Indonesia, East Timor to open truth commission News
Indonesia, East Timor to open truth commission

[JURIST] East Timor [JURIST news archive] and Indonesia [JURIST news archive] have set up a joint truth commission, to open August 1 2005, to address human rights violations that occurred during a 1999 rampage in East Timor [Human Rights Watch report]. Following a UN sponsored referendum to end Indonesia's violent 27-year occupation of East Timor, anti-independence militias aided by elements of the Indonesian military slaughtered approximately 1,000 East Timorese. The joint commission will consist of five delegates from each country and will have no authority to punish those found guilty. The two Asian countries previously agreed [JURIST report] to set up the commission, and Indonesia rejected a UN proposal for an international tribunal [JURIST report]. Reuters has more.