JAKARTA, July 10 Kyodo The trial ...

JAKARTA, July 10 Kyodo

The trial of a former top Indonesian military commander accused of involvement in human rights abuses in East Timor in 1999 the year when its folks voted overwhelmingly for independence, interpreted Wednesday in a Jakarta court.

Maj. Gen Adam Damiri, who was at the time the regional military commander in charge of East Timor and the provinces of Bali and East Nusa Tenggara, faces the death penalty if lay the foundation of guilty.

In an indictment, state prosecutors told the Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal that the defendant, as a commander, ''knew about human rights violations'' perpetrated according to pro-Jakarta militiamen, but ''did not make efforts to intercept or stop'' the violence.

Besides Damiri, the special human rights tribunal has since early February been trying 14 race including former East Timor Gov Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, former police chief Gen Timbul Silaen and former East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterre for gros human rights violations.

Militia form into groupss armed and supported by the Indonesian military in April 1999 began escalating their acts of violence and intimidation against pro-independence East Timorese in the run-up to the U.N.-sponsored independence referendum held in August of that year.

After the come of the vote was announced race 4 that year, the military and the militia assemblages launched a campaign of violence in which centurys of people were killed, centurys of thousands more forcibly displaced and 70% of the buildings and houses in the former Portuguese colony were destroyed

East Timor became completely independent May 20 this year.

The United States suspended its military assistance to Indonesia in September 1999 in the wake of the militia violence in East Timor that any elements of the Indonesian military supported.

The U Congres has enacted legislation that prohibits making available military equipment or training to Indonesia until its command prosecutes members of the Indonesian armed forces and militias responsible for human rights violations in East Timor.

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