Subject: Irish Times: Dili has biggest political
rally in decades
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 08:37:05 EDT
From: Joyo@aol.comIrish Times [Dublin] Thursday, August 26, 1999
Dili has biggest political rally in decades
By David Shanks, in Dili "Viva Xanana, Viva Falintil," chanted independence
campaigners as their caravan of trucks toured the streets of what they hope will soon be a
national capital. Journalists disagreed about the numbers but agreed it was the largest
political rally Dili has seen since 1975.
It was a day of symbolism that started at 7 a.m. and went on into the late afternoon.
Defiance of pro-Jakarta militias was the order of the day by campaigners for next Monday's
"popular consultation" on autonomy.
Militia members kept a vigil in a street behind the offices of the National Council for
Timorese Resistance (CNRT), where the rally started in Woodstock style. As the day went on
it was like being among Sandinistas in the 1980s.
"Today is your day, take it in your hand," one of the songs said. A dozen
sour-looking soldiers at the entrance to the Warrior Rifle Unit C 744 barracks, near the
UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) headquarters, watched them pass.
A year ago the speeches were in Bahasa, the Indonesian language, as well as Tetun,
Timorese, but yesterday it was all Tetun. There was an appearance by Mr Matan Ruak, the
commander of the FALINTIL guerrilla army in the absence of Mr Xanana Gusmao, who is under
house arrest in Jakarta. The crowd heard a taperecorded speech from their leader, whose
framed picture was held aloft.
Assuming victory, he yesterday announced in Jakarta an amnesty for "political
crimes" to promote reconciliation. He called for an immediate end to violence. So did
the UN Security Council in a statement rejecting calls to again postpone Monday's ballot.
According to Mr Manuel Carrascalao, a National Council for Timorese Resistance (CNRT)
leader, UNAMET's presence in East Timor will be needed beyond next Monday's vote. But he
supported also sending UN peacekeeping troops to East Timor to control the Indonesian
military.
If the military was still here after the vote "there will be violence", said
Mr Carrascalao, whose teenage son, Manuelito, was among 20 people shot dead by pro-Jakarta
militia members last April during a visit by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews.
Mr Carrascalao claimed that what Indonesia called "special autonomy" was a
lie. Really it was a continuation of integration. Then he interrupted the interview
saying: "We can't go through [the street behind] because Aitarak [militia] are
waiting for us."
Nearby there was a man with a bleeding head. In the street behind, which was blocked to
traffic by riot police with plastic shields, a man wearing an FPDK baseball cap spoke of
"our big commandant", Mr Eurico Guterres, leader of Aitarak (or Thorn). FPDK -
United Front for East Timorese Autonomy - is the "political wing" of the
autonomy or pro-integration campaign.
Yesterday the International Federation for East Timor Observer Project (IFET-OP) said
it had written to the UN SecretaryGeneral saying that elements of the Indonesian security
apparatus and pro-integration militias were "intimidating voters to such an extent as
to throw into question the legitimacy of the ballot".
There were "persuasive and credible fears" that these forces would
"launch a wave of terror around the time of the vote in an effort to derail the UN
ballot," said IFET-OP, which has over 100 observers in 14 teams around the territory.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, left Dublin yesterday for East Timor in
his role as the EU President's personal representative. He will lead a group of EU
officials who will observe the referendum. Mr Andrews will spend his first few days in
Jakarta and then travel to Dili.
Back to August Menu
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu |
