Jackie Chan takes on Timor's karate kids
By Sheila Oviedo
East Timor's youth gangs, flaunting names like Devoted Heart Lotus Brotherhood,
Sagrada Familia, Seven-Seven and El Diablo, have been more than a headache for
the nation's new government. Notorious gangsters such as Lito Rambo, Ameu Van
Damme, and Kung Fu Master were behind the country's first post-independence
outbreak of mass violence in 2006.
But this summer, after riots resulted in 30 deaths and the displacement of
around 200,000 people in Dili, gang violence appears to have subsided as a
result of intensified government and initiatives from non-government
organizations (NGOs).
The prize for good behavior: a visit by legendary martial artist Jackie Chan.
For three days in June, Chan toured East Timor to
spread a message of hope and lead thousands of young men and women in martial
arts training.
"It does not matter what school of martial arts we are from as long as we are
united. Training for martial arts helps you to strengthen your eyes, your mind
and your body. When you have a good body and mind, let's help people. Don't
harm them," was the message from the kung fu master.
Chan was the logical choice to help tame Timor's gangs. A 2006 study
commissioned by the Australian Agency for International Development (AUSAID)
noted that of the 100 known youth gangs in East Timor, approximately 15 to 20
were martial arts groups, or gangs formed out of martial arts clubs. An
estimated 70% of Timor's 230,000 young men and women may be active or involved
in martial arts gangs.
Many gangs in East Timor have been linked to extortion, theft and illegal
drugs, which serve as the primary means of livelihood for their unemployed
members. Gang rivalries are fierce and incidents of gang violence have been
particularly vicious. Some members killed during gang fights have been beheaded
by rivals, and there have been cases in which gang members were pulled out of
hospital beds to be executed.
Many gangs are also allied with political factions and have carried out various
acts of political intimidation and harassment, including during the 2007
national elections. Gangs were used extensively by political factions in
fomenting the 2006 riots.
Plan International, an international youth development NGO with offices in 49
countries, found that 10% to 25% of Timor's youth were involved in the 2006
riots. This figure is lower than originally thought, but the image of young,
drug-crazed Timorese men wielding machetes and setting homes on fire will not
easily be forgotten.
Timorese gang culture predates independence. Many groups were formed during the
20-year Indonesian occupation, either as militias for the Indonesian military
or as part of the Timorese resistance movement. Many are therefore intimately
linked to the raging social divides in post-conflict Timor. Meanwhile, other
groups were formed after independence to make up for weak law enforcement and
the persistent feeling of insecurity.
The AUSAID-commissioned study noted that youth involvement, particularly among
males, was fueled by "a sense of disenfranchisement due to a range of factors
including unemployment, security concerns, and a lack of education".
In some ways, the gangs in Timor are no different than disaffected youth gangs
elsewhere, on the streets of countries like Brazil, Colombia and Honduras. But
Latin American gangs have become more sophisticated over time, transforming
into transnational criminal networks that operate locally as well as in the
United States. Central American gangs have an estimated 70,000 to 100,000
members, including some who have been deported from the United States. They are
well armed, usually with assault weapons, and have strong links to the illegal
drug trade.
Gangs in the Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro control the favela shantytowns
and mete out their own justice.
The Timorese gangs more resemble the youth gangs that proliferated in Sao Luis
in northern Brazil in the 1990s. Groups named Lack of God, Messengers from Hell
and Crazy Ducks were also comprised of marginalized young men and women who
were pushed into gang culture by poverty and lack of opportunity. The Sao Luis
gangs engaged in various crimes using knives and machetes, sometimes under the
influence of drugs and alcohol.
Similarly, the Timorese gangs do not have sophisticated weapons at their
disposal. Some carry machetes, arrows, stones, slingshots and poisonous darts
which they use to execute rivals. These weapons are more than enough to sow
fear among the populace. Foreign aid workers and UN peacekeepers are all too
aware of the risks of straying from safe routes and into gang-controlled
territory. Gangs have been known to pelt stones at UN vehicles passing through
refugee camps. In November 2006, a Brazilian missionary was killed by gang
members near a hospital in Dili.
While Timor's problem with gangs appears small by Latin American standards, it
remains a serious concern. Timor has one of the world's youngest populations,
with 45% of its population 15 years old and under, according to the UN
Development Program. Illiteracy and unemployment rates greater than 50% suggest
a population highly vulnerable and available to gang culture.
Large-scale efforts to redirect the energies of Timorese youth started early in
the post-independence era, but the drive intensified after 2006. Chan's visit
capped efforts by the Timorese government and various NGOs to curb gang
violence and thus improve Timor's law and order. The initiatives range from
peace-building training sessions on human rights and non-violence, to
government-initiated meetings to bring rival gangs together, to youth civic
education projects and foreign-funded sports clubs and programs including a
"peace and sport" initiative supported by the government of Monaco.
The results have been encouraging. Atul Khare, the UN secretary general's
special representative for Timor-Leste, recently told a forum in New York that
criminal incidents in Timor this year dropped to 35 incidents per week from 55
per week last year. In August, two rival martial arts gangs signed a peace pact
and apologized for their role in the 2006 riots.
Did Chan's visit lead to this change of heart? It's difficult to say, but it
looks like kung fu is becoming a positive force in Timor.
Sheila Oviedo joined the GPI Global Internship for autumn 2008. She is an
MS candidate at the New School University's Graduate Program in International
Affairs, concentrating on security and development.
(Published with permission of the Global
Policy Innovations program at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in
International Affairs.
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