The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) has followed
recent events in Dili with deep concern. The recent riot regrettably
resulted in injury and death, as well as property damage. As longtime
supporters of Timor-Leste’s self-determination and independence, we
hope the peace that has prevailed on Dili since April 29 continues,
and that those who fled in fear will soon return. While property can
be rebuilt and political problems resolved, the traumatic experiences
from several decades of repressive occupation and Indonesia’s
destructive withdrawal in 1999 continue to have serious impacts on
the Timorese population.

Timor-Leste, a new nation borne of decades of military occupation,
has made remarkable progress since 1999. However, its democracy, as
well as public confidence in the leaderships’ ability to peacefully
resolve conflicts, are fragile. Trauma recovery, economic
development, the creation of a competent public administration and
building physical and governmental infrastructure are long-term
processes. Patience is required by the government, the population,
and all others committed to a democratic Timor-Leste.

The inadequacies of governmental leadership and the shortcomings of
international support for the transition to self-government have been
illustrated by recent events. There are many lessons to be learned.
We urge all parties to the recent disagreement within the military to
seek a peaceful and lasting solution. As long as Timor-Leste has a
military, structural and institutional weaknesses within that force
must be addressed. The spirit of national unity and public service,
which provided the foundation for the independence movement, must be
re-established among military and civilian public officials. The
government commission’s investigation of the fired soldiers’
grievances, as well as any evaluation of the behavior of the police
and military during recent months, must be transparent with results
made public in a timely manner.

After so many traumatic experiences since 1975, Timor-Leste’s
population is especially sensitive to rumors and displays of force, a
situation worsened by an absence of accurate information. The
telephone system must therefore be made reliable under peak loads,
and with wider coverage. Journalists and other media personnel, both
Timorese and international, need to better understand and avoid the
inflammatory effects of unverified reports. To help regain public
trust, the government should release the long-completed reports on
the December 4, 2002 unrest in Dili, when police killed several demonstrators.

The Timor-Leste government and the international community should
heed the Timorese people’s cry for justice for crimes committed
during the quarter-century Indonesian occupation. The UN and key
governments, including the United States, must move beyond platitudes
and actively pursue real accountability. We cannot but wonder if
international and Timorese failures to ensure justice have led some
in Timor-Leste to believe that their own use of violence would be met
with similar impunity. As described in the recent report of
Timor-Leste’s Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation
(CAVR), several countries - including the U.S., U.K., and Australia -
bear a special responsibility to ensure justice and accountability
due to their actions and inaction from 1975 on. Reparations, as
called for by the CAVR, would help alleviate the poverty and
joblessness that has fueled some of the unrest and help rebuild the
country’s infrastructure, which the Indonesian military so thoroughly
destroyed during the brutal occupation supported by these countries.

The international community has invested heavily in Timor-Leste since
1999, but their job is not complete. Transforming a guerilla
resistance into an official military is always difficult, but the
roots of many of the current problems in Timor-Leste’s UN-designed
military grow out of the international community’s failure to help
Timor-Leste define and implement a clear mandate for and effective
training of the defense force.

We urge the international community and the UN, especially the
Security Council, to work with Timor-Leste to complete the
nation-building and development tasks to which it has already
committed. Security Council members should favorably consider the
Timor-Leste government’s request for a special UN office until after
next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. These national
elections, the first in independent Timor-Leste, will help determine
if democracy has staying power in this new nation. In addition to
electoral assistance, the Secretary-General has proposed continued
human rights monitoring, military liaisons, police training advisers,
and other assistance to improve the competence of government
institutions. A formal mission will also increase the East Timorese
people’s sense of security over the coming year, whereas a premature
end to the mission could escalate public fear.

International support and expertise are still needed but must be
geared toward empowering the Timorese people to take full charge of
their own destiny. It is not too late to keep Timor-Leste from
joining the ranks of post-conflict “failed states.” However, the
people of Timor-Leste will require further assistance to reach that
goal — to secure the self-determination for which they struggled
many years and at such great human cost.

ETAN advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for East Timor
and Indonesia. ETAN calls for an international tribunal to prosecute
crimes against humanity committed in East Timor from 1975 to 1999 and
for restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia until there
is genuine reform of its security forces. For additional background,
see www.etan.org.

John M. Miller
Internet: fbp igc.org

National Coordinator
East Timor & Indonesia Action Network:

48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668 Fax: (718)222-4097
Mobile phone: (917)690-4391
Web site: http://www.etan.org