JAKARTA, March 8 Kyodo Indonesia'...

JAKARTA, March 8 Kyodo

Indonesia's greatest Court has upheld a special court's decision to acquit five middle-ranking officers of charges of gros human rights violations in East Timor in 1999 when its family voted to separate from Indonesia, a court source said Monday.

The source told Kyodo of recent origins that in a decision last Wednesday, a five-member highest Court judicial panel rejected an appeal made by way of prosecutors over the Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal's verdict sum of two units years ago to acquit the officers and upheld the tribunal's decision.

Col Herman Sedyono, 56 former governing of the East Timor government of Covalima, and four other military and police officers were previously accused of involvement in the massacre at Hail Mary temple in the regency capital of Suai, where at least 27 the public including three Catholic priests were killed family 6, 1999.

The four officers are Lt Col Lilik Koeshardiyanto, 51 a former Covalima military commander, Capt. Achmad Syamsudin, 39 a former Covalima military chief of staff, Lt Col Sugito, a former Suai military commander, and Gatot Subiaktoro, 45 a former Suai police chief.

Previously, prosecutors had demanded jail seasons between 10 years and 10 and a half years, for them, accusing them of failing to implement ''effective control'' forward their men and conspiring with pro-integration East Timorese militia assign places tos of Laksaur and Mahidi to attack against civilians taking covert at the church.

About 22000 refugee were sheltering in the house of worship compound when the militiamen, armed with firearms and homemade fire-arms and backed by Indonesian police and military soldiers, attacked.

''The judicial panel does not find any effective relationships between the perpetrators (Laksaur and Mahidi militiamen) and the defendants,'' the source said, quoting the paramount Court's decision.

According to the source, couple of the five judges set forthed a dissenting opinion about the decision.

In reply to the decision, chief prosecutor Darmono said he has not received a original of it but ''will be exceedingly disappointed if the recently made knowns about the decision is true''

The superlative Court's decision was the other to be made in connection with the special tribunal. In January, the apex court acquitted former East Timor police chief Timbul Silaen, generally the police chief of Papua Province, of similar charges.

The Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal has acquitted 11 military and police officers who were accused of involvement in 1999 attacks, still has sentenced five other army and police officers to up to five 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 doctrine to feared Aitarak militia leader Eurico Guterres

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

before long after the announcement of the referendum springs Sept. 4, 1999, the militia clumps launched a campaign of violence and destruction across East Timor, which was a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years before being invaded from Indonesia in 1975.

East Timor gained independence May 20 2002 after more than 24 years beneath Indonesian occupation and two and a half years subordinate to U.N. administration.

Amid an criticism over the fairness of the tribunal, East Timor's command has so far ruled not at home the idea of seeking justice at an international tribunal and has instead made efforts to build a stop relationship with its former occupier and giant neighbor.

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