Can East Timor win freedom?
By Jon Land
On October 11, 1996, Jose Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their efforts to win freedom for the people of East Timor. The Nobel committee made clear its wish that the award "will spur efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in East Timor based upon the people's right to self-determination".
The award was a political and moral victory for the independence struggle, and placed renewed pressure upon the Suharto dictatorship.
Internationally, there have been signs of growing support for self-determination for East Timor. The Clinton administration has faced opposition from Congress over the sale of arms to Indonesia and military training. Clinton felt obliged to "drop in" on a meeting between Bishop Belo and a national security adviser when Belo was in Washington in June.
Growing support
South African President Nelson Mandela's visit to Jakarta in July, where he repeated his offer to mediate, focused more international attention on East Timor. A range of African nations have pledged more support for East Timor's quest for self-determination.
The diplomatic efforts of the resistance have also been bolstered by attending, as observers, the international meetings of the Portuguese-speaking states.
UK foreign secretary Robin Cook announced, on his return from Indonesia in August, that Indonesia had agreed to a fact-finding mission to East Timor by senior European Union representatives. The European Parliament has issued a number of statements condemning human rights abuses in East Timor.
However, there is little to indicate that the Indonesian government is willing to hold discussions with imprisoned resistance leader Xanana Gusmao or any other representatives of the East Timorese people.
Suharto rejected the call by the National Committee for Maubere Resistance for negotiations without preconditions. He and foreign minister Ali Alatas continue to state that East Timor will remain "integrated" with Indonesia.
Increased repression
Gusmao will be joined in prison over coming months by many more young East Timorese who have dared to fight back against Indonesian military repression.
The latest wave of terror began in January, sparked in part by the attempt by Indonesian intelligence to assassinate Bishop Belo on his return to East Timor on Christmas Eve. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets to cheer Belo and denounce the illegal Indonesian occupation.
Following the failed assassination attempt, angry youths clashed with the military, providing "justification" for more arbitrary arrests, detentions and torture to restore "order" before the May Indonesian general election.
The brutal treatment of Timorese by the military and police was graphically exposed by Horta when he presented photographs to the United Nations Human Rights Commission in April. The commission passed a resolution on April 16 condemning Indonesia for failing to halt human rights abuses (which the US agreed to support only when Portugal agreed to support a US resolution critical of Cuba).
At least 40 people were killed in pre-election violence. The armed resistance, Falintil, used the international focus on the Indonesian elections to stage significant attacks near Dili, Baucau, Ermera and Los Palos, disproving Indonesian claims that it no longer posed a military threat.
Other protests coordinated by the clandestine front included an action at the Mahkota Hotel in Dili on March 23, when 250 students took part in a peaceful demonstration, hoping to present a petition to the special representative of the UN secretary-general. They were attacked by Indonesian security forces. Some 51 students were wounded and one was killed.
In early June, reports from East Timor described an intensified sweep throughout the territory with the arrival of 6000 new troops for Operasi Gerakan Tuntas — "Operation Extermination" — raising the total number of troops and security personnel to an estimated 30,000.
Hundreds of people were rounded up and detained for days or weeks. Many have disappeared. Human Rights Watch/Asia stated in a detailed report, released on September 29, that the problem of widespread arbitrary arrest and detention was so serious in June and July that the police in Baucau were forced to deny publicly that mass round-ups were occurring.
The Melbourne-based East Timor Human Rights Centre confirmed in its bi-annual report that from January to July, at least 707 Timorese have been arrested and 49 killed. While the situation has eased since June, arbitrary arrests and torture continue at an alarming rate.
Reorganisation
Indonesia's attempt to subjugate Timorese by military means has gone nowhere after 22 years of illegal occupation.
The resistance is reorganising and reassessing its strategy. There will be a congress of Timorese abroad "fighting for self-rule and national independence" in Portugal next March. The diplomatic campaign by Horta and other Timorese, along with the international campaign by East Timor solidarity and human rights organisations, is having an impact, albeit limited.
A major impact on the success of the Timorese resistance will be the anti-Suharto, pro-democracy protests. The persistent activity of radical pro-democracy groups, such as the People's Democratic Party (PRD), presents an important strategic alliance for the East Timorese independence movement. The potential for this alliance has yet to be fully realised.
The irony is that while Indonesia is facing growing international condemnation, the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Russia and Australia continue to supply arms to the Suharto dictatorship.
The US has supplied US$10.7 million worth this year, and another US$90 million has been approved by the State Department.
The UK, despite the pledge by Labour foreign minister Robin Cook to restrict arms to repressive regimes, has approved 11 new contracts. Last year, arms sales to Indonesia from the UK were valued at £430 million, just over half of its total exports to Indonesia.
Jill Hickson, deputy national coordinator of Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor, told Green Left Weekly, "If the US and British governments really were concerned over human rights abuses in East Timor, they would be putting pressure on Suharto to negotiate with the legitimate representatives of the Timorese people.
"While there have been some reductions, the US is still selling arms to Indonesia and training Indonesian military personnel. Clinton has yet to say that East Timor should have the right to self-determination."
Hickson credited "the sustained efforts of the East Timor solidarity and human rights groups and individuals" with forcing some changes in US and UK policy.
"We need to broaden the campaign in Australia against the training of Indonesian troops and the supply of weapons by the Howard government. There are a number of solidarity actions across Australia on December 6-7, and we need to build and support these", added Hickson.
Horta, Belo and Falintil leader Konis Santana have appealed for an international embargo on arms sales to Indonesia, saying that unless the supply of arms is stopped, the repression will continue.
"The international community, the UK, France and the US ... must recognise their responsibilities in maintaining the dictatorship in power", Horta stated earlier this year. When Suharto and his generals no longer have the means to carry out their repressive policies, East Timor will win its freedom.