Jakarta
The man who commanded Indonesia’s military during the bloody 1999 separatist conflict in East Timor declared his candidacy for president this week. Gen. Wiranto was indicted two months ago by a U.N.-backed tribunal for war crimes relating to the conflict, in which East Timor achieved independence with U.N. help. Soldiers and paramilitaries loyal to Wiranto killed some 1,500 Timorese in violent ethnic-cleansing raids. But Indonesia has said it will not cooperate with the U.N. court or extradite any suspects. With the country’s human rights leader, Solahuddin Wahid, as his running mate, Wiranto has declared a platform of opposition to foreign intervention in Indonesian affairs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
