Eurico Guterres

Who is Eurico Guterres?

Eurico Barros Gomes Guterres born 1971 is a pro-Indonesian or anti-independence militia 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.