Mass graves uncovered in East Timor
Sari Schutrum-Boward
Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: World
Mass graves were discovered in East Timor from a violent, bloody war among Jakarta's security forces in Indonesia. Australian forensics are currently working to identify 270-400 people.
According to an Australian newspaper, The Herald Sun, in Nov. 1991, Indonesian troops fired on peaceful activists at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili after students protested in a pro-independence rally.
"Indonesia has a lot of violation and torture. The military and police maintain a prominent role in the nation's political and social affairs, and their powers cause serious human violation," said George Guo, associate professor of political science and East Asian studies.
According to The Herald Sun, the massacre pushed East Timor to vote for independence in 1999, but the pro-Jakarta military continued the violence.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is investigating the remains, and they hope to give closure to the victims' families.
"There are many families who don't know the fate of their missing loved ones. There is emotion, there is anger still there, and there is frustration," said Soren Blau, who is from the Victorian Institute of Forensics Medicine, to The Herald Sun.
The forensics hope to give the bodies back to the families once they are identified.
"The ultimate goal is to try to give the victims back to the families. They look at the state of the bones and look for identifying injuries and take photos of the victims," said Bryan Brendley, assistant professor of biology. "The bones will be there for a long time, up to 50 years. The breakdown of the clothes depends on the fabric; it could be one-half to 36 months depending on how wet and humid the environment was."
The forensics team includes a forensic dentist, a translator and two Argentine forensic anthropologists. According to The Herald Sun, the anthropologists are world leaders in investigating mass graves.
The time period in which it will take to identify the bodies is still unknown.
According to an Australian newspaper, The Herald Sun, in Nov. 1991, Indonesian troops fired on peaceful activists at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili after students protested in a pro-independence rally.
"Indonesia has a lot of violation and torture. The military and police maintain a prominent role in the nation's political and social affairs, and their powers cause serious human violation," said George Guo, associate professor of political science and East Asian studies.
According to The Herald Sun, the massacre pushed East Timor to vote for independence in 1999, but the pro-Jakarta military continued the violence.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is investigating the remains, and they hope to give closure to the victims' families.
"There are many families who don't know the fate of their missing loved ones. There is emotion, there is anger still there, and there is frustration," said Soren Blau, who is from the Victorian Institute of Forensics Medicine, to The Herald Sun.
The forensics hope to give the bodies back to the families once they are identified.
"The ultimate goal is to try to give the victims back to the families. They look at the state of the bones and look for identifying injuries and take photos of the victims," said Bryan Brendley, assistant professor of biology. "The bones will be there for a long time, up to 50 years. The breakdown of the clothes depends on the fabric; it could be one-half to 36 months depending on how wet and humid the environment was."
The forensics team includes a forensic dentist, a translator and two Argentine forensic anthropologists. According to The Herald Sun, the anthropologists are world leaders in investigating mass graves.
The time period in which it will take to identify the bodies is still unknown.
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