Indonesia ignores UN call to bring general to court

The former head of the Indonesian armed forces, General Wiranto, was indicted by the United Nations yesterday for crimes against humanity during the violence that swept East Timor before its vote for independence in 1999.

Arrest warrants for General Wiranto and six other senior generals were issued by the UN's Serious Crimes Unit in the East Timorese capital, Dili. The area's former governor, Abilio Soares, was also named on the indictment, which accuses the men of murder, deportation and persecution of civilian supporters of independence.

Human rights groups said General Wiranto, the supreme military commander at the time, bears ultimate responsibility for the violence by army-backed militia. More than 1,000 people were killed as the pro-Jakarta militia terrorised the civilians in the former Indonesian province before and after the UN-sponsored referendum.

But whether the general will be called finally to account for his actions is doubtful. Indonesia has no extradition treaty with East Timor, and the Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirayuda, said Jakarta would "simply ignore" the request to hand over the eight suspects.

The UN said their crimes were "part of a widespread or systematic attack" against civilians, aimed at thwarting East Timor's campaign for independence. The indictment charges the suspects with involvement in 280 killings covering 10 incidents, including a church massacre in the town of Liquica and an attack on a rally in Dili. The charges are based on more than 1,500 witness statements.

General Wiranto has always denied any wrongdoing in East Timor, and his lawyer, Yan Juanda, claimed yesterday he had been "one of the figures who tried to achieve peace". He said: "He was one of the saviours. He evacuated the UN staff to a secure place ... [the violence] is not his fault." General Wiranto lives freely in Indonesia, and was touted as a possible presidential candidate in general elections next year.

Indonesia has ignored all requests to hand over nationals to face trial for war crimes. It has set up a special court to deal with cases related to the 1999 violence, but its judgments have been widely criticised as a whitewash. Only four people have been found guilty.

The courts in Dili, acting with the Serious Crimes Unit, have indicted 178 people, Indonesians and East Timorese. But 106 of them remain at liberty in Indonesia.Human rights groups want an international UN tribunal for East Timor, similar to those prosecuting suspected war criminals from Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.