East Timor: UN outlines policy for dealing with returning refugees suspected of crimes

The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and the territory’s transitional government today released a policy paper on how to deal with returning refugees suspected of committing crimes during the 1999 popular consultation, assuring alleged offenders that they will have “full rights to a free and fair trial.”

“The leadership and people of East Timor are truly committed to peace and reconciliation, but this can only be fully achieved if those suspected of having committed a serious crime are brought to justice,” the policy statement says.

The release of the paper coincides with the recent upsurge in refugee returns. Today, a delegation of UNTAET peacekeepers explained the concept to representatives of the Indonesian military at a meeting of the Tactical Coordination Working Group in East Timor’s Oecussi enclave.

The policies outlined in the public document are those that have been applied since the post-referendum violence of September 1999. The four-page “Policy on Justice and Return Procedures in East Timor” simply clarifies the existing procedures in order to counter misinformation and provide returning refugees with an understanding of the justice structures in place in East Timor.

The policy makes clear that the majority of refugees still in West Timor did not commit crimes, and outlines how the perpetrators of “lesser crimes” – such as isolated incidents of looting, house burning or minor assault – will be eligible to participate in the community-based Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation established earlier this year.

Returning refugees suspected of committing “serious crimes” such as murder, torture, sexual offences, crimes against humanity and other large-scale offences will be dealt with by the criminal justice system established by UNTAET in 2000.