| Subject: Investigation
team finds 25 bodies in mass graves in Suai Jakarta
Post November 26, 1999
Investigation team finds 25 bodies in mass graves
ALAS SELATAN, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): An investigation
team discovered at least 25 decaying bodies in three mass graves here on Thursday.
They were the alleged victims of a militia attack on a
church in the East Timorese town of Suai in early September.
Munir, a member of the Commission for the Investigation of
Human Rights Abuses in East Timor, told The Jakarta Post the remains were recovered from
Oeluli beach, Kobalima district, three kilometers from the East Timor border.
Munir, on a three day fact-finding mission with committee
member H.S. Dillon and a six-member forensic team led by the University of Indonesia's
Budi Sampurna, said the bodies were buried one and a half meters deep in three closely
located graves.
He said some of the bodies could still be identified.
"We got information on these mass graves from
witnesses we interviewed during our first visit here in October," Munir said.
Quoting witnesses, Munir said the victims were killed
during an attack on a church in Suai by pro-integration militia on Sept. 6. According to
the witnesses the bodies were then transported to their current location about 20
kilometers southwest from Suai.
"We found three bodies in the first grave, 11 in the
second grave and 11 in the third grave," Munir said.
He identified the bodies in the first grave as three
Catholic priests who were reportedly helping refugees in Suai during the height of the
violence in East Timor.
"We have performed autopsies on the bodies: One of
them died of gunshot wounds and the other two died of knife wounds," Munir said.
He refused to disclose their names, but said one priest was
from Central Java and the other two were from East Timor.
However Dillon later said that among the bodies was the
remains of Hilario Modeira a priest from the Suai parish.
Munir added that in the second grave at least one body was
identified as a child and three others were identified as women, while in the third grave
two bodies were identified as women and two others as children.
"Bodies in the second and third graves were
fully-dressed and we also found some school books and school schedules," Munir
explained.
He said Thursday's exhumation, which began at 7 a.m., was
witnessed by local police chief and officials. It was guarded by some 30 members of the
police's Mobile Brigade unit.
"The bodies were then taken to Atambua hospital for
further examination. Forensic experts will also bring hair tissue and other evidence to
Jakarta on Friday for further examination," Munir said.
Munir and Dillon will personally bring the bodies of the
priests to the East Timorese capital of Dili on Friday, while the other bodies will be
handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at the border.(bay/byg)
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