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Communique, 28 June 1998 East Timor Informationand Dissemination Centre, Dili

Abilio Osorio fails to win support of the East Timorese people

1. The pro-integration demonstrations organised by the Jakarta regime with the help of governor Abilio Soares on 27 June have proven that the Indonesian administration of the territory does not have the support of the East Timroese people. This is clear from the fact that they had to mobilise outsiders from Atambua, Kupang, Flores and Java to take part. Indonesian TV prevented shots being taken from behind, but from frontal shots, it is clear that only fifty East Timorese took part. The governor had warned civil servants that they would lose three months pay if they failed to take part in the demostration, but even so, the vast majority of government employees did not do so.

2. Today, the governor organised another demonstration, this time mobilising people from Lospalos, Aileu and Same. But these people had been tricked into believing this was a demonstration to welcome ambassadors who were coming to Dili. They did not realise that they were being mobilised to take part in a pro-integration demonstration. As the pressure to participate came from the GARDA PAKSI, an Indonesian para military group, they felt it was best to take part for fear of future reprisals from the military. These are the classical methods employed by the old Suharto regime.

3. Infuriated at the deception, young East Timorese decided to inform the people that they had been tricked. Young people in Manatuto tried to approach people from Lospalos on their way to Dili, as they were approaching Manatuto. It was very early in the morning. All of a sudden, a large number of Indonesian soldiers appeared and opened fire on them, a 23-year old man was killed and four others were seriously wounded.

4. It is now time for the international solidarity movement to do everything possible to bring pressure to bear on Jakarta, including calling for economic sanctions and the postponement of IMF assistance to Jakarta as a way of forcing Jakarta to show that it will act in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the United Nations. The people of East Timor also hope that the UN will place an international delegation in East Timor so as to ensure respect for basic human rights and facilitate the withdrawal of Indonesian troops as quickly as possible.

East Timor Information and Dissemination Centre

Dili, 28 June 1998

TAPOL, Indonesia Human Rights Campaign, 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 8HW, UK Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322 email: tapol@gn.apc.org Defending the rights of the victims of Indonesian oppression in Indonesia, East Timor, West Papua and Aceh.