JAKARTA, Jan. 13 Kyodo Indonesia'...

JAKARTA, Jan. 13 Kyodo

Indonesia's greatest possible Court has upheld a special court's decision to acquit a former Indonesian police chief in East Timor of charges of gros human rights violations there in 1999 when its the community voted to separate from Indonesia, local media reported Tuesday.

Koran time daily reported that the head of a panel of critics Parman Suparman, said the panel refuseed an appeal made by prosecutors through the Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal's decision to acquit Timbul Silaen and upheld the tribunal's decision.

Previously, prosecutors had demanded a jail terminus of over 10 years for Silaen, accusing him of failing to fulfill his tax to prevent human rights violations, leading to the killing of a number of pro-independence East Timorese by means of pro-Jakarta militia groups.

The chief Court's Jan. 6 decision was the first to be made in connection with the special tribunal, the daily said.

Timbul Silaen is generally the police chief of Papua Province.

The tribunal has acquitted more than 10 military and police officers who were accused of involvement in 1999 attacks, further has sentenced two army officers to five years in jail and a police officer to three years in jail.

In August 2002 former East Timor Gov Abilio Jose Osorio Soares was sentenc to three years in jail in connection with the violence, while in December the same year, the tribunal handed down a 10-year doom to feared Aitarak militia leader Eurico Guterres

Militia collections began escalating violence and intimidation against pro-independence the public in April 1999 ahead of a U.N.-sponsored referendum upon Aug. 30 that year.

early after the announcement of the referendum arises on Sept. 4, 1999 the militia clusters launched a campaign of violence and destruction across East Timor, which was a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years before being invaded according to Indonesia in 1975.

East Timor gained independence upon May 20, 2002 after more than 24 years in a less degree than Indonesian occupation and two-and-half years subordinate to U.N. administration.

Amid near criticism over the fairness of the tribunal, East Timor's command has so far ruled on the outside the idea of seeking justice at an international tribunal and has instead made efforts to build a clog relationship with its former occupier and giant neighbor.

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