East Timor's freedom attempt by Habibie and army leader
Wiranto to create a "peaceful" environment for the vote through the Commission on Peace and Stability. This comin the balance As the August 8 plebiscite approaches, the people of East Timor are bracing themselves for the next round of attacks by the prointegration terrorist gangs. Jon Land
Indonesian president Habibie insists that ABRI (the Indonesian military) and police will play the main role in overseeing security in East Timor during the August vote.
The Indonesian government says that it still supports the result of the April 2123 United Nations negotiations involving Portugal and the UN secretarygeneral. At those negotiations Indonesia's foreign minister, Ali Alatas, agreed to a consultation of the people of East Timor to determine whether they accept or reject the autonomy offer.
In an article in the April 29 Sydney Morning Herald, National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) representative Jose Ramos Horta said: *The scale of the horror now visited upon the people of East Timor parallels 19751977, its darkest years, when 200,000 people were slaughtered in the brutal and illegal takeover"
Horta called for economic sanctions to be placed immediately on the Habibie 28 International Viewpoint #312 June 1999 mission was established by the Habibie regime after the bogus peace settlement signed on April 21. Pro-independence leaders signed this agreement only in regime. "At the very least, all aid monies order to show that they remain in the pipeline should be suspended for committed to peace in East Timor. six months, until well after the vote on But the pro-integration gangs conAugust 8 on the future of the country. tinued to carry out violent attacks All military sales and cooperation should throughout East Timor during and after be suspended immediately and Indone- the signing of the agreement. sian military attachés expelled."
Much of the establishment media in Indonesian troops out! Australia responded coolly to the April There are two clear demands that 27 summit between Habibie and prime must be made upon the UN in relation to minister John Howard. Even Greg its role in East Timor. First, the UN must Sheridan, the Australian's foreign affairs ensure that it facilitates a fair and free editor and a Suharto apologist, called it a act of self-determination, in accordance "minimal-result summit" which left key with past UN Security Council and
General Assembly resolutions which reaffirm the right of the East Timorese Propaganda people to such a process.
Some news reports have described Secondly, in order for this to be the vote on August 8 as a "vote on inde- possible, the UN must oversee the
, which it is not. It is merely a immediate withdrawal of Indonesian vote on the question of autonomy. troops and the disarming of the pro-
Confusion about the situation in East integration terrorist gangs. It is ludicrous Timor has also been created by the to entrust the Indonesian military or media's constant use of the terms police with any responsibility for East war" and "warring factions". Such terms Timorese people's security. imply that the pro-integration forces As well, independent monitoring exist independently of the support of the teams of representatives of human Indonesian military; they do not. rights, trade union, church, student,
These terrorist gangs and their women's and East Timor solidarity leaders are able to carry out their organisations should be enabled to play activities only because of the support a role in verifying the demilitarisation they receive from the Indonesian of East Timor and the act of selfmilitary. The pro-integration forces are determination. no more than an adjunct to the Indo- It is crucial that an intensive internesian military presence in East Timor. national solidarity campaign raise these
Austi starti East deci Land
At tena Qant to h cons Indo such
Th and East and appl peol strug diate army of a ners Inde Nati
----- photo credits and running heads -----
*
demands and place as much pressure as possible on the UN and those governments playing a direct role in the negotiations or UN plan to have the demands met.
Such a campaign must also assert the right of the legitimate representatives of the East Timorese people, such as Xanana Gusmao, to be involved in the negotiations.
Reports from East Timor tells of daily murders and terrorising by the pro-integration gangs, which remain defiant in their pledge to continue their nolence.
A joint statement by East Timorese humanitarian organisations presented to British deputy minister of foreign affairs Derek Fatchett on April 28 highighted that between last November and March 31, 18,091 East Timorese have
Australia
been internally displaced by the prointegration groups attacks. "In the first three months of 1999, there were at least 40 dead, 22 wounded, eight illegal detentions, and two women raped by
If there is to be peace and self-determination in East Timor, there must be a significant increase in international support for the East Timorese independence struggle. We also need more solidarity with those organisaindependence for East Timor, such as the People's Democratic Party. And concerted opposition to the despicable policies of the allies of the Habibie regime, such as the Howard government in Australia. * Green Left Weekly, May 5, 1999
Schools
project
A primary school curriculum in
Timor's main language, Tetum, is being developed with the support of APHEDA, the aid wing of the
Australian Congress of Trade
Unions. Other projects include trade union development, community health, and capacity building for NGOs in East Timor. *
ACTU/APHEDA East Timor Appeal, Box 3, Trades Hall, 4
Goulborn St, Sydney 2000, NSW, Australia. For credit card donations © 1300 362223, fax 02 92611118,
Email <apheda@labor.net.au>, www.apheda.org.au Confederation of Trade Unions endorsed industrial action by its affiliates to protest against the violence of the Indonesian army and its militia against the East Timorese.
In the past, the Australian trade union movement voiced support for East Timorese self-determination but ignored the complicity of Labor governments (under Whitlam, Hawke and Keating) in Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. This seems to be changing
Australian unions' active solidarity will be an enormous aid the East Timorese people's struggle.