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East Timor : the horror and the hypocrisy
(the paragraphs below are the first few from the September 1999 Peace Movement Aotearoa newsletter: )
Horror is nothing new for the people of East Timor -colonised by Portugal more than 450 years ago, invaded by Japanese armed forces in World War II, then occupied by Indonesia in 1975. The death toll from the Japanese invasion is estimated at more that 40,000 lives, many because of reprisal attacks against the East Timorese who supported Australian troops. As the Australians pulled out, the now infamous "Your friends will never forget you" leaflet was airdropped over the island.
Despite their size, the WWII atrocities fade almost into insignificance when compared with those which have taken place since 1975. An estimated one third of the population killed - murdered, 'disappeared', executed or dead from starvation and diseases of malnutrition. Countless others raped, beaten, tortured - the list of atrocities is endless. Forced resettlement removed an estimated eighty percent of the population from their homes and lands. This was part of a deliberate policy of destroying East Timorese social structures and cultural practices.
From time to time the occasional report appeared in the mass media - in 1975 when five television journalists (including New Zealander Gary Cunningham) were killed by Indonesian soldiers; the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre.
Peace, justice and human rights groups around the world, and the occasional MP or journalist with a conscience, tried to bring the plight of the East Timorese to public attention, people campaigned against arms sales and other support to the Indonesian government - all with very little effect.
In 1998 alone, the East Timor Human Rights Centre (Australia) documented 2,350 instances of serious violations of civil and political rights in East Timor - including rape and torture, extrajudicial execution, disappearances, intimidation and persecution.
In February 1999 President Habibie announced that the East Timorese would be given a choice as to their future. The Indonesian armed forces immediately set about arming, providing transport, and training the thugs who would become known as 'the militias' - allegedly under no control, but with their murderous work directed by the Indonesian military.
| The violence escalated - ... | (read the whole article) |
5 years after the Rio Earth Summit: nothing?
Excerpts from Ed Ayres' 1999 book: "God's Last Offer"
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