| Subject: Torment of
Timor's Damned The Australian 16
November 99
Torment of Timor's damned
By Sian Powell
RAOUL Freitas knows the future of an ex-militiaman in East
Timor is not bright. His town of Baukau came through the violence of recent months
relatively unscathed.
But even so, since his return from West Timor last month he
has lived under the protection of the independence movement, too frightened to return to
his nearby village.
Recruited in 1989 by Saka, one of several militia set up by
the Indonesian military, he now has no trade, no property.
All he has earned is the enmity of his neighbours. "I
will stay here," the 33-year-old said of the independence house high on the hill
above Baukau. "There's nothing else to do. I will advise the local secretary of the
CNRT (East Timor's independence movement)".
Saka earned the grudging respect of some citizens by
drawing the line at the senseless violence, looting and burning of people's homes that
characterised other militia in East Timor.
Freitas said he personally had beaten no one nor did he
shoot anyone, and neither did many of his compadres perhaps largely because the Saka
leader, Juanico Cesario Belo, was a moderate man.
Martin Gusmao, a priest who works with the bishop in
Baukau, said the Saka militia members were persuaded to avoid violence by the Catholic
church and the independence movement.
Juanico Belo was Father Martin's school friend and amenable
to being bought off. "I gave them money, rice, beans and fuel, and then I organised
trucks to get them water."
Father Martin decided dealing with the militia was the
right thing to do, especially since they had not murdered anyone. "They burned things
here, but they did not kill," he said.
When Interfet arrived in East Timor, some Saka members fled
to Kupang in West Timor. Others, ironically, ran to the hills and joined the Falintil
freedom fighters.
Saka leader Juanico, as he is known, apparently now wants
to return to East Timor from Kupang, but many believe he is being held by Indonesia
because he failed to do his job and sufficiently terrorise Baukau.
Yet many buildings in Baukau, East Timor's second-largest
town, have been reduced to rubble mainly government offices and utilities the
economy has been disrupted and people are still recovering emotionally from weeks spent
living in fear.
Freitas might not be as hated as former members of the
rampaging Aitarak militia in Dili, or Besi Merah Putih in Liquica, but he will not be
welcomed home.
Freitas said Saka members were paid by the Indonesian
military; from 1996 he received 70,000 rupiahs (about $20) for a month's work.
A leader of the local CNRT, Agustino Cabral, confirmed his
movement's co-operation with Saka and the local military. This co-operation, he said,
depended on the leaders in every town. "Here we talk with them and say if
independence wins we will work with you," he said. "Saka is good maybe in
this group only two or three people who are bad killed people. The houses that were burned
here were not burned by Saka, but by Kopassus."
Mr Cabral predicted the eventual return to Baukau of most
Saka members, barring perhaps the leaders, and said people would probably be extremely
angry with them.
"But we will tell them now is not the time to kill,
but the time for reconciliation."
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