Received from Joyo Indonesian News

also: Indonesia police arrest alleged killer of N.Zealand solder in East Timor

Indonesia Ex-Militiaman Linked To Death Of NZ Peacekeeper

JAKARTA, Feb. 3 (AP)--Indonesian police said Monday they have arrested a former militiaman in connection with the murder of a New Zealand soldier serving as a U.N. peacekeeper in East Timor three years ago.

Gabriel Moruk was arrested two weeks ago in the Indonesian jungles that border East Timor, said Lt. Col. Agus Nugroho.

Moruk, 37, has told police that he helped ambush Pvt. Leonard Manning on July 24, 2000, and took his gun, Nugroho said.

Manning was in a New Zealand peacekeeping force deployed to East Timor in the months after it voted for independence from Indonesia. Indonesian military and proxy militias have been accused of killing nearly 1,000 people and forcing 250,000 others to flee their homes during the independence campaign.

Manning's case has angered New Zealand.

Indonesian courts last year acquitted three militiamen for the murder and sentenced a fourth to six years in prison for firing the bullet that killed Manning.

Two years ago, six militiaman were convicted in the murders of three U.N. aid workers in West Timor. They were initially sentenced to between 10 and 20 months in prison by a Jakarta court. But after the international community expressed outrage, the high court increased their sentences to between five and seven years.

In a separate human rights court, 18 people have been put on trial in Jakarta for the violence in East Timor. But so far, only four defendants have been convicted - two of them Indonesian officers - and 11 acquitted.

Agence France Presse February 3, 2003

Indonesia police arrest alleged killer of N.Zealand solder in East Timor

JAKARTA - Police in Indonesian West Timor said Monday they have arrested a man wanted for the murder in July 2000 of a New Zealander serving with the UN peacekeeping forces in neighbouring East Timor.

Gabriel Moruk, 37, was arrested about two weeks ago, the head of the Belu district police, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Agus Nugroho, told AFP.

Moruk is being questioned in Belu district and will brought to court in the town of Atambua in West Timor, he said.

"Gabriel has admitted taking part in the murder," Nugroho said.

He said the arrest followed a tip-off from local residents and a rifle and several hand grenades were found at Moruk's hiding place in a forest near the border.

Moruk was allegedly one of five people who sneaked into East Timor and killed Private Leonard William Manning in a forest on July 24, 2000.

One of the five, Yacobus Bere, is currently serving a 10-year jail sentence imposed by a court in Jakarta. Three others were acquitted.

Moruk, according to the Gatra weekly magazine, told police the five people had infiltrated East Timor to attack a UN security post on the orders of a former East Timorese militia leader living in exile in Belu.

Pro-Jakarta East Timorese militiamen launched a campaign of intimidation before the territory's vote in August 1999 to break away from Indonesia, and a revenge camapign afterwards.

Thousands of militiamen fled to West Timor following the arrival of international peacekeepers in East Timor in September 1999.

The territory finally became independent last May after 31 months of United Nations stewardship.

bs/sm/mtp

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