Lawmakers in East Timor shouted jibes at each other yesterday in a fiery censure debate over a government decision to free an Indonesian militia leader accused of crimes against humanity.
Members of the opposition Fretilin party and allies pushed the motion against the government of East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, accusing it of breaking the law in an August decision to release militia leader Martenus Bere.
“Let’s not say the freeing of Martenus Bere was in the national interest, as it violates the Constitution,” former prime minister Mari Alkatiri said, as opposition lawmakers shouted that the government had undermined the nation’s independence.
“This government has become accustomed to disrespecting the Constitution and the law, opposing national and international laws,” Alkatiri said.
Bere was arrested after crossing into East Timor on Aug. 8, five years after being indicted for his role in a string of human-rights violations including the 1999 Suai church massacre in which up to 200 people were killed.
Gusmao ordered him to be set free on Aug. 30. The Supreme Court believes the move violated the Constitution and has launched an investigation.
Gusmao told the legislature at the start of the debate that he accepted responsibility for Bere’s release.
“It was purely a political decision for our good relationship with Indonesia,” he said.
Riak Leman, a lawmaker from the governing coalition Social Democratic Party, said Bere’s release was necessary to prevent reprisals against Timorese studying in Indonesia.
“Apart from that, even if Martenus Bere was never released, the victims of his actions in 1999 wouldn’t have arisen again,” he said, to catcalls from the opposition.
A vote on the censure motion — tabled by the opposition — was expected later in the day.
The parliamentary debate was broadcast live on local radio and TV and it was standing room only in the parliament’s public gallery.
If half the members present in the 65-seat body support the motion, the government will be dissolved and new elections ordered within three months in what could spark new instability. It appeared set for a close vote, with house members bitterly divided.
Fretilin has threatened to pull out of parliament and force a fresh election if its motion is defeated, sparking fears of instability in the young nation.
Indonesia’s brutal 24-year occupation of East Timor ended with bloody violence by Indonesian troops and their militia proxies who opposed the 1999 UN-backed independence vote.
An Indonesia national, Bere had been at large for 10 years until his arrest after crossing into East Timor from Indonesia for a family gathering.
Preparations for his trial were underway when he was handed over to the Indonesian embassy as East Timor marked the 10th anniversary of the historic Aug. 30 vote for independence.
Indonesia waited for confirmation of Bere’s handover before sending officials to Dili to attend a public ceremony with East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, an Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said.
The UN has expressed concern and called for East Timor’s leaders to abide by international law.
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