• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=12/15/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=EAST TIMOR RIGHTS (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-257182
BYLINE=LISA SCHLEIN
DATELINE=GENEVA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  A U-N Commission of Inquiry on East Timor says 
it has found clear evidence of military involvement in 
the violence that erupted after the August 30th pro-
independence referendum.  Lisa Schlein in Geneva 
reports the Commission has provided its initial 
findings to the top U-N human rights official, Mary 
Robinson.
TEXT:  The five-member Commission of Inquiry has just 
completed a series of meetings to review the material 
it gathered in East Timor.  The panel of human rights 
experts recently spent nine-days in East Timor 
investigating allegations of human rights abuse.
A U-N Official, Tom McCarthy, accompanied the group to 
East Timor.  He calls the trip very intense.  He says 
the five experts were in the capital, Dili, when U-N 
forces discovered the bodies of East Timorese who had 
been buried during the violence.  He says the experts 
gathered evidence from more than 150-people during 
their visit.
            /// MC CARTHY ACT ///
      What people told them was certainly there was 
      evidence of intimidation on a systematic basis.  
      This included killings.  But, it also included 
      threats and burnings and that sort of thing.  
      women, in some cases, were particularly 
      targeted. 
            /// END ACT ///
Mr. McCarthy says the U-N experts saw for themselves 
the widespread destruction of property and interviewed 
many East Timorese who had been forced into exile by 
militiamen.  He says witnesses spoke of the terror 
that caused them to flee.  He says the Commission of 
Inquiry heard testimony of the destruction of evidence 
including removal of bodies from the site of killings.
            /// 2ND MC CARTHY ACT ///
      They came out with a very clear statement that 
      there is evidence of involvement of some 
      official military groups and army personnel, 
      that is for sure.  And they underline the 
      individual East Timorese right to know what 
      happened.  And, to have an effective remedy for 
      violations and to act against impunity.  They 
      call for the investigation process to continue. 
            /// END ACT ///
The Commission of Inquiry on East Timor has to submit 
a report of its findings to U-N Secretary-General Kofi 
Annan by the end of the year.  The report will then go 
on to the Security Council.  The Commission says 
investigations into alleged atrocities should 
continue, and those responsible for crimes should be 
brought to justice.  But the experts do not say 
whether they believe a war crimes tribunal, similar to 
those for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, should be 
established.   (SIGNED)
NEB/LS/GE/RAE
15-Dec-1999 12:50 PM EDT (15-Dec-1999 1750 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.