To Members of the United Nations Security Council:
Dear Excellencies:
We are writing as citizens of many countries who currently reside in East Timor (Timor Lorosa’e), working with a variety of organizations. Through our work and our friendships, we have developed close contacts with many people and organizations in this soon-to-be independent nation. We understand and share their feeling that justice has not been served for the crimes against humanity committed here between 1975 and 1999.
On 16 October, we attended a conference in Dili entitled “Justice and Accountability in East Timor,” where more than 60 East Timorese from more than 15 organizations came together and unanimously voiced their demand for an International Tribunal to provide justice for East Timor. After evaluating the current UNTAET serious crimes process and the state of justice in Indonesia, the attendees concluded that neither of these venues could lead to meaningful justice, especially as to the higher levels of culpability. They are asking, as are we, for the international community to take responsibility to end impunity for those who occupied and devastated this country.
This is not a new request. In early 2000, both the UNCHR-established International Commission of Inquiry and the Indonesian government’s KPP-HAM investigation recommended that high-level Indonesian military commanders be prosecuted, and that an international court would be the only practical way to accomplish this. In the last few months, all 16 East Timorese political parties, as well as the National Council which was East Timor’s legislature until June, have also expressed their support for an international tribunal. As time goes on, it is increasingly clear to everyone that Jakarta cannot or will not prosecute high-ranking military officers, and that UNTAET’s Serious Crimes Unit does not have the leverage to obtain Indonesian cooperation. The Unit also has limited resources, time, and capabilities. Since the atrocities committed in East Timor were of such huge magnitude that impunity is not an option, we are asking the Security Council, as representatives of the people of the world, to establish an effective mechanism to investigate, prosecute and punish those who committed crimes against humanity here.
Since 1999, three Indonesian presidents and the military structures that govern with them have effectively blocked all efforts to hold TNI commanders responsible for the planned, systematic terror and devastation that was inflicted on the East Timorese people. In addition, as the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly repeatedly resolved, Indonesia’s 1975 invasion and 24-year occupation of East Timor were flagrant violations of international law. These crimes were ordered and committed by human beings who should be held accountable, both to prevent their repetition and to send a signal not only to the people of East Timor, but to all humanity, that such behavior is unacceptable in a civilized world. The international community must focus its energy to compel Indonesian authorities to cooperate with justice.
After two years, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor is winding down. East Timor will be independent soon. It would compound the crimes already committed here if this tiny, poor nation which has endured so much terror is left on its own to cope with criminals who still hold positions of power in its huge neighbor. The period of U.N. responsibility for East Timor must leave a legacy of justice and accountability if East Timor is to succeed as a member of the world community.
As East Timor writes its Constitution and establishes its own governmental processes, the community of nations expects it to follow the rule of law for its own citizens. The Security Council can set an example, and establish a base for security and justice which will endure.
Sincerely yours,
Jude Conway (Asia-Pacific
Support Collective)
Sr. Bernardita Guhit
(Bishop Belo’s Center for Peace and Development)
Janet Gunter
Carla Serreira e Freire
(Oikos)
Mayumi Hachisuka (La’o
Hamutuk)
Titi Irawati (Forum Solidarity
for East Timorese-Indonesia (FORTILOS))
Vijaya Joshi (La’o
Hamutuk)
Nugroho Katjasungkana
(Forum Solidarity for East Timorese-Indonesia (FORTILOS))
Inge Lempp
Jenny Newton (Caritas
Australia)
Sienike Martin (Caritas
Australia)
Hannah McCaughey (Australian
Volunteers International)
Christian Ranheim (Judicial
Systems Monitoring Programme)
Solange Rosa
Charles Scheiner (International
Federation for East Timor)
Pamela Sexton (La’o
Hamutuk)
Andrew de Sousa (La’o
Hamutuk)
Jill Sternberg
P.O. Box 196
Dili, Timor Lorosa’e
Via Darwin, Australia
Fax: +670(390)313274
Email: cscheiner@igc.org
Asia Pacific Support Collective
Timor Lorosa’e (APSC-TL) Updated Oct 27
PO Box 115 Dili Timor Lorosa’e
Office tel/fax +670-390-321030, mobile
phones: 0409-193242 (Jude Conway), 0417-886792 (Beba Sequeira)
Email: dili.apsc@downunder.net.au
Homepage:
http://www.apscTimor.org
Bishop Belo’s Center for
Peace and Development:
Kadalak Sulimutuk Institute
(KSI) - Flowing Stream Institute Up-dated Oct 27
KSI is a registered East
Timorese non-government organization (ETNGO)
Research: (Ethnicity, Reintegration, Land
Dispute and Impact Public Policy), Training/Workshop.
Location: Dili, Aileu, Ermera, Maliana,
Same, Ambeno,Viqueque
Contact: Antero Bendito Da Silva, Jl.
Bebonok Dili Comoro Dili Timor Lorosae (mob) 0407 186 704
Tetum:
(the most common East Timorese
language)
La’o
Hamutuk, Institutu Timor Lorosa’e ba Analiza no Monitor Reconstrusaun /
Institut Permantauan dan Analisis Reconstruksi Timor Loro Sa'e
Updated Aug 18
Saida
mak La’o Hamutuk? La’o Hamutuk organizasaun klibur Ema Timor
Lorosa’e no Ema Internacional ne’ebe buka atu tau matan, halo analize ho
halo relatorio kona ba hahalok (actividade) instuisaun internacional ne’ebe
oras ne’e haknaar iha Timor Lorosa’e, liu-liu hahalok sira ne’ebe iha relasaun
ho rekonstrusaun fizika no social Timor Lorosa’e nian. La’o Hamutuk
fiar katak Povo Timor Lorosa’e mak tenke hakotu iha procesu rekonstrusaun
ne’e nia laran no procesu rekonstrusaun ne’e tenke demokratiku no transparante
duni.
Staf Timor oan: Inès
Martins, Fernando da Silva, Thomas Freitas; Staf Internasional:
Pamela Sexton, Mark Salzer; Kuadru Ejekutivu: Sr. Maria Dias, Joseph
Nevins, Fr. Jovito Rego de Jesus Araùjo, Aderito Soares Durubasa:
Benjamin Sanches Afonso, Tomé Xavier Jeronimo, Maria Bernardino,
Manuel Tilman, Djoni Ferdiwijaya Ilustrador: Sebastião Pedro
da Silva, Nan Porter Design Jeronimo Staf Monitoriu Projektu Judiciariu
JSMP:
Christian Ranheim, Caitlin Reiger,
Rayner Thwaites
Local Contact: P.O. Box 340,
Dili, East Timor (via Darwin, Australia) Mobile fone: +61(408)811373;
Telefone Uma: +670(390)325-013
International contact: +1-510-643-4507
Email: laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org
Homepage: http://www.etan.org/lh
Boletim La’o Hamutuk: [Tetum PDF
format]
Vol. 2, No. 3 Junho 2001 Fundu Monetariu
Internasional (IMF) iha Timor Lorosa’e: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/bulv2n3T.pdf
Vol. 2, Nos. 1-2 Abríl 2001 Vizaun
Jeral Hosi Fundu Ba Rekonstrusaun Timor Loro Sa’e: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/lhbl2n1t.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 4, 31 Dejembru 2000 Banku
Mundial iha Timor Loro Sa’e: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/lhbul4tm.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 3, 17 Novembro 2000 Hari Sistema
Saude Nasional iha Timor Lorosa’e: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/LHbul3tm.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 2, 17 Julho 2000 Protesaun
ba meio ambiente iha TL: http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/bulletin02tetum.pdf
Vol. 1, No. 1, 21 Juñu 2000 Rekonciliasaun:
http://www.etan.org/lh/PDFs/bulletin01tetum.pdf
English:
La'o
Hamutuk: East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis
Updated June 24
La'o Hamutuk is a registered East
Timorese non-government organization (ETNGO)
La'o Hamutuk (Tetum for Walking
Together) is a joint East Timorese-international organization that seeks
to monitor, to analyze, and to report on the reconstruction activities
of the principal international institutions. It believes that the people
of East Timor must be the ultimate decisionmakers in the reconstruction
process and that the process should be as democratic and transparent as
possible ...
East Timorese staff: Inès
Martins, Fernando da Silva, Thomas Freitas;
International staff: Pamela
Sexton, Mark Salzer Executive board: Sr. Maria Dias, Joseph Nevins,
Fr. Jovito Rego de Jesus Araùjo, Aderito
de Jesus Soares Translators: Maria Bernardino, Tom‚ Xavier Jeronimo
JSMP
staff: Christian Ranheim, Caitlin Reiger, Rayner Thwaites
International contact: +1-510-643-4507
Email: laohamutuk@easttimor.minihub.org
Homepage: http://www.etan.org/lh
La’o Hamutuk Bulletin: http://www.etan.org/lh/bulletin.html
Mar 23 2001 LH: Job announcement for La'o
Hamutuk in East Timor: http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/01marjob.htm
Activity Report: Mar 16 2001 LH:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/01marlhreport.html
Caritas
Australia Up-dated Aug 19
Caritas Australia (estab. 1964 as Australian
Catholic Relief) is the official development and relief agency for the
Catholic Church in Australia under the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference
in response to requests being received from the countries of the Pacific,
Asia and Africa for financial assistance to help the poor in their countries.
The organisation is part of the Caritas Internationalis network of 146
autonomous Catholic aid and development agencies active in 194 countries
around the world. Caritas works with the poor and marginalised through
supporting the community development programs of our Caritas partner agencies.
Email: caritas@caritas.org.au
Homepage: http://www.caritas.org.au/
ETimor Webpage: http://www.caritas.org.au/ourwork/where_easttimor.htm
Bahasa Indonesia:
Program
Pemantauan Sistim Peradilan / Judicial System Monitoring Programme (JSMP)
Updated Oct 27
Program Pemantauan Sistim Peradilan (JSMP)
merupakan sebuah projek independen yang telah dikembangkan dibawah perlindugan
Asosiasi Juris Timor Loro Sa’e dan La’o Hamutuk,
sebuah organisasi yang terdiri dari orang-orang Timor Loro Sa’e dan
internasional. Melalui pemantauan kasus-kasus pengadilan dan menghasilkan
analisa hukun dan laporan-laporan tematis tentang perkebangan sistim peradilan
secara menyeluruh, JSMP bertujuan membantu Administrasi Transisi, masyarakat
umum Timor Loro Sa’e dan masyarakat internasional dengan memberikan rekomendasi-rekomendasi
bagi perbaikan yang terus-menerus di mana masalah-masalah spesifik diidentifikasikan.
Sasaran utama dari program adalah memperbaiki mutu keadilan yang diberikan
oleh sistim peradilan yang baru didirikan, memajukan HAM dan pemerintahan
yang berdasarkan hukum dengan cara yang bermanfaat dan transparan bagi
masyarakat Timor Loro Sa’e.
Sahe Institute
building, Rua da Mozambique I/1-A Palapaso, Dili – East Timor Phone: (Mobile)
0419 804 600
Alamat pos: P.O. Box 340 Dili, East Timor
via Darwin, Australia
Christian Ranheim, christian@jsmp.minihub.org,
Télpon (Mobile): +61(0) 419 804 600;
Caitlin Reiger, caitlin@jsmp.minihub.org,
Télpon (Mobile): +61 (0) 419 366 404;
Email/Phone: info@jsmp.minihub.org,
Télpon: +670 (390) 325-013
Situs-Web (Bahasa Inggeris): http://www.jsmp.minihub.org
English:
Judicial
System Monitoring Programme / Program Pemantauan Sistim Peradilan (JSMP)
Updated Aug 17
JSMP is a new human rights project set
up by the East Timorese Jurists’ Association and the Timorese/international
organisation La'o Hamutuk. JSMP aims to assist the United Nations Transitional
Administration in East Timor, the East Timorese public and the international
community by making recommendations for ongoing reform of the fledgling
judicial system of East Timor.
The main objective of the programme
is to improve the quality of justice provided by the newly established
judicial system, and to promote human rights and the rule of law in a meaningful
and transparent manner for the people of East Timor through:
International Federation
for East Timor Updated Sep 14
The International Federation for East
Timor was founded in 1991 by East Timor solidarity groups from four continents
as a clearinghouse for non-governmental organization (NGO) initiatives
on East Timor and to support those initiatives, particularly in United
Nations fora. IFET is accredited with the U.N. Department of Public Information
and has a U.N. Representative in New York. Our secretariat is in the Philippines.
IFET participates in U.N. hearings and conferences, supplies analyses and
statements to the media, and lobbies the U.N.-Portugal-Indonesia East Timor
talks to ensure that the human and political rights of the East Timorese
people
are respected. IFET selected, trained
and sent the largest number of international observers to the UN-conducted
popular referendum in 1999.
Email Charlie Scheiner: ifet@etan.org
Homepage:
http://etan.org/ifet
See also:
BD: Calls for International War Crimes Tribunal - A collection of recent reports, articles and news