A Timor-Leste commission says Britain and the United States must pay reparation for their part in Indonesia's 24-year occupation of the now free state.
The Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor, an independent organization set up by the East Timorese Government, also demand similar compensation from international arms dealers, reports the Times of London.
The commission says the reparations will go to the victims of torture, rape and violence perpetrated by Indonesia from its invasion in 1975 to its bloody withdrawal in 1999, says the report.
The commission says the Western governments gave their tacit approval for the occupation by providing weapons and military training to Indonesia. The commission is demanding that the international community hand over those suspected of human rights abuses and freeze their assets.
Human rights campaigners fear Timor President Xanana Gusmao will suppress some of the unpublished report for fear of offending Indonesia and the governments that supported it, The Times reported.
Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence in a United Nations-organized referendum in 1999. During the occupation, Indonesian troops and local militias burnt its towns, killing 2,000 people, and deporting 250,000 inhabitants to Indonesia.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
