Suai Church Massacre
During the church massacre in Suai on September 6, 1999, numerous civilians were murdered by members of the Laksaur militia in the Nossa Senhora do Rosario church in Suai ( East Timor ). Only 26 of the presumably up to 200 victims could be identified. The United Nations believe that the militia received support from Indonesia's armed forces .
As a result, 16 people were charged with crimes against humanity . The East Timorese National Police arrested a suspect, Sub-Commander Maternus Bere , in 2009 . But he was released for political reasons and then deported to Indonesia .
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Location of Suai in East Timor |
The massacre took place in the Indonesian-occupied East Timor after the independence referendum , in which the clear majority of East Timorese spoke out in favor of breaking away from the occupying power. After the results were announced, another wave of violence broke out across East Timor, in which pro-Indonesian militias ( Wanra ) and Indonesian security forces destroyed houses and infrastructure. East Timorese were attacked and driven out. A total of around 3,000 people died before the intervention of the international protection force INTERFET .
Done in Suai
On September 6, 1999, the Wanra Laksaur committed a massacre of civilians in the Nossa Senhora do Rosario Church in Suai. Two days after the results of the independence referendum were announced, the militia attacked the church where several hundred refugees had gathered. So the report of the International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor of the United Nations. The militia is said to have been supported by regular Indonesian soldiers.
The attackers stormed into the church and attacked those present with machetes, knives and firearms. In Father Hilario's private room , they fired automatic weapons and threw a hand grenade. The priest and two other priests were among the first victims. Only 26 victims buried on the other side of the border in Indonesian West Timor could be identified. According to eyewitnesses, the number of victims is significantly higher. It is assumed that up to 200 dead.
Legal processing
Five Indonesian officials were tried to be held responsible for this crime: Lieutenant Colonel Liliek Kusardiyanto , Captain Ahmad Syamsudin , Lieutenant Sugito , Police Colonel Gatot Subiaktoro and District Chief Herman Sedyono . The United Nations accused 16 people, including these five, of a total of 27 crimes against humanity in an indictment issued by the Serious Crimes Unit in Dili ; including murder, mass murder, displacement, torture and deportation. The militia officer Eurico Guterres is also accused of involvement.
One of the sub-commanders ( Danki ) of the Laksaur militia, Maternus Bere , was arrested in August 2009 while visiting Suai from West Timor, where he now lived. He had attended a ceremony at church for his late father. Locals recognized him and tried to lynch him, but the police arrested Bere. He was sent to the Becora Prison in Dili. However, at that time, Bere was already an Indonesian citizen and secretary of an Indonesian district , which is why the neighboring country protested the arrest. Only three weeks later, Bere was released and found refuge in the Indonesian embassy in Dili. At the end of October he was deported to Indonesia. Justice Minister Lúcia Lobato confirmed that the dismissal was for political reasons. The United Nations, the Catholic Church, the opposition and much of the population condemned the release.
- Memorial to the massacre
Others
The older brother of the politician Milena Pires was one of the victims of the church massacre in Suai. His body could not be found.
Construction of a new church in Suai had already begun in Indonesian times, but the shell had been idle for a long time. The new Ave Maria Church in Suai was only consecrated in 2012 . In the meantime, the parish used a makeshift building.
See also
Web links
- ETAN (East Timor and Indonesia Action Network) page, including excepts from the UN report and eyewitness accounts
- Human Rights Watch page discussing acquittal of the five implicated Indonesian officials ( July 8, 2008 memento in the Internet Archive )
- CAVR - The Church Massacre of Suai (English; PDF; 35 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ CAVR - The Church Massacre of Suai (English; PDF; 35 kB)
- ^ Lindsay Murdoch: How an alleged war criminal in East Timor escaped justice ; The Age, November 5, 2009.
- ↑ Masters of Terror: Suai church massacre
- ↑ ETimor militia leader's release a 'political decision': minister ; MSN news, September 8, 2009.
- ^ Maggie O'Kane: Return of the Revolutionaries ; The Guardian, Jan. 15, 2001.
- ^ Geoff Thompson: East Timor to go to the polls ; ( Memento of the original from August 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast on August 29, 2001.
