Subject: ETRA: JAKARTA SPONSORS TERRORISM AGAINST
DIPLOMATS
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 08:32:11 -0500
From: East Timor Relief Association <etra@pactok.net>East Timor Relief
Association Inc. (ETRA) P.O. Box 23, Fairfield NSW 2165 Australia ph: 61 2 9 891 5861;
fax: 61 2 9 891 2876 e-mail:etra@pactok.net
JAKARTA SPONSORS TERRORISM AGAINST DIPLOMATS, JOURNALISTS AND HUMANITARIAN WORKERS
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.
This much has been admitted by the Defense Minister Gen. Wiranto, Foreign Minister Alatas
and the Dili military commander.
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 personally 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. East Timorese resistance sources warned then that two
Indonesian agents had been dispatched to Oslo to assassinate Ramos-Horta during the Nobel
Peace award ceremony.
Bishop Carlos Belo was target of two assassination attempts.
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.
Tavares is known for his 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 he Habibie government.
The East Timorese resistance was betrayed a thousand times by almost every major
country. Yet, the much vilified East Timorese resistance, 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 and now in most of Indonesia should suffice.
In East Timor itself, the actions of the terrorists are not directed against the
veteran resistance fighters. Rather, these coward gang prefer the easier targets, the
unarmed civilian population, women and children.
The UN Security Council and the international community should call on the Indonesian
military to immediately stop sponsoring terrorism in East Timor and against foreign
diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers.
Ines Almeida Secretary Sydney, 28 February 1999
Matebian News
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