More than 27,000 dead and the death toll still rising – Tsunami in Indonesia

28 December 2004

by Alex Flor

The earth quake that struck on Sunday was the biggest of its kind during the last 40 years. Its epicentre was located 150 km off the South-western coastline of the Indonesian province of Aceh. The tidal wave which was triggered by the quake took the life of tens of thousands in the coastal regions of twelve Asian and African states.

The death toll is still rising by the hour. On Sunday, the day of the ... read more

Posted on 10:53 AM in Aceh, Indonesia, Information and Analysis, Publications
Tags: Aceh, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), humanitarian aid, Indonesia, disasters, conflict resolution, military, tsunami

IFET letter to UNSG on justice

International Federation for East Timor (IFET) International Secretariat: Charles Scheiner P.O. Box 1182 White Plains, New York 10602 USA Tel. +1-914-831-1098 ifet@etan.org U.N. Representative: John M. Miller 48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA Tel. +1-718-596-7668 fax: +1-718-222-4097 john@etan.org www.etan.org/ifet

December 20, 2004

His Excellency Kofi Annan Secretary-General United Nations New York, NY 10017 By fax: +1-212-963-7055 Honorable Secretary General: We are writing to encourage you immediately to appoint a Commission of Experts ... read more

Posted on 09:20 AM in Joint Open Letters, East Timor, Publications, Transitional Justice
Tags: Indonesia, international tribunal, justice, East Timor, impunity, criminal prosecution, United Nations, crimes against humanity, truth commission

Controlling Timber Imports into the EU

14 December 2004

Joint NGO Statement

This statement outlines what we, the undersigned NGOs, believe must be done at EU level, as part of the EU process on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) to address the import of illegally sourced timber in the EU and the illegal practices of the EU timber industry. Although this statement focuses on illegal logging, we would like to state that legal and illegal logging are often closely linked and that legal ... read more

Posted on 08:46 AM in Joint Press Releases & Statements, Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate
Tags: European Union (EU), illegal logging, Indonesia, rain forest destruction

(Deutsch) RAPP verübt Verbrechen gegen die Bewohner des Dorfes Koto Baru

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
Indonesian version
German version

Posted on 03:48 AM in Joint Press Releases & Statements, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Environment & Climate
Tags: Indonesia, justice, land rights, human rights, plantations, Police, environment and climate

Constitutional Court’s ruling on the partition of Papua

24 November 2004

von Petra Stockmann

On November 11th, 2004, the Constitutional Court eventually announced its ruling concerning the application for judicial review of Law No. 45/1999 on the Establishment of the Province Central Irian Jaya, the Province West Irian Jaya, the Regency Paniai, the Regency Mimika, the Regency Puncak Jaya and the Municipality Sorong. The Court declared Law 45/1999 unconstitutional and thus invalid as of the date of the verdict. However, in its legal considerations the Court states it ... read more

Posted on 03:30 PM in democracy, Indonesia, Information and Analysis, Judiciary & Administration, Papua, Publications
Tags: Indonesia, judicial system, Megawati Sukarnoputri, Papua, parliament, rule of law, government, special autonomy, constitution

Watch Indonesia! calls for a transparent and thorough investigation of the murder of Munir

Press Release

15 November 2004

Our friend and colleague Munir, possibly the best known Indonesian human rights defender, was poisoned. He died under great pain and distress on an airplane on his way from Jakarta to Amsterdam. Two months after his death, we are once more deeply shocked, this time due to the certainty concerning the cause of his death.
Speculations that Munir died from unnatural causes had been circulating from the start. But despite our knowledge of previous attacks ... read more

Posted on 05:07 PM in Human Rights, Indonesia, Publications, Watch's Press Releases & Statements
Tags: Indonesia, human rights, Munir, security sector, criminal prosecution

(Deutsch) Massaker in Osttimor bleiben ungesühnt

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
German version

Posted on 01:08 PM in East Timor, Publications, Transitional Justice, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, international tribunal, justice, human rights, military, militias, East Timor, referendum 1999, impunity, United Nations, reconciliation

Notes on comments by Xanana Gusmão and José Ramos-Horta on dealing with past human rights violations

 

Made during a Panel Discussion at the German Council on Foreign Relations (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswaertige Politik, DGAP), Berlin, October 20th, 2004

02 November 2004

Question: If East Timor’s leadership is committed to democracy, the rule of law and human rights, of which international criminal law is an inherent part, how can it be that the arrest warrant issued by the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in May 2004 is not forwarded to Interpol by the Prosecutor General? Answer by ... read more

Posted on 08:56 AM in Information and Analysis, East Timor, Publications, Transitional Justice
Tags: Indonesia, international tribunal, judicial system, militias, East Timor, criminal prosecution, transitional justice, United Nations, crimes against humanity, reconciliation, truth commission

(Bahasa Indonesia) Presiden TimTim Gusmão di Berlin

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
Indonesian version

Posted on 04:20 PM in East Timor, Publications, Transitional Justice, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: international tribunal, José Ramos-Horta, East Timor, criminal prosecution, transitional justice, United Nations, Xanana Gusmão

(Deutsch) Osttimor fällt UN-Ermittlern in den Rücken

Sorry, this entry is not available in English.
German version

Posted on 08:20 AM in East Timor, Publications, Transitional Justice, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, José Ramos-Horta, justice, militias, East Timor, referendum 1999, criminal prosecution, independence, United Nations, reconciliation, Wiranto, Xanana Gusmão