Received from Joyo Indonesia News

The Jakarta Post [online] October 25, 2002

Former prointegration leader has no regrets over action in East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Suspected gross human rights violator in East Timor, Eurico Guterres, said he had felt neither guilt nor sorrow over what he did in the region before it separated as an independent country.

Eurico said his action in East Timor was a moral call to fight for the country's sovereignty. "What I did was a moral call, protected by the law, especially article 30 of the 1945 Constitution (on the obligation to defend the state)," he said firmly.

The defendant was questioned on the decision to declare members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) as well as police guilty of violating human rights in East Timor. "TNI and police personnel posted there (in East Timor) simply carried out their duties to the state. How could they be declared guilty?" Eurico continued.

The former leader of prointegration group PPI was accused of being responsible for the attack on Manuel Viegas Carrascalao's house in Dili on April 1999 that killed 12 people.

Prosecutors considered Eurico to be ignorant of his subordinates' action, which violated human rights. In addition, Eurico, as leader, did not hand over the attackers to the police for further investigation.

During the trial, prosecutors submitted a telegram from the Udayana military commander addressed to the TNI commander as evidence. The telegram disclosed the chronology of the incident at Manuel Carrascalao's residence.

However, Eurico's lawyer Nicolay rejected the evidence, saying that it had not been cited in the list of evidence.

In addition, Nicolay questioned the attendance of military high-ranking personnel, such as former military chief Wiranto and former Udayana military chief Adam Damiri.