East Timor:
Pressure grows for independence

In a statement last week East Timor leader Xanana Gusmao turned the 
spotlight on the Australian Government as international pressure increased 
for independence for East Timor. "What Australia can do is to try and 
pressure, or lobby — or use whatever means they can — to convince the 
Indonesian military to pull out their troops and allow the establishment of 
a safe environment."

Recent statements from Jakarta offer some hope that Indonesia is finally 
ready to recognise East Timorese aspirations for independence. However, as 
the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) observed, these statements by 
Information Minister Yunus Yosfiah and Foreign Minister Ali Alatas raise as 
many questions as expectations.

The real proof of Indonesia's intentions will be its actions in the coming 
weeks.

While government officials deliberate over East Timor's status, the 
situation in the territory remains dire. Recent events, especially the 
arming of paramilitary vigilante groups, are exacerbating conflict which 
would make the holding of a referendum or a peaceful political transition 
impossible.

In a recent example, the East Timor Human Rights Centre reported the 
killing of four and disappearance of six others when members of the 
Indonesian military and armed civilian militia groups launched an assault 
on the village of Galitas on January 25.

Such attacks in remote areas of East Timor have resulted in a flood of 
internal refugees into Dili and elsewhere in East Timor.

Ali Alatas has said that if East Timor rejects Indonesia's autonomy offer, 
he would suggest that the Indonesian parliament consider granting East 
Timor independence. But independence is East Timor's legal and moral right 
— it is not up to the Indonesian parliament to decide.

If Indonesia is sincere about respecting the wishes of the East Timorese, 
it can show its good faith by immediately implementing the following 
measures:

1) withdraw its troops and set a timetable for a UN-supervised referendum 
on self-determination;

2) allow a permanent United Nations presence to monitor human rights 
abuses, guarantee genuine Indonesian military withdrawals and work with the 
East Timorese to prepare a referendum on self-determination, the only 
internationally legitimate way to determine East Timorese opinion on their 
political status.

Non-governmental organisations, media and independent human rights monitors 
should be allowed free and full access to the territory. This international 
presence would also act as a restraint on further Indonesian-initiated 
violence against civilians;

3) end human rights abuses, and stop the distribution of weapons to local 
militias and paramilitaries and disband these groups;

4) free all political prisoners, including Xanana Gusmao. Indonesia has 
said it will transfer Xanana to a form of house arrest, but he and other 
East Timorese political prisoners need to be freed to participate in 
negotiations and take part in the political development of their homeland.

This week's United Nations talks on the territory provide one forum at 
which Indonesia could announce such plans.

ETAN shares the scepticism voiced by East Timorese leaders Jose Ramos Horta 
and Roque Rodrigues. We join Bishop Belo (who won the 1996 Nobel Peace 
Prize jointly with Ramos-Horta) in calling for a referendum.