At this rally Eurico Guterres was made deputy 
commander of the combined pro-integration forces PPI (Pasukan Pro-Integrasi), a 
military-backed umbrella grouping of militias nominally led by Joao Tavares. 

He delivered an inflammatory speech urging his men to 'capture and kill if you 
need' those who had 'betrayed integration'. He singled out the family of former 
parliamentarian Manuel Carrascalao as 'traitors'. He concluded by stating that 
I, Eurico Guterres, 'will take full responsibility'. He then led one group of 
militia men and TNI members on a rampage around Dili, resulting in thirteen 
deaths. 

The group first destroyed property at the houses of three independence 
supporters. Manuel Pinto died in the third of these attacks, in which Eurico 
participated. 

At about 1pm, still led by Eurico, the group arrived at the house of Manuel 
Carrascalao, located next door to Eurico Guterres' Gardapaksi (later Aitarak) 
Dili headquarters. Other militia members had gathered outside it earlier, and 
inside were about 100 pro-independence refugees. Sensing the impending attack, 
Carrascalao and his daughter Christina had appealed for protection directly to 
East Timor military commander Col Tono Suratman but the latter did not respond. 
Carrascalao then appealed to some armed Brimob policemen, who also refused to 
act immediately. 

On 18 February 2002 Guterres was indicted in absentia before the Serious Crimes 
Panel in Dili District Court over these 17 April attacks. Sixteen others, 
including eight TNI members, are mentioned in the same indictment. The 
indictment states clearly which members of the party of militiamen and soldiers 
were responsible for killing each of the twelve victims and seriously injuring 
five others inside Carrascalao's house that day. Eurico was allegedly present 
while bodies were dumped into the well. 

Despite all that, Guterres claims his current trial is politically 
motivated. “This political trial is just a formality and in the end I will be 
punished," he was quoted as saying by AFP. "The reality I'm facing now is 
extremely ironic and painful. It's like I'm being dumped because I'm not useful 
anymore." 

Guterres' lawyers earlier read out a separate defense plea, in which they 
claimed the trial was "a political conspiracy". 

“Does Eurico Guterres not have any human rights that he has to be sacrificed?" 
lawyer Suhardi Sumomulyono was quoted as saying by AFP. "It is a shame that 
such a big country as ours could bow to pressure," he added. 

The charges against Guterres carry a maximum sentence of death, but the 
prosecutor has asked for a sentence of only 10 years in jail on the grounds 
that the defendant has been cooperative during the trial and had sought 
reconciliation with his political adversaries in East Timor. 

The prosecutor also said Guterres was young and therefore still has plenty of 
opportunities to change his attitude. 

The Indonesian military’s pro-Jakarta militia proxies slaughtered about 1,000 
people before and after East Timor's independence referendum on August 30, 
1999. 

Guterres flatly denied he was in command of the homicidal militiamen. He said 
they were not recruited but banded together because they shared the same goal 
of defending East Timor's integration with Indonesia. 

The swaggering defendant accused the media of twisting facts about the East 
Timor violence by mainly blaming the militias and of supporting an "imperialist 
conspiracy" to see the territory secede from Indonesia. 

Indonesia’s special human rights court was formed earlier this year to deflect 
foreign pressure to establish an international tribunal to deal bring the 
culprits of the East Timor carnage to justice. 

Rights activists say the series of trials for 18 suspects, including military 
personnel, policemen, pro-Jakarta militiamen and former officials, charged with 
crimes against humanity are a sham. 

The court in August acquitted four soldiers and two policemen, including the 
former police chief of East Timor, on charges of allowing massacres to take 
place. 

The acquittals drew widespread criticism from Indonesian human rights groups, 
as well as Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

So far only one suspect has been found guilty. The court in August sentenced 
East Timor’s former civilian governor Abilio Soares to three years in jail for 
failing to curb the violence. Prosecutors had demanded a sentence of 10 years 
and 6 months. 

Observers are now curious to see whether Guterres’ close ties with senior 
generals will enable him to evade jail, or whether he really will become a 
sacrificial pawn. 

His trial resumes on November 14.