East Timorese arrested, tortured over bombs

By Jon Lamb

Indonesian authorities are believed to be holding up to 13 East Timorese in relation to a cache of bombs and weapons discovered in Dili and the Central Java city of Semarang. The regional commander for East Timor, Colonel Salamat Sidabutar, has called on the Austrian embassy to release two East Timorese seeking refuge there, claiming that they are “terrorist” ringleaders.

Sidabutar also claims that an Australian who visited Central Java in March taught the suspects how to make the bombs.

According to the Melbourne-based East Timor Human Rights Centre (ETHRC), nine men were arrested in Semarang on September 14 following a bomb explosion in a house.

Lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute have been refused access to the nine, who are being detained at the local police station, on the grounds of “state security”. Another four men were arrested in Dili on September 16.

ETHRC believes that all have been tortured with electric shocks to extract confessions.

One man, Constancio Chantal dos Santos, had two fingers severed during his interrogation. At the time of his arrest, he was discovered with letters from imprisoned resistance leader Xanana Gusmao, who is claiming responsibility for the bombs, intended for use against military targets.

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