New crackdown in East Timor (10K)

By James Balowski "Please do something, we can't see the young people, they have all disappeared." This appeal, related to Green Left Weekly by a resident of Matadouro, a suburb of Dili, conveys a sense of what "restoring law and order" means for the people of East Timor. Matadouro is one of the areas most affected after almost a week of violent clashes between Indonesian security forces and East Timorese youths. It was not until October 13, after a massive deployment of security forces, that the Bali-based military commander of the Udayana military command which covers East Timor, Major-General Abdul Rivai, announced that the situation was "under control". This was after at least five people had been killed, scores of others seriously wounded, and according to official figures, as many as 120 people under arrest. A number of sources told Green Left Weekly that the outbreak of violence began on October 10 after security forces arrested and detained Bobby Xavier, a well-known independence activist. When Xavier resisted arrest, because police failed to produce a warrant, groups of youths retaliated by taking three police officers hostage in a nearby suburb. The confrontation with police quickly escalated into a street battle during which two people were killed. Although authorities later released Xavier in exchange for the hostages, the unrest continued over the next few days as youths rampaged though the streets, setting tires alight and destroying cars. Many suburbs across the city were barricaded by local people in an attempt to prevent further arrests. On October 11 Jakarta-appointed governor Abilio Soares told the security forces to "immediately restore order to Dili and take legal action against whoever is involved". The next morning several battalions of fully armed troops took control of the streets in what was described as a "security sweep" in which three youths were shot dead by intelligence operatives and at least 15 others hospitalised with gun shot wounds. Despite the government's pronouncements that everything has returned to "normal", a number of reports and statements by sources in Dili indicate that, although there has been no further clashes with security forces, last week's crackdown is far from over. On October 16 the military broke into the Colegio das Madres Canossianas convent school, located about a kilometre from the centre of Dili, and rearrested Xavier and 50 others who were hiding there. An eyewitness, who described the assault as "barbaric", said that the youths were seriously "mistreated" before being taken away in trucks. The school's director, Sister Zulmira, is a sister of Abilio Soares. Thirty youths were also arrested outside a Catholic school in a northern suburb of Dili. Other reports emphasise the indiscriminate nature of the arrests. In one instance soldiers forced open the door of Francisco Barreto's home in the Kuluhum area, pointed guns to his head and accused him of hiding subversives and distributing tires for youths to burn in the streets. Barreto is the secretary-general of the Dili council administration and a member of the pro-integration party Apodeti. He was in uniform when the incident took place. On October 14, Dili police chief Colonel Andreas Sugianto threatened to "continue to arrest them [the activists involved in the protests] because if we don't do so they will disturb Dili". An East Timorese activist from Darwin, who has been monitoring the situation closely over the last two weeks, told Green Left Weekly that although it could not be confirmed, as many as 365 people may have now been arrested. This source, who fears retribution against family members still living in Dili, said that thousands of Indonesian troops are patrolling Dili: "Anything that moves in the streets, is picked up, especially young people". The source also said that while a few of the larger businesses in the main streets had reopened last week, smaller shops in the suburbs stayed closed as people were too frightened to venture outside their homes. One person, who was released on the morning of October 18 (and was not involved in the earlier protests), was beaten almost unconscious and arrested by security forces when he went to the market for supplies for his family's restaurant. Jose Gusmao, the south-east Asian representative of the National Council for Maubere Resistance (CNRM) estimates that the arrests could be as high as 400. He told Green Left Weekly that "although some may have been released, in almost all cases this was only after they had been severely beaten and returned home with severe bruising and concussion". Even those who clearly not involved in the protests, were beaten during "questioning". Many other young people have been arbitrarily arrested because, unlike more experienced pro-independence activists, they don't have the security networks or the necessary skills to elude the security forces. Many families do not know the fate of their own children. According to Amnesty International, the identities and the whereabouts of those who have been arrested have not been released. Relatives, family members and even the Red Cross have been denied access to the prisoners. Many families fear that if they do inquire about their missing children they will become suspects, and thus make themselves and other family members potential targets for the military. Although estimates on the number of troops now deployed in Dili vary, a number of the sources to which Green Left Weekly spoke put the figure at between six and eight combat battalions — almost half of the total number of battalions stationed in East Timor. The scale and intensity of the crackdown has also been verified by others. A recent report on Portuguese TV revealed that thousands of young people are now fleeing to the mountains fearing arrest by military. In a related report on October 16, ABC radio stated that many East Timorese youths have left Dili for the countryside, to avoid being detained in the ongoing "sweep operations". On October 15, local Timorese parliamentarian Manuel Carrascalao issued a call for international action over Portuguese radio. Carrascalao, who drove through Dili's suburbs on October 13, stopped at a number of houses. To his surprise there were only women and children inside; the men and boys had disappeared. It was unclear whether they had been rounded up, or had fled to the mountains to avoid the Indonesian army. Many of those arrested are believed to be at the Comoro Police Command which has a reputation for being "a place where prisoners are generally tortured". These fears have been strengthened as the recent arrests appear to have been based upon information "elicited" from those already detained. Local community leaders, public servants and even some military officers are understood to have expressed concern over the current situation. While officials still put the number of people dead at two — both with pro-integration sympathies — Soares has begun to distance himself from his earlier statement in which he said "if [the protesters] don't want to come in after being summoned three times, then we can play rough". In an interview with Radio Macau on October 16, Soares' secretary claimed that the Indonesian troops' violence against the Dili population was due to the military's "wrongful" interpretation of the governor's intent. "The governor said he wanted to keep the peace here, but the Bali and Timor military commanders translated this as them having to act militarily in order to capture all the youths who had been fighting in Dili", said the secretary. "The governor did not say to use firearms, only to keep order here in Dili. If there were shots, that is due to the Bali military commander, General Rivai." Diplomats in Jakarta are understood to be investigating claims that last week's violence was fanned by Indonesian intelligence operatives seeking to provide a pretext for continuing a military presence in East Timor. Even for junior officers, a "stint" in East Timor brings significant financial benefits. Many residents believed the security forces and members of Indonesia's extensive intelligence network provoked the trouble to justify another crackdown on the resistance. Despite denials by the authorities, it is common knowledge that many are paid to spy on their fellow Timorese, a practice which sources say is poisoning society. Although it has never been officially acknowledged, for a number of years the government has promoted the families of ex-military and -police officers in its transmigration program to East Timor. This has been an important link in the surveillance and security operations. Claims that the military deliberately provoke violent clashes has been made before. Following rioting in Larantuka, East Flores in May, it was reported that the local military commander brought in 12 Javanese labourers three of whom went to the Larantuka Cathedral armed with pistols during a Sunday mass. While two waited outside, the third took a seat at the front, and as Communion started, took out his penis and wiped it on the host in front of the priest. During the uproar which followed he was badly injured and died two days later in hospital. It was later discovered that he was carrying three ID cards, each listing a different religion — Muslim, Protestant and Catholic. Following that incident, 17 youths were abducted, tortured and are still in jail.