Indonesia – On 6 July 2015, at Santika Hotel, Bali-Indonesia, the Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste (PDHJ), Dr. Silverio Pinto Baptista and the Chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights of Indonesia (KOMNAS HAM), Nur Kholis, SH, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) witnessed directly by the Consul General of Timor-Leste for Bali-Indonesia. This agreement will be for a duration of three years (2015-2018) possibly to be extended in the future.
The objective for signing the mentioned agreement is to strengthen relationships and working cooperation between the KOMNAS HAM and the PDHJ.
The strategic issues mutually agreed are the separation of children from their parents and families between the years of 1975-1999 based on the recommendations by the Commission for Truth and Friendship set up by the Republic of Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste. Meanwhile in the agreement of cooperation the two parts also mutually agreed about other strategic issues such monitoring in the border areas, mediation, advocacy, socialization, facilitation of dialogues for the people living in the border areas but independently taken care by both of the institutions.
In the area of the institutional capacity building the two parts (the PDHJ & the KOMNAS HAM) have agreed to conduct activities such as trainings for the staff of these two institutions, monitoring in the border areas between Indonesia and Timor-Leste and the separation of children from their families before the independence of Timor-Leste. Regarding the results of the monitoring in the border areas by the KOMNAS HAM and the PDHJ, there will be discussions undertaken through annual meetings. After obtaining data from the annual meetings the two parts (the PDHJ and the KOMNAS HAM) will submit their recommendation to their respective States (RI & TL).
The Provedor said: “The cooperation between the National Institution for Human Rights of Indonesia and the PDHJ becomes an importante and strategic event for a joint work in promoting and protecting human rights in their respective Countries”.
“Both institutions have become permanent members of Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights (APF) and South East Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum (SEANF), it is indeed needed and necessary for a joint work, and up to the present moment the PDHJ has established relations and cooperation with the KOMNAS HAM. This signing of MoU is just an extension of the MoU once signed in May 2013”, affirmed the Provedor.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nur Kholis, SH said: “The KOMNAS HAM of Indonesia feels proud of these two institutions have signed this joint agreement. Therefore, we are compromised to undertake our work based on the agreement signed”.
In her address, Ms. Teresa Maria de Carvalho, the Consul General of Timor-Leste for Bali-Indonesia, affirmed that the signing of the agreement between the institutions of the PDHJ and the KOMNAS HAM is of great importance in dealing the issues mutually agreed in the MoU especially the recommendations by the Commission for Truth and Friendship.
Based on the agreement for cooperation, there will be an evaluation on the work activities been undertaken after the joint work for more or less one year time.