Asia Times: East Timor referendum in jeopardy



	August 28, 1999	atimes.com

Southeast Asia

East Timor referendum in jeopardy

UNITED NATIONS - Fresh violence has jeopardized Moday's referendum on East Timor independence. The latest attacks by anti-independence supporters left at least five people dead in the capital, Dili, on Thursday.

As of Thursday night, Indonesian government representatives and UN members were in discussions to determine if the referendum can proceed, given the probability of more violence.

The UN Security Council quickly condemned Thursday's violence. It warned all parties, particularly the Indonesian government, to cooperate with the UN Assistance Mission in East Timor (Unamet).

Thursday's violence centered around the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNTR) in Dili and in nearby Becoro, which is strongly pro-independence. It began after Eurico Guterres, leader of the militant militia group Aitarak (Thorn), encouraged rallying anti-independence supporters to go to pro-independence areas, including Becoro.

Indonesia later expressed regret over the bloodshed but ruled out an overseas peacekeeping force and said the referendum should not be delayed. ''We regret the incidents,'' Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said Friday. ''But I understand that now calm has been restored and police will take some restrictive measures.''

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was ''appalled by the widespread violence in Dili'', UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said. He added that Annan had demanded that Indonesian authorities take immediate steps to restore law and order.

The UN's warnings came as some officials at the UN conceded privately that the fresh surge in violence - blamed on militia groups that favor a continuation of Indonesia's 23-year occupation - could delay the ballot. Unamet has organized Monday's vote, in which East Timor's nearly 450,000 registered voters can choose between autonomy under Indonesian rule or independence.

One senior UN official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the world body could postpone the vote in some of East Timor's 13 provinces if the attacks persist. ''If violence prevents too many Timorese from voting, some delay will have to be considered.''

The official acknowledged that it was unlikely - even in the most violent provinces - that the ballot would be delayed by more than one day. ''We believe it would play into the hands of those [who are responsible for the violence] if we were to postpone the ballots,'' he said.

''There is absolutely no question of delaying the referendum,'' Jamsheed Marker, special UN envoy to East Timor, said in Lisbon. ''The violence that took place was deplorable, but we are not going to let that deter us.''

The Dili violence is the latest indication that some paramilitaries are not prepared to accept a vote which may end Indonesia's occupation. ''It is crucial that, even at this late stage, concrete and effective steps be taken by Indonesia to control the militias who, it is increasingly clear, are intent on disrupting the popular consultation,'' Almeida e Silva said.

In Washington, James Foley, the US State Department deputy spokesman, added that ''there have been statements predicting violence and chaos, some attributed to Indonesian government officials, which can only be regarded as irresponsible''.

The senior UN official noted that the violence was occurring even as Indonesia's top army officials and President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie had given their strongest assurances yet that they would cooperate with Unamet. ''Renewed assurances were given,'' the official said, but he added that the problem was that ''perhaps these assurances have not been translated'' to local-level officers. He noted that the United Nations is ''still hoping within the next few days that the situation will improve considerably'', because ''the Indonesian government has placed its crediblity on the line''.

The violence overshadowed one hopeful development in Indonesia when the Habibie government announced that Xanana Gusmao, the jailed leader of the Timorese pro-independence movement, would be released by September 15. Although Gusmao's supporters had urged that he be released before the vote, the independence leader - who has been tipped to become East Timor's president if the state is made independent - said Thursday that he regarded his release as ''better late than never''. He is currently under house arrest in Jakarta.

Yet the announcement of the release did little to convince human rights groups that Indonesia intended to allow a free and fair vote. Amnesty International contended that at least five people have been killed and as many as 13 are believed missing over the past two weeks. ''With each killing and 'disappearances', the prospect of a free and fair ballot is becoming more remote. There have been repeated assurances from the Indonesian authorities that they would act to improve the situation - yet they have continually failed to fulfil their commitments.''

Despite such problems, Timorese pro-independence leaders are urging that the United Nations proceed with the vote. ''I believe it will go ahead, no matter what,'' Jose Luis Guterres, a senior CNRT official, said of the Monday vote.

(Inter Press Service)

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