From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:EAST TIMOR: Portugal condemns alleged torture of guerrilla leader
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 07:29:30 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: EAST TIMOR: Portugal condemns alleged torture of guerrilla leader


lisbon, dec 2 (ips/mario dujisin) -- the indonesian government has
been accused of torture and gross misrepresentation in its release
of a televised interview of captured timorese guerrilla leader
jose aleixandre xanana gusmao.

portuguese television channels on tuesday transmitted a film
supplied by the high command of the indonesian army in which
xanana gusmao appeared visibly dejected, asking for pardon and
showing himself to be ''repentant'' for having resisted jakarta
for 17 years.

''i have reached the conclusion that integration with indonesia
to achieve social progress for the timorese is a great objective.
the truth is that timor belongs to indonesia,'' explained xanana
gusmao during the course of a breakfast with abilio soares osorio,
the governor of the island, and a former sergeant in the
portuguese colonial army.

according to the governor, ''the military asked me for
authorisation to film this conversation with xanana'' in which the
guerrilla leader called on combatants in the jungle ''to surrender
to the military authorities of the nearest detachment''.

xanana gusmao also advised those expatriate independence-
seeking groups and individuals ''not to be carried away by
portugal, which has done nothing for timor in 17 years''.

furthermore, he criticised the coordinator of the national
resistance council (nrc), jose ramos-horta, because ''he has
always worked more for himself than for the party''.

xanana gusmao, 42, a poet, a journalist and a graduate of the
catholic seminary of dili, capital of east timor, was until he was
captured two weeks ago, engaged in an armed struggle against the
indonesian army ever since it occupied the former portuguese
colony on dec 7, 1975.

deeming indonesia ''one of the worst dictatorships in the
world'', portuguese president mario soares declared that: ''xanana
had been tortured, his life was threatened, he did not have a
lawyer, nor was he in any condition to defend himself.''

the portuguese president also believed that systematic pressure
by the international community would be necessary to make
indonesia respect the human rights of xanana gusmao, his family
and all captured independence seeking individuals.

spokesperson for the portuguese foreign ministry, leonor
ribeiro da silva, said that his government had appealed to the
united nations, to the international community, ''and in a very
special way to the red cross, to put an end to the violation of
the most elementary human rights'' in indonesia.(more/ips)

east timor: portugal condemns alleged torture of guerrilla leader(2-e)

east timor: portugal (2)

''everything indicates he (gusmao) is the object of pressures
and threats against himself, his family and his companions in the
struggle.''

the television broadcast was assessed at length during a
roundtable discussion held here involving politicians, doctors and
psychologists. the group concluded that the guerrilla leader had
been tortured by the indonesian army's secret police which had
resulted in ''a clumsy film''.

the doctors and psychologists also concluded that xanana gusmao
had been drugged and jakarta ''to bring xanana to the united
nations in new york so he can repeat what he said''.

former governor of the island mario carrascalao, who supported
indonesia's annexation of east timor, said he did not know whether
xanana gusmao had ''repented'' or not, ''but i cannot believe he
made these declarations of his own accord''.

carrascalao was asked to resign in september by indonesian
president suharto ''for being too soft''.

analyst jeronomo pimentel drew a parallel with the messages of
''repentance'' from u.s., british and italian pilots captured by
the saddam hussein regime during the gulf war of january 1991, and
broadcast over iraqi television.

''the broadcast clumsily sought to show an atmosphere of
cordiality between the prisoner and governor soares osorio. there
was no lack of coffee and plates with cakes, but this time it was
xanana who called on his companions to surrender,'' said pimentel.

another analyst, adelino gomez maintained that ''xanana had
been transformed into a human rag for the glory of the indonesian
dictatorship and to the shame of the civilised world''.

amnesty international's geoffrey robinson noted that xanana's
statements were made ''in custody'' and in a place where ''there
were only indonesian soldiers, who forced him to speak under
threats''.

symbols of the anti-indonesian independentist movements making
up the nrc, xanana gusmao and ramos-horta are the only figures who
enjoy complete support from the most conservative sector to the
most marxist in east timor.
(end/ips/hr-ip/ego/trd/tt/dj/cpg/92)