VOA常速英语2007年-Indonesian Activists Push for Truth Commission

By Marianne Kearney
Jakarta
11 December 2007

A consortium of activists¹ from across Indonesia, are pushing for the establishment of a truth commission aimed at uncovering thousands of human rights violations³ committed during almost three decades of conflict in Aceh. Marianne Kearney in Jakarta has more.

A group of 26 rights groups launched a proposal this week to establish a truth commission in Aceh province, where the separatist guerillas known as GAM fought the Indonesian military from 1979.

The peace deal agreed in 2005 between the government and the GAM provided for a truth commission to be established - by a nation-wide Indonesian truth and reconciliation⁴ commission, which has yet to be set up.

Guluh Wandita from the International Centre for Transitional Justice, a non-government group that helped draft the proposal, says Acehnese victims of the conflict are tired of waiting for such a commission.

"But I think in terms of Aceh, it was a long conflict and we need to look at why it happened and what mistakes did we make that allowed these atrocities⁵ to happen and I think for victims, a truth commission is one step towards a longer road to healing but I think it is an important step," she said.

Wandita argues that such a commission does not need approval from Jakarta but could be formed under Aceh's provincial⁶ law. Local government officials in Aceh are reportedly beginning such a law drafting process.

She also says a truth commission would be different to a human rights tribunal, which can prosecute⁷ perpetrators for atrocities, says Wandita.

"A truth commission is a non-judicial process which can be much more flexible than a court hearing, it can try to design a whole process where it can listen to thousands of victims, either through public hearings or statement taking or other processes in the villages, in the districts," said Wandita.

The activists' proposal calls for the commission to grant amnesty to human rights violators, except for serious crimes that could then be tried in a human rights court.

The Indonesian government has said that a rights tribunal would be a violation² of its constitution, which does not allow for people to be tried for crimes retroactively.

However the constitutional court last year ruled that while a tribunal was not unconstitutional, the law for setting one up was almost impossible to implement⁸ as victims could only be given reparations if the perpetrators of the crimes had been given amnesty.

At least 20,000 people were killed in Aceh during the separatist conflict, and rights groups say that thousands were tortured.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

3 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

4 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

5 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

7 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。