East Timor has marked the 10th anniversary of its independence referendum and called for an end to demands for a tribunal on human rights violations committed on the island between 1975 and 1979.
Jose Ramos Horta, President of East Timor, speaking at the ceremony in the capital Dili, said that while he understood calls for an international tribunal, he disagreed that the absence of prosecution would inevitably foster impunity and violence.
Human rights groups have called on the UN to establish an international criminal tribunal to punish members of the military and pro-Indonesia militias who committed human rights violations during Jakarta's 24-year rule - including the killing of more than 1,200 East Timorese around the time of the 1999 independence vote.
On August 30, 1999, the overwhelming majority decided to split from Indonesia.
The two countries set up a Commission of Truth and Friendship, which after more than two years of investigation into the violence, said it did not recommend any legal prosecution.
Ramos Horta, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading the diplomatic effort towards East Timor's independence from Indonesia, has called on the UN to close down a crimes unit which calls for prosecution of those involved in the violence.
Instead, he has urged for the fund to be used to strengthen the country's own judiciary system.
East Timor, with less than 1 million people, has struggled to find stability since breaking away from Indonesia a decade ago.
President Jose Ramos-Horta barely survived an assassination attempt last year when rebel soldiers shot him in the stomach.
Attending the Sunday ceremony was Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda who promised that Indonesia would respond to Ramos-Horta's demand to return the body of East Timor's greatest hero Nicolau Lobato.
Lobato was killed in 1978 in combat with the Indonesian military and his remains are said to be still buried in Indonesia.
East Timor gained independence on May 20, 2002, after more than two years of UN administration.
APTN