February 9, 2000 
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| February 9, 2000 | atimes.com | |
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| Southeast Asia Wiranto to get special consideration, says Wahid BRUSSELS - The former commander of the Indonesian Defense Force (TNI), General Wiranto, will be given special consideration in a trial for human rights abuses in East Timor, President Abdurrahman Wahid has indicated. ''We have made a proposal to the United Nations to try the East Timor human rights violations as domestic cases because we have the necessary capacity. Mr Wiranto may not be taken to court in person because he represents TNI as an institution,'' Wahid said in Brussels on Sunday. He made the remarks during a get-together with Indonesian citizens living in Belgium, where he was on a stop-over during his current 17-day tour. Wahid pointed out that should the trial of the East Timor human rights cases find Wiranto guilty of the offense, the latter would be dismissed from his post as Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs. ''Dismissal from a ministerial post would be grave enough a sanction, according to our country's standards,'' he said. According to Wahid, the findings of the Commission Investigating Human Rights Abuses in East Timor still needs to make further investigations. ''All of these are directed toward safeguarding the integrity of the TNI, because not all TNI officers are guilty,'' he said. Wahid also lashed out at parties who had exploited the commission's findings, which implicated Wiranto and other generals, to create instability. He said the government would not hesitate to take strict measures against those who tried to interfere with national stability. (Asia Pulse/Antara) | |||||||||
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