Nov
24 WkAus: 21 charged with Timor massacre News added Nov
26
"United Nations prosecutors in East Timor
have lodged an indictment against 21 people, including senior Indonesian
military, militia and government officials, over the massacre in the Catholic
church in the town of Liquica in April 1999. ... Of the 21 accused, only
two low-ranking participants in the April 6 massacre are in custody in
East Timor. ... there is strong resistance in Jakarta to fulfilling extradition
requests. ... The results of the investigation in East Timor, ... could
assist, and put pressure on, Indonesian justice officials and encourage
the Attorney-General’s office to increase the number of people facing prosecution.
Ultimately, this is likely to reach retired armed forces commander General
Wiranto." Don Greenlees
BD:
November 20 2001 - This Month in Review Overview added
Nov 20
* Santa Cruz Massacre * Justice And Accountability
in East Timor * Calls for an International Crimes Tribunal
* Japanese Self-Defense Force * Independence
* Disparity Between UNTAET & East Timorese * Health * Military
Aid to Indonesia * The Tampa Affair / Refugees
Nov
19 Aust: Timor venture on hold Article added Nov 20
"Development of the vast Sunrise gas
reserves in the Timor Sea has been delayed at least two years. A meeting
of joint venture participants in Perth on Friday failed to agree on a commercial
arrangement for development. ... News of the delay comes as senior Australian
government officials prepare to travel to Dili for a round of talks with
the
new East Timorese Government, in a bid to resolve differences over
the Timor Sea Arrangement signed in July." Nigel Wilson
November 16th:
International Day of Tolerance
See:
BD:
The
Reconciliation
process in East Timor
Nov
16 UNTAET: Alkatiri/de Mello press conference Briefing
added Nov 26
"Q: You have been talking about
a Presidential election but you have not been talking about parliamentary
elections. When do you think parliamentary elections will be? Marí
Alkatiri: This is a decision that is going to be made by the
Constituent Assembly itself. Are we going to have a parliamentary election
before independence or after independence? If after independence, when?
Two, three, four years after independence or immediately after the independence?
The Constituent Assembly will decide on this.
Q: What kind of experts do you
expect to fill [posts in the successor mission] after independence?
Sergio Vieira de Mello: Yes, we
will come up, as I said, with a fairly comprehensive inventory of the positions,
the core ones, that is the 100 or so to be funded from the mandatory assessed
budget of the United Nations, will be in essentially three areas of government:
one, central administrative support services to all the ministries of the
independent Government of East Timor; second, financial and banking; and
third, justice." UNTAET Daily Briefing
Nov
15 KairosCanada: Appeal for Tribunal Action added Nov
15
“There must be no hiding place for political
monsters such as unleashed the destruction
of East Timor in 1999. These are crimes which are far greater than
their immediate victims ... They strike at the future as well as the present.
They make the world more dangerous for everyone.” Bishop Belo, Bishop of
Dili, Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1996
"Please show your support for the creation
of an international tribunal on East Timor and
for human rights reform in Indonesia. Below
is a brief outline of a letter you can send to Canada’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs, The Hon. John Manley. Please also send a copy of your
correspondence to our office. We will forward copies to all of the member
countries on the UN Security Council, the UN body which mandates the creation
of an international tribunal." Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Nov
14 LH: Dili Justice Seminar report excerpts Summaries
added Nov 15
"The following material relates to a seminar
held in Dili on 16 October 2001 entitled Justice And Accountability In
East Timor: International Tribunals And Other Options organized by
several East Timorese non-governmental organizations. ... If you would
like the 24-page seminar report including all papers, discussions and outcomes
of the seminar, write to
ifet@etan.org
and I will email you an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file. Please indicate if you
would like the English or Bahasa Indonesia version. The full report of
the seminar will be available soon at
http://www.etan.org/lh/reports.html
[including new information and reports as they come out]" Charlie Scheiner,
La'o
Hamutuk
November 12th, 1991 Massacre
of unarmed Timorese youth at Santa Cruz cemetery
See: BD:
War Crimes & Crimes Against Humanity
Nov
12 DemNow!: RealAudio Program on Santa Cruz Massacre Audio
link added Nov 15
"The Indonesian troops who committed the
massacre [Santa Cruz] used M-16 rifles provided by the US; their officers
were trained and supported by the U.S. When
the horrific reports of the Santa Cruz massacre reached the outside world,
the response of the US and its allies was instructive. The Bush Administration
doubled military aid to Indonesia even as General Try Sutrisno, who would
later become Vice President, said of the nonviolent protestors “such people
much be shot and we will shoot them.” But the massacre also sparked an
international solidarity movement to support the East Timorese struggle
for liberation from Indonesian occupation." Democracy NOW! in Exile
Nov
12 APCET: Ten years ago today, a massacre in Dili stunned the world
Statement added Nov 13
"The crimes against
East Timor are also crimes against humanity. It is time that the international
community close this grim chapter in world history by convening an international
human rights tribunal for East Timor. It is time that the Indonesian
government redress their past wrongs by cooperating, if not, initiating
proceedings to convene this international court. It is time for the victims
and kin of all crimes in East Timor to rest. It is time for East Timor
to be completely free."
Asia-Pacific Coalition
for East Timor (APCET)
Nov
12 TETA: The eve of 10th anniversary of Santa Cruz massacre
Statements added Nov 12
"On Nov. 11, more than 70 people took
part in a memorial event in Tokyo to commemorate the 10th anniversary of
the Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor. After about an hour meeting, mourners
walked to the Indonesian embassy in Tokyo carrying pictures of victims
of the Santa Cruz massacre and laid flowers at the gate of the embassy.
The event was organised by Tokyo East Timor Association (a member group
of Free East Timor! Japan Coalition ), National Christian Council,
Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace, Amnesty
International Japan, Network for Indonesian Democracy, Japan, Japan
NGO Network for Indonesia, and Pacific Asia Resource Center. The attendants
unanimously approved the statement prepared by organisers, calling for
the establishment of an international tribunal
to prosecute Indonesian military officers and top-level militia leaders
responsible for crimes against humanity committed
in East Timor." Kyo Kageura, Tokyo East
Timor Association (Free East Timor!
Japan Coalition)
Nov
12 SMH: Ten Years Later, Santa Cruz Massacre Still Leaves a Scar
Article added Nov 12
"Ten years after the massacre that shocked
the world, memories are still raw in East Timor. ... Ten years later the
territory has its nominal freedom, but Santa Cruz is still an open wound.
UNTAET has paid little attention to victims of war
crimes, although they constitute a substantial sector of the population.
... The balance is not entirely negative a decade later. Two young men,
Gregorio Saldanha and Francisco Branco, were among those arrested and tortured
for the crime of organising a peaceful demonstration. Both served eight
years in Soeharto’s prisons, but were freed prematurely after the dictator
fell. Today, they walk tall as members of Timor’s new parliament [Both
are National Fretilin Party Representatives
elected to the Constituent Assembly - BD].
Only their troubled, serious faces indicate their sad past." Jill Joliffe
in Dili
November 12th - 23rd: UN Committee against Torture Venue: Geneva
Nov
10 ETAN/U.S.: Alert: Honor the Santa Cruz massacre victims
Action alert added Nov 11
"NOVEMBER 12 marks the tenth anniversary
of one of the most infamous massacres in East Timor. On November 12, 1991,
the Indonesian military indiscriminately fired upon East Timorese participants
in a memorial procession-turned-peaceful pro-independence demonstration
in the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili. Over 270 civilians were killed. This
massacre, unlike many others during the U.S.-backed Indonesian military
occupation, was recorded and reported on by international journalists.
News of the atrocity sparked an international solidarity movement for East
Timor." ETAN Washington Representative Karen
Orenstein
Oct
30-Nov 5 Tempo: The Disparity Between UNTAET and E.Timorese
Article added Nov 4
"The contrasting
incomes and lifestyles between the expatriates and nationals in Timor
Loro Sa’, particularly in Dili, has caused deep envy and anger among the
local population. That’s why rock attacks still happen occasionally, even
if the war has ended. Those rocks are being thrown at UNTAET cars during
night time, smashing window screens. This outpouring of anger is triggered
by the flagrant display of wealth amidst the widespread poverty around
the local people." Raihul Fadjri (Yogyakarta), Setiyardi (Timor Loro Sa’e).
Oct
30-Nov 5 Tempo: Foreign Pie in a Local Kitchen (UNTAET’s Budget for 2000)
Info added Nov 4
"Salaries of military personnel US$220
millon; Salaries of civilian personnel US$199 million; Salaries of international
staff US$112 million (monthly average of US$7,800 per head); Dental care
for military personnel US$7 million; Laundry cost of military personnel
US$2.1 million; Drinking water for military personnel US$3.65 million;
Salaries of local staff US$5.5 million (monthly average of US$240 per head);
Total
Budget 2000 US$549.15 million " Raihul Fadjri (Yogyakarta), Setiyardi
(Timor Loro Sa’e)."
Oct
30-Nov 5 Tempo: 100s of UNTAET employees stay in Timor's Floating Hotels
Article added Nov 5
"In its one year of operation under contract
with UNTAET, [Hotel] Olympia is believed to have made at least US$40 million
in profits—eight times the amount UNTAET spent in salaries to its local
employees during the same period. ... Having won independence, the Timorese
are awakening to a new reality. The sight of Lobato sleeping on the pavement
of a pot-holed road and old rickety buildings lining the beach stands in
stark contrast to the [floating hotel] Central Maritime display of good
living—a reminder to the Timorese that they still have to face another
enemy in their midst—poverty." Setiyardi (Timor Loro Sa’e)
Nov
3 Age: Timor's Haunted Women Article added Nov 7
"They’re cruel! We don’t want Japanese
soldiers back here!” Marta Pereira, one of around 1000 surviving ETimorese
women who were used
as sex slaves, or “comfort women”, by the Japanese military
“We see it as an important issue - despite
their old age, these women are still suffering, ... We struggled 24 years
to get Indonesian troops out of here, and now we’re being asked to accept
Japanese troops. Japanese support should be in another form. It’s ugly
to have troops here when no apology has yet been made.” Natalia de Jesus
Cesaltino, Fokupers
Nov
1 Inglis: UN and Tokyo agree on dispatch of Japanese troops to ETimor
Article added Nov 7
"The Japanese government announced on
October 22 that a
600-member Self-Defense Force engineering battalion would be sent to East
Timor next spring. ... twelve Timorese NGOs,
organizations (involved in such fields as human rights, women’s issues,
student mobilization, international aid monitoring, etc.) issued
a statement opposing the SDF dispatch and urging Japan to instead use
its political and economic influence with Indonesia to bring about the
normalization of conditions along the border with Indonesian West Timor.
... most of the world’s people, if given a choice, would opt for a twenty-first
century with one less, rather than one more, military armed to the teeth
and waiting for war." Jean Inglis, member of the Japanese solidarity network