TEAM EXPECTED TO BE FAIR TO BOTH PRO-INDONESIA, TIMOR LESTE FIGHTERS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Sept 18, 2014 (Antara) - Indonesia and its neighbor, Timor Leste, the world's smallest nation, have committed to overcoming the past and to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields, particularly the development sector.  
    "Both governments are strongly committed and eager to overcome issues from the past and build a better future," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said when visiting Dili, Timor Leste's capital, in August 2014.

          A key to maintaining good ties is mutual respect, according to President Yudhoyono, who had twice visited Timor Leste during his administration. The first visit was in May 2002.  

     Timor Leste, which was formerly called East Timor and was once a colony of Portugal, merged with Indonesia in 1975.  East Timor, which had been colonized by Portugal for more than 450 years, comprised the eastern half of Indonesia's island of Timor, located in East Nusa Tenggara Province.  
    Later, on August 30, 1999, in a UN-sponsored referendum, a majority of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia.  Following a UN-administered transition period, East Timor was internationally recognized as an independent nation on May 20, 2002.

          To resolve past events, a Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) was established by President Yudhoyono, then-Vice President Jusuf Kalla, former Timor Leste President Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Tampaksiring, Bali on December 14, 2004.

        The Commission was tasked to establish the truth in regard to the events prior to and immediately after the referendum that led to the secession of East Timor from Indonesia in September in 1999, with a view to promote reconciliation and friendship, and to ensure there is no recurrence of similar events.

        The CTF comprised ten members and six alternate members (eight from Indonesia and eight from Timor-Leste) chosen among persons of high standing and competence drawn mainly from legal and human rights fields, academia, religious and community leaders.

         In July 2008, after receiving a final report from the CTF, the governments of Indonesia and Timor Leste expressed deep regret over the human rights violations committed in 1999. The CTF report referred to the principle that both sides had committed gross human rights violations in East Timor.

         And for over a decade, Indonesia and Timor Leste have developed their relations and established various cooperative programs for the welfare of their peoples. The two top leaders, businessmen, and journalists have frequently exchanged visits.

         Recently, Chairman of the Retired Military and Police Officers' Association (Pepabri) Agum Gumelar told the press that he was leading a fact finding team to discover the remains of former president of Timor Leste's Fretelin Nicolau dos Reis Lobato, who had been killed in a shootout with Indonesian military personnel in December 1978.

         "Our good intention is to follow up talks with Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Denpasar (Bali) last Friday. I have reported it to Pak Try Sutrisno (retired general and former vice president), and other prominent figures of Pepabri, and they agreed that we form an investigation team," Agum Gumelar said.

         He met Xanana Gusmao in Bali on September 16, 2014 and announced his plan to visit Metinaro and Seroja heroes' cemeteries in Dili, Timor Leste, to pay respects to both countries' fallen soldiers.

          Xanana, during the meeting, requested that Gumelar find the remains of Lobato, buried somewhere in Indonesia, as Timor Leste wanted to relocate the remains to Metinaro.

        The news about the establishment of the Gumelar-led fact finding team, however, triggered a protest from the Aswain Timor Union (Untas), an organization of East Timorese residing in Indonesia, saying that it would be like the "reopening of an old wound".

          "The Indonesian government's stance on approving Timor Leste government's request to find the remains of Nicolau Lobato has deeply hurt the sentiments of former East Timorese who now live in Indonesia," Chairman of Untas Eurico Guterres stated in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on September 16, 2014.

       "I also wonder why, in the early days of his administration, SBY (President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) had invited Xanana Gusmao to establish The Truth and Friendship Commission (CTF) between Indonesia and Timor Leste. However, prior to the end of his administration, SBY has established a fact-finding team to 'reopen an old wound'," he added.

        A CTF recommendation signed by SBY and Xanana in Bali in July 2008 clearly states that the two countries would forget the past, and look to develop a more peaceful future, he pointed out.

        He suggested that, instead of establishing the fact-finding team, the government should announce the location of Lobato's remains to save time, energy, and money.

        Untas has planned to send a letter to the fact-finding team asking for clarification and also providing a list of names of the pro-Indonesian fighters who had been killed by Fretilin. 
   Guterres was of the view that the government should have searched for the remains of the heroes who were shot dead in East Timor. The team should not only search for the bones of Lobato, but also those of pro-Indonesian fighters, he added.

         "The plan to search is good, but to look only for Lobato's bones is unfair," Guterres said.

          If the Indonesian government has money to find bones, it should also be used to look for the remains of pro-Indonesian fighters who were murdered in Viqueque, he stated. ***1***
(f001/INE/a014)