Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff is disappointed an Indonesian court has found three militiamen not guilty of murdering a New Zealand soldier in East Timor in July 2000.
Private Leonard William Manning, 24, was killed near Suai in East Timor on July 24, 2000 after his patrol came across an East Timorese militia group.
A spokesman for Mr Goff said the minister was disappointed with the outcome, although he understood there would be an appeal.
"He does note that at least the key culprit has been convicted and sentenced, although that is subject to appeal," the spokesman said.
Jacobus Bere, who was tried separately, was on March 7 sentenced to six years in jail for the murder of Private Manning.
Judge Iskandar Tjake told the Central Jakarta district court yesterday that Private Manning had already died from a bullet from Bere.
"Therefore there is no reason whatsoever to accuse the defendants here of having killed or planned to kill as accused by the prosecutor," Tjake said.
"The defendants are entirely acquitted (of the charges)."
The three defendants -- Fabianus Ulu, Yohanes Timo and Gabriel Halenoni -- had been with Bere in East Timor, allegedly to look for a missing cow, when the murder took place.
Prosecutor Firdaus Deliamar, who had sought 10 years jail for each of the three, told journalists he planned to appeal directly to the Supreme Court.
The court had heard that the three defendants and Bere, along with two other men who are still on the run, had shot dead Manning in a rugged border area near Indonesian West Timor.
Prosecutors had said Bere made sure Private Manning was dead by cutting his throat with a machete and slashing his ears off. The men also took his weapon.
Bere and the five others were members of pro-Indonesia militias who fled to West Timor shortly after the arrival of international peacekeeping forces in September 1999.
- NZPA
NZ disappointed by decision not to prosecute militiamen
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