East Timor burning<\/p>\n
The euphoria of the East Timorese people over their victory in
\nthe UN-run ballot of Aug. 30 lasted only a few hours. They soon
\nnot only found themselves harassed by the pro-Indonesia groups,
\nbut saw their region plunged into unimaginable bloodshed.
\nThousands of people have had to seek refuge from the spiraling
\nbloody attacks.<\/p>\n
The armed groups, who have reportedly been joined by troops of
\nmysterious well-armed and well-trained men, refused to accept
\ntheir loss, although Jakarta acknowledged the ballot as fair. The
\nmilitias are so powerful that within a few days they were able to
\ngain control most of the former Portuguese colony.<\/p>\n
This unholy war has paralyzed all government agencies and
\nfacilities and leaves no place for people to hide. Even
\nAustralian Ambassador John McCarthy was shot at in his car in
\nDili yesterday. He was lucky he was not hurt.<\/p>\n
But thousands of local people have been evacuated to the
\nIndonesian part of the island and many buildings have been
\nattacked. Some 6,000 East Timorese sought refuge in the residence
\nof Bishop Carlos Belo in Dili.<\/p>\n
However, these panicked people found hell everywhere. The
\nbishop himself was saved and evacuated by police helicopter to
\nBaucau, a safer town, after his house was attacked by the
\nravaging militia.<\/p>\n
Our questions are: If the spiritual leader of a region is not
\nrespected, who else is? And what kind of predators are the
\nattackers? They seem to move so fast, and their aim is reportedly
\nto turn this region -- or some portion of it -- back to the
\nIndonesian fold.<\/p>\n
The world leaders hold the Indonesian government responsible
\nfor the chaos. Jakarta has accepted the burden, while rejecting
\nany idea from the world powers to send a United Nations force
\nthere.<\/p>\n
Down here, the military commander, Gen. Wiranto, has
\ndispatched some 2,000 troops to bring the situation under
\ncontrol. Will the troops be able to accomplish the mission?
\nLooking at the battleground, the situation seems to be that every
\nparty is racing against time. Who will reach the finish line
\nfirst, and who will meet their Waterloo?<\/p>\n
Another question is what will the military do if the militia
\nand the mysterious gang win the war? Will the military
\nauthorities be able to change the map and return East Timor to
\nthe winners of the recent poll? If they fail, will they allow UN
\ntroops to replace the Indonesian units?<\/p>\n
While we try to find the answer to these questions, in Jakarta
\na political crisis looms as many parties are trying to put the
\nblame on President B.J. Habibie alone.<\/p>\n
The move might sound partly unjust, but Habibie told reporters
\nyesterday that he was responsible for the problem. Alas, he seems
\nto forget to take account of the fact that his failure will
\ndefinitely have a negative impact on the military support for his
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Habibie in this case has taken over the faults of his
\npredecessor, Soeharto, who ordered the invasion of the former
\nPortuguese colony in 1976 and later justified the military rule
\nby terror. What Habibie did not foresee is that the fruit of this
\nmilitarism is the overwhelming rejection of his autonomy offer by
\nthe East Timorese.<\/p>\n
It will perhaps take months or even years to extinguish the
\nEast Timor conflagration for a regime that has failed to solve
\nthe dragging troubles in Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, this country will continue to be judged by world
\npublic opinion for the continuing murder of innocent people in
\nthe former Portuguese colony, which is supposed to be moving
\ntoward enjoying full independence.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timor-burning-1447893297",
"image": ""
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