Since East Timor’s vote for independence in 1999, we were mindful of the unfinished tasks of nation-building towards political stability, democracy and justice; internal security and law enforcement; and economic independence. The April’s deadly riot at the seaside capital of East Timor and the reported on-going hostilities spawned by the incident, considered by many as the worst to rock East Timor since 1999, only reaffirmed the observation that it is still a long to go for this young and fledgling nation to attain what it desired.
Since East Timor’s vote for independence in 1999, we were mindful of the unfinished tasks of nation-building towards political stability, democracy and justice; internal security and law enforcement; and economic independence. The April’s deadly riot at the seaside capital of East Timor and the reported on-going hostilities spawned by the incident, considered by many as the worst to rock East Timor since 1999, only reaffirmed the observation that it is still a long to go for this young and fledgling nation to attain what it desired.
We, in the Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC), are one with the international community in expressing our deep concern on the bloody protests and riots in the streets. APSOC, organized in East Timor from the core of the Asia-Pacific Coalition for East Timor (APCET) and as a regional formation started in May 2004 to forge solidarity for peace, justice and human rights in the Southeast Asian and Pacific region, is apprehensive that a simple people’s protest led by the disgruntled soldiers themselves may be blown out of proportions if not handled properly by those in the government. That while we take on a bigger mandate offering solidarity also to the other conflict areas of the southeast Asian region such as Aceh, West Papua, Maluku, Burma, southern Thailand and Mindanao, we cannot simply fold our hands and let the situation in East Timor turn from bad to worse.
Disturbing were the conflicting reports projected before the international community. The government officially reported that the “ brutal police and army operation to end the unrest left at least 6 people dead and more than 60 hospitalised.” One of the six killed was a police officer and three others were injured. But some human rights activists put the casualty as high as 70. Also the government was obviously trying to downplay the incident when Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta told foreign media in a business as usual tone “after all the violence lasted no more than one afternoon” as he assured that the government will form a probe body to look into the grievances of the soldiers numbering closely to 600 who were sacked last March and urged the soldiers “to turn themselves in and cooperate with a commission of investigation that will study their complaints.”
It can be recalled that nearly 600 soldiers, more than a third of East Timor’s army mainly from the country’s west, walked out of their barracks on February 8 claiming they were poorly paid and complained of favored treatment being given to soldiers from the east and were later sacked when they refused to return to their barracks. The east is a key centre of resistance to the Indonesian occupation of East Timor from the mid-1970s until 1999.
However, reports from the ground obtained by APSOC indicate no rosy picture for East Timor after that bloody incident. A solidarity partner who is living in Dili, the seaside capital of East Timor, told of a precarious conditions on the ground where no one can no longer be safe saying that “we have just experienced a week of uncertainty, violence, tremendous fear, hundreds of rumors, frantic mobile phone calls, and great uneasiness and tension.” Contrary to official pronouncements, the bloody April incident is threatening to linger on with the disgruntled soldiers reportedly went into hiding and bent on pursuing their cause at all costs. And this situation is complicated with some 30 military police coming from the west, as the reports indicate, had “deserted their posts with their weapons and joined the dissidents in the hills.”
Equally disturbing is that while this situation appear to be far from over, the people especially those living in Dili and nearby places were adversely affected and leaving their homes for safety. As our solidarity partner graphically wrote: “People were seeking safety in church compounds, at the seminary, and with religious communities. Last night, I was told that there were about 5,000 people at the Salesian Fathers’ compound in Comoro, and 5,000 people at the Canossian Sister’s compound in Balide. People started fleeing Dili for the districts, riding in trucks and other vehicles piled high with things and people.” We cannot help but to wonder how these displaced families able to make ends meet daily.
Though it is noteworthy that the East Timorese government is trying to keep its act together in the face of this turmoil. On May 6, in a televised broadcast accompanied by two bishops, President Xanana Gusmao expressed his grave concern on the worsening situation and asked “the rebels and the commander of the military police and other police who joined the rebels not to create trouble in the communities and if they trusted him, they would not cause any further trouble.” The president also urged all the residents who fled Dili to return and asked the Church to help disseminate this message. A day before, the Prime Minister assured the people that the situation is under control as he expressed confidence that the “dissidents” do not have the capacity to attack Dili.
In this light, APSOC felt the need to manifest our growing concern on what is happening in East Timor as we are strongly urging the government to immediately put into place the mechanism to bring the “dissidents” into the table for a peaceful resolution of the conflict the soonest time possible.
We are also earnestly urging the government to make good of its intention to form a probe body to look into the complaints of the disgruntled soldiers. To ensure impartialiy in the process of the investigation, APSOC is one with the idea that some Church leaders and those from the civil society of East Timor and the grassroot communities will be part of the investigative committee to conduct a speedy and impartial probe in order to restore trust and confidence in the government among the people.
And while the government is pursuing a just and peaceful solution to the crisis, it must also address the needs of the evacuees at the different parts of Dili and nearby places so as to meet their needs, both material and social. Assistance in all forms must be made available to the evacuees helping them to return to their normal lives.
APSOC cannot just fold its hand while the people of East Timor are groping in the darkness. We are urging all the parties concerned to seize every opportunity available to solve the crisis in just and peaceful manner.
Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)
APSOC’s 14 founding organizations from 9 Asia-Pacific countries:
Indonesian Human Rights Committee (IHRC) – New Zealand
National Coalition for the Union of Burma (NCUB) – Burma
Alternative ASEAN Network for Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma)
Timor Leste Coalition for the Asia-Pacific (TILCAP) – East Timor
Friends of the Third World/Center for Peoples Dialogue (FTW/CPD) – Sri Lanka
Asian Students Association (ASA) – Hongkong
Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) – Philippines
Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) – Mindanao
Yayasan Anak Dusun Papua (YADUPA) – West Papua
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) – Malaysia
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia) – Thailand
Support Committee for Human Rights in Aceh (SCHRA)
Philippine Solidarity for East Timor and Indonesia (PhilSETI) – Philippines
Solidarity Without Border (SOLIDAMOR)- Indonesia
Pax Christi – New Zealand
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