| On this Page | Other Pages | |
|---|---|---|
The vote to determine East Timor's future was held on August 30th. The turnout of over 98% of the 451,792 voters who registered was remarkable given the increase in violence and intimidation that marred the registration and campaign periods.
The day of the vote itself was quiet, although a few polling centres had to close temporarily because of militia intimidation. This contrasted with previous weeks which had seen many violent incidents, including the killing of two students in Viqueque.
During the registration period, violence was primarily directed towards CNRT, Students and pro-independence groups. Many East Timorese were directly threatened with death if the vote was for independence. In Suai,thousands of refugees hiding in a church had water and food supplies withdrawn by the local mayor. During the campaign, the militia began to pressurise UNAMET. The worst violence occured on the last day of the autonomy campaign in Dili. The previous day had seen the largest ever demonstration in Dili as pro-independence supporters took, peacefully, to the streets. Following their rally, the autonomy militia ran riot through Dili and, for the first time, explicitly targetted foreign journalists to encourage them to leave.
Falintil, who were on ceasefire throughout, agreed to canton troops in 4 areas in the mountains. General Wiranto responded to criticism of the role of the army which had been seen helping militia by replacing senior officers.
This was one of the darkest months in East Timor's recent history. Following the election on August 30th, militia and TNI put into action the scorched earth plan. By the time of the election result, which was brought forward early and which showed nearly 80% had voted for independence in an almost 99% turnout, many areas of East Timor were under militia control. Within a week, by October 10, Journalists, NGO's and all bar 50 UNAMET staff have been forced to flee in an organised campaign to ensure that no news will reach the outside world from East Timor. Dili had been destroyed. 250,000 East Timorese either fled or were deported to camps in West Timor and elsewhere in what was described as political cleansing. The Catholic church, a symbol of the East Timorese people was specifically targetted. Nuns and Priests were killed. Bishop Nascimento had to flee when his compound was attacked and Bishop Belo escaped in disguise aboard an Australian evacuation flight. International pressure on Indonesia increased as the violence continued. The EU followed America's lead and imposed an arms embargo - this was backed by the UK which had to commit to non-delivery of Hawk jets. The IMF and World Bank delayed crucial meetings. Eventually, the Indonesia government agreed to a UN intervention force. This force (INTERFET) is composed of soldiers from many nations and is being led by Australia. It was given a very broad mandate and authorised to use all force necessary.
When INTERFET began arriving on 19/20th September. They arrived in a country that had been devastated in less than three weeks. UNAMET did keep their promise not to leave at any point but only just. After the intervention foce was announced they evacuated the UN compound in Dili, taking 1400 refugees with them to Australia. Only a small military liaison team remained in Dili to help prepare for the arrival of INTERFET.
INTERFET's arrival over the last week has coincided with an Indonesian army withdrawal. Although the UN agreement allows the army to stay and participate in the force, most Indonesian soldiers had left by the end of the month.
By the end of October, INTERFET had managed to to take control of Dili. There were incidents where shots were been fired near INTERFET and it was only after most of the Indonesian military had withdrawn - torching barracks and government buildings behind them - that INTERFET could really make its presence felt and refugees began returning to Dili. A group of clergy, aid workers and an Indonesian journalist were murdered on Saturday 25th as they returned from delivering aid to Los Palos (before the Gurkhas had entered the area), there were suggestions that the perpetrators were TNI who were leaving the west of Timor at the time. A few days later a makeshift bomb exploded outside a house where Portuguese journalists were staying less than 200 yds from a TNI post. The Australian commander of INTERFET expressed some frustration that there are no legal and judicial structures in place. Militia who were arrested were handed over to the few Indonesian police left who hold them briefly and then release them.
A flight over the territory by INTERFET proved that the destruction in other towns was similar to that of Dili.
Sadly, one of the first journalists to arrive in the territory, Sandy Thoenes a dutch journalist who worked for the Financial Times, was murdered. His East Timorese driver has claimed that he was shot by men in Indonesian army uniform. Two other journalists had a lucky escape when they were also stopped by men in military uniforms.
Towards the end of the month, there was increasing concern over the the conditions of East Timorese forced to leave the territory. Camps in West Timor were controlled by militia who were allegedly committing human rights violations under the eye of the military. The militia threatened to return to attack INTERFET.
The UN agreed to set up an international commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in East Timor, but it was a much more reduced body than that first envisaged as there was substantial resistance from a number of countries. It will report by the end of the year and will only deal with the period from January when the vote was announced. The Indonesian government regarded the UN decision as non-binding and did not accepted the inquiry but set up their own inquiry which will cover the period from the announcement of the result on August 30th. The US Defense secretary who visited Indonesia towards the end of September warned the Indonesians that normal relations will not resume until it is clear that they are no longer promoting violence in East Timor and an investigation has been conducted.
Top of this
page
Xanana Gusmao returned to East Timor this month, only two days after the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly officially ratified the results of the East Timorese ballot. Bishop Belo also returned home, though initially he required an around the clock guard. At the end of October, the European parliament awarded Gusmao the Sakharov prize.
Interfet was up to full strength at the start of the month and by the end of the month, had entered all part of East Timor, including the enclave of Oecussi where there were reports of a mass murder of nearly 70 people. Interfet disarmed 40 militia but found only 2,500 people out of an estimated population of 30,00
As Interfet sought to control East Timor, there were some incidents, particularly along the border, Two militia were killed and two Australian soldiers injured in an attack near the border town of Cassa. In the worst incident, an member of TNI was killed after Indonesian troops opened fire on Interfet - it was revealed that whilst Interfet were using an up to date Indonesian map of the border, TNI had been given a dutch map and there were discrepancies between the two. InterFet offered to give TNI maps and global positioning system technology to prevent a repeat of the incident. By the end of the month, the situation was still not fully resovled and there was a 3 Km buffer Zone between East and West Timor.
Problems at the border hindered the return of refugees from camps in West Timor. The UNHCR were keen to empty the camps as quickly as possible as the rainy season began. Indonesia stopped the old registration system for those who wanted to return and the UNHCR took over and were told that they would be allowed free access to the camps where militia were continuing to terrorise and intimidate people. An Indonesian child protection agency said that 312 children have died in the camps in West Timor and an estimated 12,000 were at risk. They also reported that 40 children had disappeared and many others were suffering from psychological trauma. Boat loads of refugees began to return towards the end of October Some return flights were cancelled as some East Timorese in other parts of Indonesia are reluctant to return until they were sure that the situation has settled. A bus with refugees that was heading for the port in West Timorwas attacked by milita. Police intervened but one man in his 20's who was forced from the bus was seriously hurt and another 50 had fled. They were later able to make it to the boat. Militia near the border did letting some refugees back into East Timor but many were turned back. The first refugees from Australia, a group of 42 also returned.
As they spread throughout the region, Interfet found 95 bodies in mass graves. Evidence of atrocities was though being lost. A UN resolution contained only a watered down reference to an inquiry into human rights abuses at the insistence of China and a number of other countries.
At the end of the month, Indonesia officially handed over control of East Timor to the UN and a UN resolution set up UNTAET, the transitional authority which will help East Timor move to independence. There will be nearly 11,000 troops and a number of civillian personnel. Interfet is trying to restore some semblance of civil society and the market in Dili was reopened and they had plans to set up a court. One of the 3 Indonesian soldiers that InterFet wished to speak to over the death of journalist Sandy Thoenes was expected in Dili.
In Jakarta, the change of government was marred by violence. Dozens of students were injured when a crowd protesting during President Habibie's final speech was fired upon and rioting followed the failure of Megawati Sukarnoputri to become President. It appeared that Gus Dur, as President Wahid is better known, had outmanouevured Megawati in the complex game of Indonesian politics. The rioting following Megawati's defeat, forced Wiranto and the Golkar candidate to stand down from the vice-presidential race to allow Megawati to win. This means that there are now two opposition leaders in these key posts. President Wahid is frail, having suffered from strokes recently which have left him blind and it was expected that the vice-president would have a much more active role in government than formerly when, under Suharto, they were little more than symbolic figures.
News this month was dominated by the situation of the refugees in West Timor. The UNHCR found it increasingly difficult to gain access to the militia controlled camps where, according to reports from a number of NGO's there was widespread violence and intimidation. There were also fears about the possibility of epidimics in the appalling conditions. In response, the UNHCR began a series of highly dangerous swoops on the refugees camps. This high risk strategy did not go off without event. Staff were frequently stoned by militia as they entered camps and UN trucks were attacked on their way to a port near Atambue. It seemed as if things might improve following the set up of a joint border commission between TNI and Interfet, which coincided the visit of America's UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke but at the end of the month, the flow of refugees had dried up as militia intimidation increased nd the UNHCR threatened to end the repatriation after a series of incidents in which militia attacked convoys.
Militia also closed the border around Oecusse for a few days after one of their number was arrested by INTERFET, when the border was reopened, 1,500 refugees entered within hours.
Three mass graves containing 26 bodies, including three priests, were found near Atambua three kilometres into West Timor from Suai. The find was made by the commission set up to investigate human rights by an Indonesian based human rights organisation. The three priests were flown home after autopsies revealed they had been stabbed or shot and a requiem mass, attended by nearly 1,000 mourners, was held in Dili. The commission said that they expected to find more such graves and that eyewitnesses had told them a middle ranking army officer oversaw the burials. The commission, which has government support but a very limited field of operation, met with President Wahid and reported that he had agreed to let them interview a number of senior military officials, including Generals Wiranto and Damiri and Major-General Zacky Anwar. The much delayed UN investigating team finally arrived in East Timor towards the end of the month.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, a former Brazilian diplomat, was appointed to head the transitional authority expected to take over from UNAMET in January/February, his first task was to sign regulation one this week which set up a legal and regulatory framework for the transitional period. This stated that the territory would apply Indonesian law, though laws which breached human rights were repealed. All important UNTAET documents will be released in Portuguese, Indonesian and English, and where needed Tetum. A national consultancy commisison will make all major decisions and include CNRT representatives and 55 members of Falintil will join the unarmed security force which will protect Dili.
Relations between the UN, Aid agencies and East Timorese leaders were tense on a number of occasions this month. Xanana Gusmao argued repeatedly that East Timorese should be making the decisions and allowed to sort out their problems and there were reports that he was unhappy with the way the UN were operating. He said that aid was failing to reach the people and that the peacekeeping mission could be much smaller with fewer troops. A meeting to sort out the problems caused further controversy when it was revealed that 20 FALINTIL members who accompanied Xanana were armed in contravention of UN rules. Towards the end of the month there seemed to be a new mood after the UN appeared to be in a more conciliatory mode.
The WHO, who were looking for $11 million for essential work in East Timor, publicised their concerns over conditions in East Timor itself. They estimate that nearly 3 per cent of the population might be carrying TB and in the absence of decent sanitation a breakout of cholera was a distinct possibility. A number of children were reported to be "working" on dumps scavenging for leftovers from UN staff. The World Bank completed their initial report and hoped that basic reconstruction could be completed in one year. This was felt to be over optimistic by one of the local representatives on the committee who also expressed frustration that CNRT was not being officially recognised. A group of trade union builders from Australia who arrived with CARE to assess the situation, bringing some pre-fab structures for emergency clinics with them, have warned that asbestos, used in most of the buildings in East Timor posed a serious health risk as the damaged buildings were now leeching asbestos into the environment. It will also make demolition and rebuilding work very dangerous.
Top of this
page Home page Uni Group Details East Timor - Basic
Facts East Timor history
- pre 1990 East Timor history
- post 1990 Web links 