SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOCKED BY LIGHT SENTENCES HANDED DOWN IN INDONESIAN COURT CASE CONCERNING KILLING OF UNHCR STAFF

SECRETARY-GENERAL SHOCKED BY LIGHT SENTENCES HANDED DOWN IN INDONESIAN COURT CASE

CONCERNING KILLING OF UNHCR STAFF

Following is the text of a statement issued today by the Office of the Spokesman of Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General was shocked to learn of the light sentences handed down by a Jakarta court today to six men in connection with the killings on

6 September 2000 of three staff members of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in West Timor.

While welcoming the determination of the authorities concerned to bring the perpetrators of such despicable acts to justice, he notes that the ruling appears incommensurate with what is known to have been deliberate and brutal killings.

This is a blow to the international community's efforts to ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, and a wholly unacceptable response to the ultimate sacrifice which Pero Simundza, Samson Aregahegn and Carlos Caceras made in humanitarian service.

The Secretary-General remains concerned over the unresolved issue of the armed militias and the high number of East Timorese refugees remaining in camps in West Timor.  He reiterates that it remains the responsibility of the Government of Indonesia to implement all measures called upon by the Security Council in resolution 1319 (2000) of 8 September 2000.

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