From: Indonesia Publications/Task Force <apakabar@igc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.portuguese
Date: 09 Apr 92 18:31 PDT
Subject: East Timor Newsbriefs April 9
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1591800154:000:26893
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!apakabar    Apr  9 18:31:00 1992


From: Indonesia Publications/Task Force <apakabar>
Subject: East Timor Newsbriefs April 9



Remark: Scanned from FBIS.  This appears to be a report on the
expulsion of Dennis Schultz who reported on the incident in the
Australian newsweekly, The Bulletin.

Australian Tourist Deported From East Timor
BKO104140292 Jakarta THE JAKARTA POST in English 25 Mar 92 p 3

[Text] Dili, East Timor (JP)-The local immigration office on Saturday [21
Mar] deported an Australian tourist suspected of spying.

Dennis Dewe who has come to Indonesia for several times with tourist visa,
was caught red-handed taking photographs of military installations and sites
of the November 12 incident in Dili, THE JAKARTA POST's correspondent, Yacob
J. Herin, reported yesterday.

Dewe claimed he was a painter, but it was founded later an Australian
journalist. [as published] He was in the scene of the November 12 incident
along with a New Zealander student, Kamal Bamadaj who died later in the
incident.

The Dili immigration office had also deported a Japanese national for the
same reason in January.


Remark: Scanned from FBIS:

              Austria Denies Reports of Aid Suspension

BKO104081692 Jakarta ANTARA in English 0659 GMT 1 Apr 92

[Text] Jakarta, Apr. 1 (OANA-ANTARA)-Recent press reports quoting [Austrian]
junior minister Peter Jankowitsch that Austria has suspended technical
cooperation with Indonesia are grossly incorrect.

The Austrian Embassy here Wednesday announced in a statement that the
Austrian Government has never contemplated such a move or discussed [it] with
the Indonesian Government.

There is no change whatsoever in the policy of the Austrian Government
clearly expressed during the official visit to Indonesia of Foreign Minister
Alois Mock from February 11 to 12.

As of Monday, it said Mr. Jankowitsch is no longer a member of the Austrian
Government.

He has been replaced by Mrs. Brigitte Ederer who will be sworn in as the new
junior minister in charge of bilateral development cooperation, it said.

            Alatas: Austria To Continue Aid
BKO104101692 Jakarta ANTARA in English 0916 GMT 1 Apr 92

[Text] Jakarta, Apr 1 (OANA/ANTARA)-Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Alatas said
that the Austrian Government never halted its policy on aid to Indonesia and
it was only the press that said it had been stopped.

"After we checked the matter with the Indonesian Embassy in Vienna, the
report on the statement by the former Austrian junior minister (for bilateral
development cooperation) never came up at all in Austria," Alatas told newsmen
here on Wednesday.

Alatas asserted the press report carried by the French news agency AFP was
based on a telephone interview with Peter Jankowitsch, in which the former
junior minister said that Austria had called off its technical assistance to
Indonesia.

In the interview, Alatas added, Jankowitsch was reported to have only said
that all project assistance to Indonesia will always be studied carefully.

Austrian Foreign Affairs Ministry high-ranking officials, according to
Alatas, have said that Jankowitsch's statement on the issue was by no means
a policy of the Austrian Government.

"Therefore, I expect that the report be corrected, and the Indonesian
Government will not unnecessarily and hastily give comments on it," Alatas
pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Austrian Embassy in Jakarta in a press statement on Wednesday
said that the report was "grossly incorrect."

There is no change whatsoever in the policy of the Austrian Government, as
clearly "expressed during the official visit to Indonesia of Foreign Minister
Dr. Alois Mock last February, the statement said.

Since last Monday Jankowitsch is no longer a member of the Austrian
Government; his post has been taken over by Mrs. Brigitte Ederer.

Austria's commitment in the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia (IGGI) aid
package for the 1991/92 fiscal year was 8.0 million U.S. dollars, or 0.2
percent of the total 4.755 billion U.S. dollars.

The Indonesian Government has requested the Netherlands not to convene
meetings of the IGGI anymore, which automatically means the dissolution of
the 24 year-old consortium.

The Netherlands was the chairman of the group.

            Envoy Reaffirms Continuation of Aid

BKO304100492 Jakarta ANTARA in English 08-18 GMT 3 Apr 92
[Excerpts] Jakarta, Apr 3 (OANA/ANTARA)-The Austrian ambassador to Indonesia,
Dr. Herbert Kroll, confirmed here Friday that Austria's aid activities in
Indonesia are continuing normally, saying that he believed a unilateral aid
suspension is not the right way.

Technical assistance or financial aid is based on bilateral agreements and,
therefore, you have to discuss things first with the other side and one
should not decide the suspension of a bilateral agreement without prior con-
sultations with the other party, he told ANTARA. [passage omitted]

Dr. Kroll further said that during the official visit of the Austrian foreign
minister to Indonesia, an IGGI soft loan agreement was signed between Bank
Austria and the Indonesian Ministry of Finance in the amount of 40 million
U.S. dollars for the supply, staff training, and installation of 16 regional
stations of the RRI [Radio Republik Indonesia] national radio network.


This project is going on and I just came back from Irian Jaya where I have
been visiting the radio stations in Biak and Serui which will be refurbished,
he said.

That 58 Indonesian teachers will soon be leaving for Austria for a special 3
to 4 month training course also reflects the fact that there is no aid
stoppage, he said,

Indonesia, however, has requested the Netherlands to stop convening meetings
of the IGGI and demand dissolution of the 24- year-old aid consortium for
reasons that the Netherlands has frequently used its aid as an instrument of
political intimidation.

On other Austrian cooperation projects in Indonesia, Dr. Kroll said they
included the setting up of a technical center at the Engineering Faculty at
the Semarang-based Diponegoro University which will start operation in
September, and similar ones in other universities and senior technical high
schools.

Dr. Kroll also mentioned about a preparatory project for the protection of
the tropical forest on Seram Island in cooperation with Ambon's Pattimura
University.

I am now waiting for the greenlight of the Pattimura University to be able to
send an Austrian forest expert to Ambon, he said.



Forwarded from PeaceNet reg.indonesia conference: 
Topic 535Counting the Cost of Timor
nlutzreg.indonesia11:39 pm  Apr  6, 1992

Source: Far Eastern Economic Review   Date: April 2, 1992
Story Type: Analysis                  Original Language: English
Dateline: Jakarta                     Byline: Suhaini Aznam
Text: Full

                 COUNTING THE COST OF TIMOR

The most sigificant event of the past year unquestionably was
the crackdown in Dili, East Timor, where the Indonesian army
opened fire on a march by Timorese civilians and pro-independence
demonstrators on 12 November 1991. Official figures put the death
toll at 50, but eyewitnesses estimate as many as 100 were killed.
Hundreds more were injured and a number may have simply
disappeared.

International indignation over Dili marked a serious setback for
Indonesia's image overseas, giving rise to well-founded concerns
about its future foreign-aid expectations. On a recent world tour
to explain Indonesia's side of the story, however, Foreign
Minister Ali Alatas was adamant that Indonesia would refuse any
foreign aid which was tied to Dili or human rights. As it turned
out, Canada remains the only country to have suspended new aid
programs, including three projects worth U.S. $25 million,
because of the Dili killings.

At home, Dili forced the government to publicly acknowledge that
all was not well in the provinces -- that in some regions,
separatist tendencies were very real. Intellectuals were prompted
to reassess the country's human-rights record and found it
wanting. More pertinently, the generals were compelled to
reassess their own response to civilian protests, in an age when
much lip service has been paid to openness and democracy.

Unlike in Aceh, Sumatra -- where reports last year of 1,000
deaths over 18 months of sporadic fighting failed to gain world
attention for the Aceh Merdeka (Free Aceh) guerillas -- the
international focus on Dili in the wake of a Portuguese
parliamentary delegation's cancelled visit prevented the East
Timor killings from being swept under the carpet. President
Suharto himself appointed a high-level commission of inquiry,
whose investigations turned up higher casualty figures than the
19 dead the military had originally conceded.

Amid tight security, trials of suspected ringleaders have already
begun. Eight have been charged in Dili and five in Jakarta.
Authorities had initially arrested 308 people in Dili but later
released 276. In Jakarta, 70 were arrested for staging
demonstrations outside the UN headquarters and foreign embassies,
of whom 49 were later released.

In the political fallout, three senior military officers were
dismissed, two taken off active duty and one suspended; some
junior officers faced court martial. Of the senior officers, two
were prominent: Maj-Gen. Sintong Panjaitan, chief of the
Udayana Military Command, and Brig-Gen. Rudolf Warouw, chief of
the East Timor Military Operational Command.

The accountability at home did not, however, reflect any
softening towards Western standards or attitudes on human rights.
By late February, foreign journalists were barred from visiting
Dili. In March, the Portuguese "peace ship" Lusitania Expresso --
carrying 100 students and East Timorese activists who had planned
a wreath-laying ceremony in Dili -- was turned back by warships
soon after it entered Indonesian territorial waters.

Indonesia's ties with Australia, traditionally scarred with
misunderstandings, worsened over Dili. Canberra tried to maintain
a smooth diplomatic facade but the Australian public was less
restrained, reacting with demonstrations outside the Indonesian
Embassy in Canberra and the burning of the Indonesian flag in
various Australian cities.

In that respect, the U.S. was almost muted in its response,
encouraged by Indonesia's "serious efforts to make amends" for
its acknowledged use of force, as a State Department spokesman
put it. Observers, however, feel the U.S. was no less prompted by
wider regional security considerations. Thus it was the E.C. that
emerged waving the human-rights banner, spurred on by Portugal,
the current E.C. chairman.

The year also saw Indonesia demonstrate concern over mounting
regionalism, the most conspicuous example being the near impasse
over neighboring Malaysia's attempts to set up the East Asian
Economic Grouping, later watered down to an economic caucus.

Among Indonesia's more constructive achievements were its ongoing
peace efforts in Cambodia -- making possible the signing of the
peace agreement in Paris last October -- and attempts to play
honest broker in resolving the overlapping claims by six Asian
countries over the Spratly Islands. Although not itself a
claimant, Indonesia hosted a Spratlys workshop in Bandung last
July, providing a neutral forum for discussion.

On the home front, one of the more notable milestones of the last
12 months was Suharto's courtship of Muslim groups, in the wake
of his uneasiness with the military's factional manoevres. Much
was made of his first pilgrimage to Mecca last year, though at
70 there was probably as much religious feeling as political
impetus behind the act of faith.

A more direct appeal to Muslim hearts, the setting up of the
Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) in
December 1990, continued to receive his patronage. Observers saw
this as Suharto's master stroke in co-opting potential Muslim
fundamentalists from the ranks of well-heeled urban
professionals. Yet another significant concession was the
establishment of the Bank Muamalat Indonesia, the country's first
Islamic bank.

The only visible blot in the Muslim copybook was a ruckus late
last year over the state-sponsored lottery. Gambling is
forbidden in Islam, and Muslim groups held a series of
demonstrations against the lottery. Although lottery proceeds are
used to help the needy and victims of natural disasters, several
Muslim schools and student bodies returned the money once they
discovered its source.

Despite this, Suharto escaped almost unscathed. In urging Muslim
groups like the ICMI not to split the country along sectarian
lines, Suharto has drawn a fine balance between Muslim purists
and the more secular pan-Indonesian types for whom culture takes
precedence over religion. Early this month, two traditional
Muslim groups, the Muhammadiyah and the Syarikat Islam, endorsed
his re-election for a sixth five-year term as president.

One of those taking advantage of the current political bartering
is Abdurrahman Wahid, the head of the country's largest Muslim
movement, the Nahdlatul Ulama. Wahid had faced a serious
leadership challenge early this year and was anxious to restore
his credibility in establishment circles.

To this end, a huge rally was planned for 1 March at which Wahid
was to get his message heard for a broader interpretation of
Islam -- one more suited, he claimed, to Indonesia's multi-ethnic
and religiously diverse population. It was a tacit slap for the
Islamic purists pushing for stricter adherence to Muslim tenets
in this 88% Muslim state. In the event, less than 200,000 people
showed up, denying Wahid the massive reaffirmation of personal
legitimacy that he had hoped for.

Interestingly, some of the more vocal champions of change towards
openness and democracy are retired senior members of the
Indonesian armed forces (Abri). A clutch of them joined the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) in a move which upset the
Golkar government. Some retired generals have also proposed
abolishing the practice of appointing 100 Abri members to the
lower house of parliament. Instead, they suggest more direct
political participation by Abri in open electoral contests.
Suharto promptly quashed that idea, on the grounds that it might
split the armed forces and increase the risk of a military coup.

Looking ahead to a new generation of leaders, other retired
generals have suggested limiting presidents to two terms in
office. The next crop of leaders would not enjoy the same
legitimacy as the independence generation, they reasoned, so they
would be expected to bring in and live up to more democratic
reforms. Limits on the presidency would help ensure this.

Meanwhile, Suharto's re-election to a sixth term next March is
almost a given, said one political scientist. The real
politicking now is for the post of vice-president, and Suharto's
eventual successor. At least three names are being bandied about
in that context: Home Affairs Minister Rudini, Abri chief Gen.
Try Sutrisno and Suharto's brother-in-law, Maj-Gen. Wismoyo
Arismunandar, commander of Indonesia's Strategic Reserve Command.

Thus the succession question is already overshadowing the general
elections set for 9 June. Given the Indonesian tradition of rule
by consensus and the absence of any real opposition parties,
elections are, in any case, less a political watershed than a
prolonged exercise in political bartering that culminates in an
endorsement of the status quo. Political observers deem a Golkar
victory a foregone conclusion, with only the margins of victory
at stake. Both the PDI and the coalition of Muslim groups in the
United Development Party claim they will achieve wider margins,
while Golkar is trying to hold on to its 73% share of the 1987
electoral pie.

Ideological issues are markedly absent except as a philosophical
ideal. The openness and democracy espoused last year has acquired
only limited currency in government. Intellectuals want to see
better direct communication between people and government, more
decentralisation, a reappraisal of individual and societal rights
and a balance between the prosperity approach and the security
approach to government. This wish list is, however, confined to
the elite, whose adoption is limited to channels of personal
influence rather than power.

Among the majority of the population, land acquisition for
development projects, tourist resorts and encroachments into
agricultural land by private industry have left farmers bitter.
The lack of adequate compensation exacerbates an already touchy
situation, given the farmer's emotional ties to his land. In the
cities, unemployment remains the main source of complaint,
followed by overcrowding, poor housing and inadequate water and
power supplies.

Meanwhile, private criticisms of first family business
acquisitions have increased. There have also been allegations of
favoritism towards ethnic Chinese conglomerates. This, and the
attendant dissatisfaction among young Indonesian entrepreneurs
who want a fighting chance at competing for government projects,
have increased the stakes for the succession.


Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference:
Topic 1180Camara: "You invaded our country"
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 9:54 pm  Apr  8, 1992

Camara: "You invaded our country"

Source: Jakarta Post. Date: 3 April 1992. Abridged.

Comment: Joao Freitas da Camara is using the courtroom in the
best tradition of political trials. If he uses it thus when
appearing as a witness, his own trial can be expected to
produce some stirring moments. But the obscenely insensitive
remark of the judge reflects the contempt in some Indonesian
circles for the suffering of the East Timorese.

EAST TIMORESE DISPUTE VALIDITY OF 1976 INTEGRATION

The leader of the anti-integration demonstration launched on
Nov 19 last year insisted that East Timor was an independent
nation before Indonesia came and took over.

"East Timor proclaimed its independence on Nov 28 1975, before
the Balibo proclamation which was made outside East Timor,
across the border in Indonesia," Joao Freitas da Camara, 37,
said on the witness stand at the trial of Virgilio da Silva
Guterres, 26, at the Central Jakarta District Court yesterday.
Da Camara is being tried separately on subversion charges.

When Judge Tuaradja asked him if he knew that East Timor had
joined Indonesia, Da Camara answered, "What I know is that
East Timor has been made to join Indonesia."

Balibo

He did not recognise the Balibo proclamation made on 30 Nov,
1975 by four political parties of East Timor which stated that
East Timor wanted to join Indonesia. "The Balibo proclamation
was not legitimate," he said.

"We had a nation called the Democratic Republic of East Timor.
Our first president was Francisco de la Cruz who was detained
in Jakarta. The second was murdered," he said.

"It was the intention of the people of East Timor to integrate
with Indonesia," said the judge. "Indonesia did not invade
East Timor."

"'Invasion' is not my term, it was used in the UN resolution,"
said da Camara. Asked why he did not go to the DPR instead of
to the UN building, Da Camara said the DPR would not have
taken care of the matter. Moreover, it was an international
matter.

Killed

Another witness, Jose Louis de Oliveira, 26, said he joined
the demonstration because he believed his brother was killed on
Nov. 12 but he later learned that he was alive. When he
explained that the black bandanas the demonstrators wore in
the Nov 19 demonstration were a traditional emblem signifying
grief over the death of their brothers in Dili, Judge Siregar
jokingly said the black gown he wore also signified sadness
since he had to try the defendant. The joke (sic) caused the
people attending to burst into laughter.


Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference:
Topic 1181Araujo blames S Cruz demonstrators
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 9:56 pm  Apr  8, 1992

Fretilin/Lisbon condemns 12 Nov demonstration

Source: East Timor News. Date: 26 March 1992.

The demonstration in Dili on 12 November which culminated in
the Santa Cruz massacre was condemned by Antonio Araujo and
Jose Sarmento, members of the Fretilin Committee in Portugal
(CFP) during a press conference. They surprised journalists
present by stating that the "massacre would not have occurred
if there had been more concerted action" and "what most
infuriated the Indonesians were the flags", and they regarded
these as "a provocation". (Diario de Noticias, 7 February)

Fretilin leader Abilio Araujo in a press release on the
following day also supported this position, describing the
preparations for the demonstration as being characterised by
"indiscipline, liberalism and adventurism which were a fertile
ground for the infiltration of double agents". (DnN, 8
February)

Ramos-Horta replies

Replying in Publico, Jose Ramos-Horta, CNRM representative in
the exterior, accused Abilio of being out of touch and stated
that other Fretilin leaders, such as Mari Alkatiri, Jose Luis
Guterres and Roque Roderigues did not share the most recent
positions adopted by Araujo.

He spoke again of his intention of founding an international
secretariat of the CNRM in the exterior based in Lisbon which
could act as an umbrella organisation to channel the
initiatives in the exterior, of the various Timorese
resistance groups. He stressed that the composition of any
Timorese delegation participating in negotiations would have
to have the approval of Xanana Gusmao. "This is logical and
just."

Speaking of recent and future fund-raising efforts, he
strongly recommended that such financial support should be
channelled directly to the CNRM in the interior, this being
the area most in need of support, and suggested that the
Portuguese solidarity group, CDPM, should oversee the funds.
(Publico, 15 February)


Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference: 
Topic 1182Fretilin to be restructured
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 9:56 pm  Apr  8, 1992

Fretilin to be restructed in exterior

Source: Diario de Noticias. Date: 8 April 1992. Brief summary only.

FRETILIN CHANGES IN THE EXTERIOR WILL INVOLVE EXCLUSION OF ABILIO ARAUJO

Fretilin activists in Portugal, Australia and Mozambique are
preparing "for a thorough-going restructuring of the party in
the exterior". This restructuring which implies the
replacement of Abilio Araujo, present chief of the Fretilin
External Delegation (DEF) could begin this month with the
creation of a Central Council in Lisbon.

At a meeting, a troika was formed to prepare for this, within
the next six months. The three persons are Mari Alkatiri, at
present vice-prpesident of the DEF, Jose Luis Guterres, the
party's representative at the UN, and Estanislau da Silva in
Sydney, Australia.



Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference:
Topic 1184The EC and the aid question
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 9:58 pm  Apr  8, 1992

Source: Far Eastern Economic Review. Date: 9 April 1992.
Byline: Shada Islam.

This is the shorter of two articles published in this issue of
the Review about Indonesia's decision to stop receiving aid
from The Netherlands.

STANDARD BEARERS

The EC is hoping to stay out of the Dutch-Indonesian quarrel
over aid and human rights, with officials stressing that the
"bilateral" row will not affect Jakarta's relations with
either the European Commission or other EC states.

But while the squabble may not have an immediate and direct
impact on Indonesia's dealing with the EC, Jakarta's refusal
to accept any link between aid and human rights has
highlighted a major obstacle in plans to negotiate a new EC-
Asean treaty on economic cooperation. The EC has made it clear
that the new pact must include a "human-rights clause" to
ensure that EC financial assistance is not used to shore up
governments which violate basic freedoms.

Asean representatives, including Indonesian Foreign Minister
Ali Alatas, have rejected the suggestion. However, the EC
maintains that a reference to human rights is now an essential
part of its economic cooperation treaties.

EC officials nevertheless recognise that they will have to
tread more carefully when dealing with prickly Asian
governments. The emphasis in Asia is likely to be on "positive
encouragement" rather than on intimidation. However, Brussels
may not succeed in convincing all EC members to take an
equally pragmatic line.

The Hague, for example, ended all aid to Jakarta following the
East Timor killings, without waiting for the results of an
official inquiry. The EC, by contrast, maintained its aid ties
with Jakarta, and said it was encouraged by the government's
action against those found responsible for the shooting.

Portugal, which currently heads the EC's Council of Ministers,
is expected to be as vociferous as the Netherlands in
demanding inclusion of a strongly worded human-rights clause
in the new agreement with Asean. As a result, Portugal is seen
as unlikely to press for quick progress on a new pact while it
occupies the EC presidential chair, leaving Britain - which
takes up the presidency in July - to start formal talks with
Asean.


Forwarded from GreenNet reg.easttimor conference: 
Topic 1187Timor at the European Parliament
gn:tapolreg.easttimor 7:13 am  Apr  9, 1992

Simone Veil to visit Lisbon

Source: Diario de Noticias. Date: 8 April 1992.

[Simone Veil is a leading member of the European Parliament.
Until recently, she was president of the Parliament.]

TIMOR BRINGS VEIL TO LISBON

The recently appointed chair of the European Parliament Inter-
Group on East Timor will be visiting Lisbon in May. During her
visit, Simone Veil will be received by (President) Mario
Soares and plans to have meetings with the Special Commission
on East Timor of the Assembly of the Republic and with
officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Yesterday, the French deputy (of the United Democratic Party)
and a delegation of Portuguese parliamentarians held a meeting
in Strasbourg with Portugal's Foreign Minister, Joao de Deus
Pinheiro as a declaration of principles was being circulated
to recruit members of the Inter-Group.

During the meeting, members of the Inter-Group discussed with
the Foreign Minister the hearing on East Timor which will take
place in Brussels on 23 April.

After the meeting, Deus Pinheiro gave an assurance that the
Portuguese presidency (which lasts until 1 July 1992) would
not neglect Timor and said that the signing of a new accord
with the ASEAN countries would include respect for human
rights. The European Parliament deputies regard the creation
of the Inter-Group as essential to coordinate the Parliament's
intervention in this case of genocide.

The Inter-Group will seek more information about the actual
situation in East Timor, will organise discussions and contact
international personalities about the gravity of the situation
in the territory, and emphasis the need to implement an act of
self-determination for the people of East Timor.


Organization: Doctoral student, Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA