Indonesian experts conclude probe into post-referendum
violence in East Timor
28 July -- The investigation team from the Indonesian Attorney General's Office left the East Timor capital of Dili today, at the conclusion of a nine-day visit to question witnesses and collect material evidence about the five priority criminal cases presented by the Indonesians, according to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).
"The visit proceeded with no disturbances," UNTAET said in a statement. One group of investigators spent three days in Suai to question witnesses of the 6 September massacre in a church, while the rest of the 17-member team remained in Dili to interview witnesses to the massacre in the Liquica Church, the attack on Manual Carraascalao's residence, the attack on Bishop Belo's compound and the murder of Dutch journalist Sander Thoenes.
Four members of the team will remain in Dili until early August to conduct additional investigations, but the "bulk of the work … has been concluded" and a report leading up to indictments in the different cases is expected in a couple of weeks, the UN mission said.
In other news from Dili, head of mission Sergio Vieira de Mello and Force Commander Lieutenant General Boonsrang Niumpradit returned to Dili from Denpasar, Indonesia, yesterday after meeting with West Timor Commander Major General Kiki Syahnakri.
According to UNTAET, General Syahnakri accepted that the group that killed UN peacekeeper Private Manning in East Timor on Monday probably operated out of West Timor. General Syahnakri offered all possible assistance in locating and arresting the perpetrators. It was also agreed that an ad hoc committee - comprised jointly of the Indonesian army and the UN peacekeeping force -- be set up to investigate the killing.
At the meeting, Mr. Vieira de Mello stated that "there could be no normal relations between the appointed leadership in East Timor and pro-autonomy groups in West Timor until these groups denounced the killing of the New Zealand soldier, renounced the use of violence and accepted the results of the popular consultation of last August."
