NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #30/NN_1992_30.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/9357

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Indonesia's Military Grip on East Timor
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/** gen.newsletter: 139.0 **/
** Topic: NL12 Military grip on East-Timor **
** Written  5:38 pm  Dec 14, 1992 by [e-mail] in cdp:gen.newsletter **
Military grip on East Timor tightens

The non-alligned Movement Summit in September was the occasion for
hightened security measures in Dili to ensure no-one tried to take
advantage of the presence of hundreds of foreign journalists to
hold demonstrations. In August, the army launched a new offensive,
hoping to capture resistance leader, Xanana Gusmao.

Military offensive underway

Brig. Gen Theo Syafei hopes to "finish off" Falintil, the armed
resistance, andf capture its leader, Xanana Gusmao, in time to
disband the special Dili operational command, Kolakops, by the end
of September.
José Ramos_Horta, external reprentative of the resistance council,
CNRM, warned early in August that a new offensicew had been
launched, expressing the fear that this action might become "as
violent as in 1977 and 1978 when 90% of the guerillas were killed
or captured" (AFRP, 8.8.1992). The Fretilin representative in
Darwin, Alfredo Pareira, later spoke of the guerillas as being
locked in battle with Indonesian troops in the regions of Viqueque
and Baucau. He had received reports of a fierce battle in Same
during which seven guerillas and 20 Indonesian soldiers were
killed. The battle took place in Aiburbur Laran, near Mount
Cablaque. "The Indonesians are trying to encircle (the guerillas)
and push them towards the centre of Timor," Pareira said (Reuter,
11.8.1992).
Although an armed forces spokesperson denied that an offensive was
under way, there have been several claims in the Indonesian press
during August about guerillas being captured or killed. Jakarta
Post (2.9.1992) reported one "aremd contact" in East Timor, during
which two Indonesian soldiers were killed. It is rare for the
Indonesian military to admit any casulties on their side, wehich
means that their losses have been far greater.
Information from protected sources in Indonesia add to the picture
of ongoing operations. They report that:
* army units have been stationed everywhere in the country, and
villagers are forced to accompany the troops on military
operations as a shield against attacks by the guerilla forces.
* soldiers dressed as guerillas have attacked villages, in order
to undermine the people's trust in the resistance.
A claim in Jakarta Post (16.9.1992) that people digging graves in
Manatutu were shot dead by guerillas could well be an example of
the above.
Brig. Gen Syafei also said that his "territorial campaign" of
swamping Timorese villages with troops was still in place. The aim
he said is to "memerahputihkan (turn red-and-white, the coluor of
the Indonesian flag), the villages, sub-districts and districts".
He complained of "two-faced" people who were not yet
"red-and-white", people who work as government employees but
"whose thoughts are in the bush" (Jawa Pos, 30.7.1992).

Tight Security in Timor during NAM

During the week when the non-aligned summit was held in Jakarta,
security control in East Timor was stepped up to a level not
experience for months. Armed troops were on guard at all so-called
"strategic" places like schools, churches and other buildings.
Describing the tense atmosphere, Jawa Pos (10.9.1992) said the
military was on high alert, fearing that groups of young Timorese
would unfurl banners in the presence of Bishop Belo during Mass on
Sunday 6 September. The Mass was cancelled for "security" reasons.
Army controls in and out of Dili were intensified. After the "NAM
alert" had been sclaed down, the paper reported that uniformed
officers on the streets were repalced by plain clothes
intelligence agents roaming in the streets.
Report that had been reaching TAPOL of many arrest were confirmed
by Brig. Gen Syafei who announced that eight civil servants had
been arrested in Viqueque "recently". On another occasion 25
people had been arrested in Maliana. They were all being subjected
to indoctrination (di-P4-kan). Refusing to explain where they were
being held, an exasperated Syafei said 120 hours of indoctrination
would not be enough. "Even three thousand hours won't be enough.
Just imagine, 18 years has not been enough!" (Jawa Pos,
15.9.1992).
A small grup of East Timorese who wanted to fly from Dili to
Jakarta while the summit was in progress were prevented from doing
so. According to one report, they were caught at the airport,
found to be carrying foreign language posters and banners and held
for questioning.
Earlier, a group of seven or eight young East Timorese fled to
Jakarta from Dili. They were probably intending to take part in an
action in the Indonesian capital during the Summit. In the event,
nothing happened and the escapees went into hiding. They have sent
a plea for hepl to a number of international human rights
organisations, including Tapol. The text of their letter is
rerpoduced below.
Details have also emerged of the arrest of 20 schoolpupils, 15
from SMA Negeri-I (State secondary school), 4 from SMA Santo
Paulus and 1 from the Sacred Heart SMA, all apparently in Dili.
A young man, Antonioo Baptista Sequeiram, who had been tranferred
from Dili to Viqueque and placed uncer the control of the local
military commander, managed to escape and retrun to his family in
Dili. However, he was rearrested in August. Antonio was among the
more than three dozen Timorese arrested immediately after the
Santa Cruz massacre 12. November 1991. Later, 13 of the detainees
were tried; the other 24 were sent to local military commands "for
indoctrination and special treatment", according to Brig Gen
Syafei (Suara Karya, 9.3,1992). We now know that these youngsters
have been used as TBOs or "bearers" for the troops while on combat
duty. Antonio said, before his rearrest: "I couldn't bear all the
noise of the battles raging. I couldn't bear having to help the
Indonesian troops who I hate so much."
A recent visitor to East Timor said he had been told of many
arrests in Viqueque in July. In the middle of that month, seven
men were held, beaten "till black in the face" and later released
after intervention by the International Red Cross. Later, 50
youths were arrested. The names of some of those arrested have
since reached us, but we cannot confirm whether they are still
being held.
Another victim of the latest wave of arrests is Talofo Moniz Alin,
arrested in Dili on 1 August. Talofo was arrested and badly beaten
in December 1990, along with many others.
The following are some fragments of information from protected
sources:
* on July 6, the home of the Same parish priest was surrounded by
troops who were chasing a young man wanted because he attended the
demonstration in Dili on 12 November 1991;
* two women, Justina of Gariwai and Deolinda from Makalaku, were
arrested, taken to Dili and tortured to get them to divulge the
names of resistance fighters;
* on July 21, two men sought refuge at the Bishop's House, Dili,
were followed into the ground by soldiers;
* many local priests are under surveillance and are being accused
of helping the resistance.

Visits and Non-Visits

Four Portuguese journalists who were allowed into Indonesia to
cover the Summit were initially told that no limits would be
placed on their visit and given permssion to go to East Timor.
However, at the last moment, the trip was cancelled on the orders
of the military commander. As far as is known, none of the other
foreign journalists in Jakarta for the Summit was allowed to visit
East Timor.
Two contacts who visited East Timor independently in July and
August as tourists described the huge difficulty of spaeking to
anyone, in the knowlege that anyone seen speaking to foreigners,
for whatever reason, would later be hauled in for intorragation.
Both reported that on arrival at Dili airport, all foreign
visitors are photographed as they get off the plane. One wrote:"As
each westener descended the steps, our friend the photographer
snapped his/her picture. I learned from other westeners that the
same person greets every ferry that arrives from Dili from Kupang
or other islands."
This contact spoke of not knowing who you couold trust: "One
night, someone stood outside my hotel for a couple of hours,
peering through a little hole in the window as I lay in bed. It
was pretty scary as I had no idea what to do."
In one district capital he was "invited" to the military
commander's home "for a chat" which lasted one-and-a-half hours.
"Why had I come to East Timor? What did I know about the Santa
Cruz event? How did the "reality" of East Timor compare with the
picture presented outside?"
One thing that had impressed him was the scale of the Indonesian
presence. While he could not confirm that there are 100,000
Indonesians in East Timor, " at the very least, they number in the
midhigh tens of thousands. I was constantly meeting Indonesians
who had recently arrived...As many Timorese said to me, 'All of
Indonesia is here'."
The other visitor, who was in East Timor with a colleague, said
that on returning from a day trip to Ermera, "we were virtually
interragated as to whether we'd spoken to anyone and what our
professions were. During a visit to Quelicai, we were accompanied
almost the whole time by a plain clothes officer." Although they
had found it difficult to enter into conversation with East
Timorese, on one occasion, at as bus-stop in Baucau, a Timorese
student told them he had been at the Santa Cruz memorial meeting,
had lost many friends in the massacre, and said security officers
were continuing to arrest and even kill members of the opposition.
The conversation was soon interrupted by someone who invited the
tourists for tea!
Despite all this, both contacts said that the fes Timorese they
met had stressed the importance of tourists' visits.


Call for Help from East Timor

The following letter, which was written in Prtuguese and dated
"Java, 5 September 1992", has been received by Tapol with a
request that we publish it:

To the Directors of international human rights institutions in
Australia, America, Europe and Africa:

Dear Sirs, we are young people from East Timor who have been able
to escape from Timor and who are hiding in Javanese territory.
Through this letter, we would like to ask you to exert pressure to
guarantee our security and that of our families and colleagues and
people in general in East Timor who are at risk, who are
threatened and constantly being followed and imprisoned in the
claws of the difficult situation perpetrated by the Indonesian
military in our native land. We can do no more than ask for
protection from God and from you.
OUr colleague, Agostinho Pareira (Mau Laku) also intended to
escpae but was captured at the airport in Dili. He was carrying
letters from our families and some information about human rights
violations in East Timor. He was savegely beaten while he was
still at the airport until blood was coming out of his ears.
During his harsh interrogation, he was forced to reveal details
which included the fact that we had escaped to Jakarta.
Dear Sirs, during this last week, tens of young students and
civilians have been taken to prison and up till now the
whereabouts of some of them are not known. in Ainarno, Liquisa,
Baucau, Viqueque and Lospalos, hundreds of people have been taken
prisoners and brutally tortured. We accept all this because it is
one consequence of the struggle, the isolated struggle of the East
Timorese people. On the other hand, we need the solidarity of the
international community and your organisations in teerms of the
humanitarian aspect. Today, the Red Cross is nor carrying out much
of its specific mission; its activities are very limited in
accordance with its agreement with the Jakarta government. "They
report what they see, but they do not speak about what they see
and do not interfere."
For this reason, once again, we ask you to put pressure on
Indonesia to ensure the vital security of all those who are
hounded, imprisoned, threatened and the security of our families
and the general population.
We are prepared for "political exile" if our brothers in East
Timor are not freed immediately. We appeal to you to disseminate
our letter through Radio Australia, the BBC Portugal, America etc.
so as to attract the attention of the world.
With great sadness, we send greetings to you and to all the
leaders of our resistance movement in the diplomatic arena.

Signed by:

Filipe R. Pareira, Jose Manuel de Sousa, Clementino F. Oliveira,
Nelson A. Baptista, Ventura V. Conceicao, Mateus Brito Ximenez,
Profiori da C. Oliveira.
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