The atrocities Indonesia-backed gangs committed in the months leading to East Timor's independence are a wretched blot on reconciliation attempts between the former province and its giant neighbour. Without proper justice for these and other acts committed under Indonesian rule, the relationship will remain tense.
Indonesia's first-ever human rights court has a weighty task in trying 18 officials - among them a former governor and ex-police chief - and civilians over the rampages. Hundreds of civilians were killed and tens of thousands driven from their homes and displaced. The Central Jakarta District Court has an obligation to provide the judicial transparency lacking in recent high-profile criminal cases tried by Indonesian judges.
The judicial system of the world's fourth most populous nation is not renowned for its fairness. Judges, although well paid by Indonesian standards, fare badly financially in relation to the gravity of their work. There is little wonder that allegations of bribery and corruption are rife.
Successive governments since the overthrow of Suharto have done little to alter the system or bring to justice those accused of atrocities in Indonesia's far-flung hot-spots, such as Aceh and Irian Jaya.
It is for these reasons that President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Government must do its utmost to ensure that justice is done for the people of East Timor. It is the least that Indonesia can do for the decades of abuse it subjected East Timorese to. Only with full resolve can the wounds be healed and reconciliation begin to take hold.
