Subject: WP: E. Timor Militias Terrorize Those Who
Want Independence
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 11:16:23 -0400
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>E. Timor Militias Terrorize
Those Who Want Independence
By Keith B. Richburg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, May 10, 1999; Page A15
JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 9—The East Timorese capital of Dili was rocked by violence
again today when an anti-independence militia armed with machetes and primitive, locally
made rifles attacked a marketplace and was met by pro-independence youths who fought back
with stones. One man was reported shot to death and another wounded.
The violence came as a senior U.N. security adviser was in Dili paving the way for an
international police force of as many as 300. Many Timorese are counting on the foreign
police, who may or may not be armed, to subdue the militias and stop incidents like
today's. The trouble began when armed men who identified themselves as members of the
Aitarak militia went to the Mercado Lama marketplace where people were gambling and
demanded a share of the winnings. Witnesses said area residents, most of whom support
independence, began throwing stones at the militia members to drive them away.
Foreign journalists in Dili also were harassed and threatened during the incident.
About six Portuguese journalists were surrounded by militia members until they were
rescued by Indonesian police officers, who fired shots in the air as a threat. Australian
reporters and a television crew were also chased by the militias.
The acting Portuguese consul general here in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, said he
called the Foreign Ministry and requested it contact security authorities in Dili and
insist that they guarantee the journalists' safety. Portugal is East Timor's former
colonial power.
The militias have accused foreign reporters in Dili of siding with the pro-independence
movement. But today's incident was one of the few times militia members have attacked
journalists.
Indonesia's armed forces created the 13 militia groups ostensibly as an adjunct
security force for the troubled territory. But in recent weeks -- as East Timor heads
toward an Aug. 8 referendum that could lead to independence -- the militias have waged a
campaign of intimidation and murder that human rights groups and diplomats say is aimed at
skewing the vote against outright separation.
Militias have harassed and threatened independence supporters and chased many into
hiding. They rampaged through Dili on April 17, burning homes and shops, and they are
blamed for an April 6 church massacre in Liquica that killed as many as 57 people, many of
them women and children.
The signing of a peace agreement on April 21, witnessed by Dili's Bishop Carlos Belo
and armed forces commander Gen. Wiranto, was supposed to bring a respite from the
violence. In that accord, militias favoring the territory's integration into Indonesia
agreed with East Timor's main independence group, the National Council for Timorese
Resistance, to lay down their weapons and work for a peaceful settlement of the
long-running conflict. But since then, the militias have roamed virtually unchallenged,
while the council's officials are in hiding or living in the main police station.
The armed forces have said they will disarm the militias, but said the pro-independence
guerrillas in the mountains must also turn in their weapons. The guerrillas generally have
observed the cease-fire since December, although their leader, Xanana Gusmao, has called
on them to fight to protect local populations.
Last Wednesday at the United Nations, Indonesia signed an agreement with Portugal
calling for the referendum to be held in a "secure environment" free of
intimidation.
© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company
Back to May Menu
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu
June '98 through February '99 |
