CVA Meets With Human Rights NGOs

"The Commissioners of the Truth and Friendship Commission (CVA) yesterday met with a number of Human Rights NGOs. Director of Yayasan HAK Jose Luis Guterres told TP that the Commissioners were interested to discuss the NGOs’ position on not agreeing with the Commission. He said that they explained to the Commissioners that what the NGOs want is not a further attempt to uncover the truth, which is already evident, but the follow-up action to that truth. Commenting on the “friendship” aspect, Guterres stated that there has been friendship between the Indonesian and Timorese people for a long time now, realized through a range of means including during the period of struggle for independence when many Indonesians worked with the Timorese clandestine. He affirmed that this friendship is continuing even now, and that the issue therefore is not one of “Indonesians as perpetrators and Timorese as victims”. He expressed his opinion that the real issue is that the perpetrators of crimes have violated the public interest of both Indonesia and Timor-Leste, and stated that it is pointless meeting with the victims if the aim is to collect more data, as this has been done many times before. Referring to the fact that the Terms of Reference of the Commission do not include providing justice for the victims, Guterres affirmed his view that the CVA has been set up to deceive the people.

Also participating in the meeting with the CVA Commissioners, Director of the Justice and Peace Commission for the Baucau Diocese Father Martinho da Silva Gusmao told TP that the final report of the CVA should not be trivialised as the CAVR report was."

Source: Timor Post (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)