Indonesia president regrets E.Timor violence
Indonesia's president expressed regret on Tuesday for violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 independence ballot after a joint probe blamed state institutions for "gross human rights violations".
"We convey very deep regret at what happened in the past that has caused the loss of lives and property," Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said after the truth commission submitted its report on the violence to him, East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta and East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
The two governments set up the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) in 2005 to look into the atrocities, but it has no power to prosecute, prompting criticism that it serves to whitewash atrocities.
It has been boycotted by the U.N.
The report on the violence, during which the United Nations estimates about 1,000 East Timorese died, was submitted in Bali.
