One Year Later, East Timor Still Needs Justice and Security
posted
31st August 2000
John M.Miller
The
East Timor Action Network/U.S. (ETAN) said on Anniversary that one
year after last year's historic independence vote, East Timor still
lacks justice and security. "East Timor has begun to rebuild from
last year's destruction, but much still needs to be done to assure
justice and security for the world's newest country," said John
M. Miller, spokesperson for the East Timor Action Network/U.S. ETAN
called on the U.S. and other nations to support an international
tribunal to prosecute those responsible East Timor's destruction
and to strengthen East Timor's security by refusing to reestablish
any military assistance to the Indonesian military and police until
certain conditions are met, including an end to their human rights
abuses, disarming and disbanding militias and arresting their leaders,
and respect for East Timor's territorial integrity.
The
Indonesian government must also bring its armed forces under civilian
control. "One year after the Indonesian military and its militias
leveled East Timor, the government of Indonesia either can't or
won't stop military support for militias violating East Timor's
borders, attacking peacekeepers and UN relief personnel, and blocking
the repatriation of more than 100,000 East Timorese refugees. Any
form of U.S. assistance to the Indonesian military contributes to
the unraveling of Indonesia's fragile democratization, betrays our
commitment to genuine self-determination in East Timor, and violates
the intent of Congress in withholding aid to human rights abusers,"
said Lynn Fredriksson, Washington Representative for ETAN. "An international
tribunal is the only way to be sure that the victims of military
and militia violence in East Timor have their day in court. A tribunal
will have the added benefits of discouraging continued rights violations
throughout Indonesia and promoting reconciliation in East Timor,"
said Miller. "The U.S., until recent years a major backer of Indonesia's
invasion and occupation of East Timor, must provide substantial
support for East Timor's development.
The
United States has a responsibility after arming and training East
Timor's tormentors for so long," said John M. Miller. "Now that
East Timor is free, the U.S. must support a just and peaceful future
for the world's newest nation. The East Timorese need a full range
of aid -- from health care to educational scholarships -- the U.S.
should continue to contribute what is most needed, as Congress and
the administration did at the end of 1999," added Miller. On August
30, 1999, the people of East Timor defying threats and violence
turned out in record numbers to vote overwhelmingly for independence.
Following the vote, Indonesian troops and their militia proxies
destroyed some 70% of the country's infrastructure, killed more
than one thousand people, and forced hundreds of thousands across
the border into Indonesia.
On September 9, the U.S. suspended military ties and threatened
World Bank and IMF assistance to Indonesia. Soon after, the Indonesian
military began to withdraw from East Timor and an international
peacekeeping force entered. in November, the U.S. Congress restricted
most military assistance to Indonesia until East Timorese refugees
are returned, there is effective prosecution of military and militia
members responsible for human rights atrocities in East Timor and
Indonesia and other conditions regarding East Timor's security are
met. But in July, the U.S. military began to re-engage with its
Indonesian counterparts by conducting a joint exercise with Indonesian
troops. In recent months, Indonesian military-backed militias have
stepped up their activities in East Timor, killing two U.N. peacekeepers
and several East Timorese.
Militia
attacks on aid workers over the past week forced UNHCR to suspend
its activities in refugee camps in West Timor where some 100,000
East Timorese remain virtual hostages. Last week, in a set back
to democratization, Indonesia amended its constitution, creating
strong obstacles to prosecutions of past human rights abuses. Indonesian,
East Timorese, and international organizations argue that an international
tribunal is now the only option to bring military and militia leaders
responsible for atrocities in East Timor to justice. The human rights
situation has severely deteriorated in Indonesia in recent months.
In Aceh, the military regularly violates the humanitarian ceasefire.
Disappearances of human rights activists have also increased. A
U.S. resident, Jafar Siddiq Hamzah, president of the International
Forum On Aceh, disappeared on August 5 in Medan and has not been
heard from since.
ETAN has expressed strong concerns about Hamzah's safety. Last week
in Papua people were shot for raising an independence flag. In a
reprise of tactics used in East Timor, the Indonesian military has
created militias which harass and terrorize the population. In the
Moluccas, Indonesian soldiers have been observed fighting with militias
on both sides of the conflict. The Indonesia invaded neighboring
East Timor on December 7, 1975, hours after a state visit to Jakarta
by then President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
According to human rights groups, one-third of the population --
more than 200,000 East Timorese -- was killed in subsequent years
as the U.S. provided weapons and political support under both Democratic
and Republican administrations.
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