NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #18/NN_1992_18.iso/spool/misc/activism/progress/5947

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From: [e-mail] (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Timor: Statement by Child Rights Group
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/** reg.easttimor: 350.0 **/
** Topic: Stat. at Sub-HRC/Geneve-Pascoela B **
** Written  2:17 pm  Aug 20, 1992 by gn:cdpm in cdp:reg.easttimor **
Statement by Mrs Pascoela Barreto [an East Timorese
living in Portugal] on behalf of Defence
for Children International, at the Sub-Comission on
Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
Geneve, August the 14th, 1992


Mr. President,
Distinguished members of the Sub-Comission

Allow me, first of all, to thank the Defence for Children
International for the opportunity given to me to address
this august body regarding the tragedy prevailing in East
Timor and to appeal for justice and protection of human
rights which have been trampled upon since 7 December 1975.

As a woman and mother I would like to draw your attention
to the violation of the rights of the child in my country.
Troughout the world the society places its hopes on the
youth for they represent the future and the continuing
renewal of the nation. However, in East Timor, the youth
has become the primary target of the occupation forces.
Trough killing and disappearences of the Timorese children
and youth, theIndonesian regime practices extermination of
our people. We loose our youth and the students who should
become educated and conscious citizens and the foundation
of our hope on the reconstruction of East Timor.

Today Timorese youth are the second generation of victims
of the colonial Indonesian regime. We think that during the
first decade of the invasion the deaths were about 200,000
people (about one third of the population). But the
violation of the human rights in East Timor is not an
experience of the past. Hundred of children and youth have
been arrested, tortured and executed. About a year ago we
received a letter dated of 29 December 1990, which said:

"On Sunday at 10 pm, the students Eurosia da Silva Alves,
aged 15, and Domingas, aged 16 were attacked by the
Indonesian military. However they escaped. A month later
they were attaked again by the military. They took Eurosia.
Domingas was behind because she had fractured a leg.
Eurosia was killed after cutting her vagina and breasts.
They put the vagina in her mouth and placed one breast in
each hand.".

We know that this isn't the only known case. It represents
the systematic violation of human rights in East Timor.
Meanwhile because the tight control and isolation of the
half island, only a small part of this reality filters out.

On 12 November 1991, an international community that had
been indifferent for too long, was jolted into reality. We
now have precise information (names, ages, addresses and
occupations) which enable us to declare that nearly nine
hundred (900) Timorese were killed, arrested, wounded and
disappeared that day. 24% of them were children.

In Dili alone,
        - 64 children were killed;
        - 38 disappeared;
        - 62 were wounded and hospitalised;
        - 20 were arrested;
in that dramatic day of 12 November 1991.

The results of an inquiry ordered by President Suharto did
not contributed to a clarification of the facts. Nine
months later after the massacre of Santa Cruz, there isn't
an indication of any name of the victims, the bodies have
not been given back to their families, the burial-places
were not identified and there are no news of the
disappeared. The official inquiry having first admitted
only 19 dead, decided later that "about" 50 deaths actually
occurred. However, the most detailled survey carried out so
far confirms that 64 children were murdered by the
occupation forces. President Suharto nominated a special
Committee to clarify the whwereabout of the 90 disappeared
but until now no information has been officially given on
these cases.

Mr. President,

The human rights violations in East Timor covers also the
enforced disappearance of children who are taken away from
their parents to remote places where they never have any
contact with their families. The case I am going to relate
to you is a sample of what has happened in the last
seventeen years to Timorese children.

"Olinda Morais was captured in March 1990 with her youngest
son. She was interrogated, tortured and raped by agents of
the secret police. When she was freed later on learned that
her son Benvindo had been taken away by a Major who was
later promoted to Lt-colonel called Suryadi. She tried in
vain to have her child return to her.".

Children like Benvindo are educated in a country without
contacts with their relatives, culture and homeland. It
must be noted also that Timorese children without exception
are forced to accept a culture that has nothing to do with
their historical routes, alienating them from their own
country.

Mr. President,

The Convention on the Rights of the Child demands for each
child happiness, love and understanding. It forbids
torture, physical and mental violence, mistreatment and
negligence. It encourages the preparation of the child for
a responsible life, in a free society, in a spirit of
piece, of tolerance and of respect of human rights.

Mr. President,

The colonial repression against children and youth has
produced a spiral of violence with no end in sight. The
more their rights are violated, the more young people fight
back. For their lives, for the lives of their kind, for
their occupied homeland.

We all, the East Tiorese, more than ever we want peace
restored to our homeland. Therefore we reiterate our
commitment to cooperate with all the parties concerned,
under UN auspices, to put an end to the human rights
violations against our people.
** End of text from cdp:reg.easttimor **