CNRT: Indonesia planned post-ballot slaughter

CNRT: Indonesia planned post-ballot slaughter

(From a media release sent to Mother Jones today via email):

Statement by:
Mr. Joao Carrascalao
Head of CNRT in Australia (National Council for Timorese Resistance)
President, UDT (Timorese Democratic Union).

Militia killings and beatings virtually at the gate of the United Nations compound in Dili, the attacks on and threats against media, and the state of siege being imposed on the whole of East Timor by the militias, are part of Indonesia's long-planned post-ballot action should it fail to disrupt the ballot itself.

The situation in East Timor is neither anarchy nor civil war, as it has been described by some journalists.

It is carefully controlled and directed by Jakarta with the aim of creating an appearance civil war which in fact will be a slaughter of innocent pro-independence East Timorese and one more move towards allowing Indonesia to retain possession of East Timor.

The only way this can be prevented is by a show of great strength, and a show of force on the ground, from the United Nations and the nation-activists on the East Timor issue -- Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

We call on the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the heads of government of Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, to advise President Habibie, his Foreign Minister, Ali Alatas, and his Defence Minister, General Wiranto, that the shadow play must end now, today.

We warned ... that the Indonesian police and the army would be useless, even worse than useless. They are demonstrating that daily.

We warned that Kopassus and army personnel with specific orders to disrupt the ballot, attack United Nations personnel, and wreak havoc on pro-independence East Timorese, had been infiltrated into the police and had taken direct control of the militia.

The United Nations, through being forewarned and planning astutely, was able to thwart those moves before and during the ballot, although they came perilously close to disaster at Gleno, as any of the UN personnel there will testify, having faced the guns of the police.

I would suggest that an attack on the United Nations site(s) where counting of the ballot is taking place is not out of the question, possibly with fire being used to destroy ballot papers and records.

I wish to emphasize that the violence in East Timor now is neither a civil war nor anarchy.

It is the planned continuation of the 24-year-long reign of terror of Indonesia over the East Timorese. Some East Timorese are involved, but many of the militia are West Timorese and other Indonesians, and the militia is led on the ground and directed at all levels by the Indonesian army.

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