Subject: J Ramos-Horta: The Arm Of Justice Is A Long
One...
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 10:21:29 -0400
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>THE ARM OF JUSTICE IS A LONG
ONE...
Augusto Pinochet felt comfortable and secure enough. So he frequently travelled to
England, his favorite country. He loved the British. Margaret Thatcher has been an
intimate friend ever since the Chilean dictator betrayed his Argentinean neighbors by
supporting Thatcher 1982 war on the Malvinas. So he would often fly to England and would
always bring some fine Belgium chocolates for the sacred cow of British conservative
elite. But then one day, the long arm of law caught him...
It is widely known that the so-called East Timorese "para-military" groups
operating in the territory are funded and trained by branches of the Indonesian military.
What has not been said is that an Indonesian diplomat by the name of Jose Tavares
travelled at least twice to Dili in December and held meetings in the Makota Hotel with
several pro-Jakarta puppets, including gang leaders, whom he urged to take up arms. He
brought along cash which he distributed to the group. Tavares father, the
"bupati" of Maliana, has been directly implicated in ordering attacks and
assassination of anti-integration villagers in his district.
Indonesian diplomats are known for engaging in terrorist activities. In 1994, the
Australian government expelled an Indonesian diplomat stationed in Canberra for
threatening East Timorese peaceful protesters with a loaded gun.
In November 1997, in Vancouver, Canada, Indonesian security personnel travelling with
the Indonesian dictator threatened demonstrators.
Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was followed and harassed on numerous occasions
by Indonesian diplomats from the Embassies in London, Washington and Ottawa. In December
1996, Norwegian security arrested two Indonesian agents as they entered Norway each
carrying four forged passports.
Bishop Carlos Belo was target of two assassination attempts. Now they are threatening
the bishop again.
A statement dated 25 February 1999 and signed by two pro-Jakarta gang leaders, Cancio
Lopes de Carvalho and Eurico Guterres, threatened with assassination Australian diplomats,
politicians, journalists and humanitarian workers, prompting the small foreign community
in East Timor to flee. In the face of the Indonesian government inability and
unwillingness to assist the thousands of people in desperate need, the small number of
relief workers on the ground have been the only source of outside help, providing vital
support to needy population.
The letter written in passable English was not written by the two almost illiterate
gang leaders. It reveals the style of individuals trained in the English language and well
conversed with blackmail tactics, a tradition of the Indonesian military intelligence. All
evidence point to a Mr. Jose Tavares, a diplomat in the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. A
visible face of the terrorist gangs is a certain Basilio Araujo. Araujo and Tavares have
close links with the army intelligence.
As it happened for many long years, the Indonesian military does not like independent
witnesses to its crimes. On October 16 1975 a then obscure army officer directed the
assassination of five Australian newsmen in the town of Balibo. This obscure army officer
is now Gen. Yosfiah, Information Minister in the Habibie government.
The East Timorese resistance was betrayed a thousand times by every major country. Yet,
this much vilified movement never once resorted to blackmail and threats against foreign
nationals of the countries that provided weapons, military training, financial backing and
diplomatic support to the Indonesian dictator and its brutal occupation of our homeland.
The actions of fringe gang elements who claim to support East Timor's integration in
Indonesia speak for itself. The so-called pro-integration group is not a genuine social
and political movement but rather it is a collection of corrupt individuals, social
pariahs and common criminals.
If more evidence is needed in regard to the extremist and psychopathic nature of the
so-called pro-integration and Jakarta's direct involvement in sponsoring international
terrorism, the developments in East Timor should suffice.
The actions of the terrorists are not directed against the veteran resistance fighters.
Rather, these cowards prefer the easier target, the unarmed civilian population, women and
children.
We do not have the NATO bombs to end genocide in East Timor. But we can try the long
arm of justice to pursue and hunt down the perpetrators of such hideous crimes. We owe it
to the people of East Timor, to our friends and relatives who have been murdered. We ought
it to humanity as a deterrence against future crimes. I appeal to all to help. We can
bring to justice these criminals and the same time set a precedent that will strengthen
international law.
Advisory: A group of lawyers is compiling data and evidence on East Timorese and
Indonesian criminals in preparation for a two-pronged strategy in the fight against these
criminals:
a) As an immediate step, to place a number of senior Indonesian military officers,
starting with Suharto, Gen. (ret) Benny Murdani, Suharto's son-in-law Subianto Prabow on
the Interpol list of international terrorists. To build a case under the genocide
convention and the charter of the war crimes tribunal against all those responsible.
Precedent: Galtieri of Argentina and other Argentinian officers who are on Interpol's
list; Pinochet.
b) To freeze all economic and financial assets of the Suharto family and other senior
military/civilian official involved in the genocide in East Timor held in Australia, US,
Europe, etc in order to compensate their the victims. Precedent: The cases of Mobutu of
Zaire, the Marcoses of the Philippines, the Korean "comfort women" during
Japanese occupation.
Anyone with information and willing to help please contact.
Jose Ramos-Horta Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Gabinete do Dr. José Ramos-Horta -Lisboa Rua de São Lázaro, 16 - 1º 1150 Lisboa
np98g@mail.telepac.pt
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