After months of escalating violence, TNI-supported militias rampaged through Atambua, West Timor following the murder of a well-known militia leader. As Indonesian military and police looked on, militias attacked the UNHCR office and went door-to-door searching for international aid workers.
They hacked to death and then burned the bodies of 3 UNHCR workers, and murdered an unknown number of East Timorese refugees and West Timorese residents. One of the UNHCR workers killed had told his family that he knew some militia leaders were close to Indonesian army commanders. He said he once saw a militia leader giving an order to Indonesian troops. He also said that the Indonesian military ignored him when he complained he had received a death threat from a militia leader.
Military-backed militia violence has since spread in West Timor, but because of the complete evacuation of international personnel, the death toll and level of current violence is unknown. What is clear is that vulnerable East Timorese refugees and the residents of West Timor are without protection from militias. Without any humanitarian assistance now in the camps, food supplies for refugees are dangerously low; many may soon face starvation.
Acehnese human rights lawyer Jafar Siddiq Hamzah, a permanent U.S. resident, founded and chaired the International Forum on Aceh (IFA), a non-governmental organization campaigning for peace and human rights in Aceh. Jafar worked to alert the world of military crackdowns in his homeland. ETAN often worked with Jafar to address human rights issues and military violence in East Timor and Indonesia. Serious human rights violations are routine in Aceh, where over 300 Acehnese have been killed this year, most by Indonesian security forces.
Indonesian human rights advocates suspect TNI involvement in Jafar's murder, which followed the pattern of a Kopassus special forces execution. Jafar's case merits the formation of a high-level civilian investigative team that includes the the Indonesian attorney general's office and Komnas HAM, Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights.
For more information, contact Karen Orenstein at ETAN's Washington office at 202-544-6911, karen@etan.org, or consult the ETAN website at www.etan.org.
For Immediate Release September 6, 2000
Contact: John M. Miller
ETAN Mourns Death of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah Urges Justice for Victims of Indonesian Military and Militia Violence
"The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) is deeply saddened and angered at the confirmation of Jafar Siddiq Hamzah's murder," said John M. Miller, spokesperson for ETAN.
""ETAN often worked with Jafar to address human rights issues and military violence in Indonesia and East Timor. We have lost a friend and colleague. The world has lost a tireless advocate for human rights, and the people of Aceh and Indonesia have lost an advocate for peace and the rule of law," said Miller.
