Eurico Guterres

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Eurico Barros Gomes Guterres (born 1971) is a pro-Indonesian or anti-independence militia terrorist recruited by the Indonesian military. He was involved in several massacres in East Timor, and a chief militia leader during the post-independence massacre and destruction of the capital Dili.

Though Indonesia officially convicted and sentenced Guterres to ten years imprisonment in November 2002, Indonesia has never incarcerated him. In August 2003 he formed Laskar Merah Putih (or Red and White Warriors) in Indonesian Papua.

Elsham leader Aloysius Renwarin reported Guterres already had 200 members consisting of Indonesian expatriates from Maluku, Timor and Sulawesi in December 2003 when Guterres confidently requested the local government to provide his organisation offices in Timika, Papua. Combined with the appointment of Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen (under U.N. indictment) as police chief for Papua, Papuans fear Guterres and his Laskar Merah Putih will be given free rein against the Papuan population.

[edit] Background

Eurico was born in Uatulari (near Viqueque), East Timor. His parents were killed in 1976 by Indonesian TNI forces due to their known pro-Fretilin views. Though Eurico later accuses Fretilin of their deaths, this is after his conversion to Indonesian ideals.

Young Eurico was brought up by an Indonesian civil until he was sent to attend the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic school in Becora, Dili. He left senior High School becoming involved in petty gangster activity including the government-protected gambling hall (bola guling) at Tacitolu, Dili.

In 1988 Indonesian military intelligence detained him for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate President Suharto, who was to visit Dili in October. At this time Eurico changes from pro-independence to pro-Indonesian alliances, becoming an informer for Kopassus and double agent against the Independence movement until he was expelled around 1990.

A counter-insurgency officer, Prabowo had taken special interest in his abilities and in 1994 recruited him into Gardapaksi. An organisation that gave cheap loans to start small businesses, but also used them as both informants and in pro-military vigilante squads. Governor Abilio Soares strongly supported Gardapaksi, which developed a record of human rights abuse.

In 1997 with a high school certificate supposedly provided by the military he began attending the Economics Institute in Dili. Though the Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi (STIE) was run by pro-integrationist Filomeno Hornay, Eurico attended only three semesters. He is married to the niece of Bishop Nascimento of Baucau, and has three children.

He is the primary militia suspect in the Liquiçá Church Massacre of April 1999, according to information gathered by the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment.^[1]