Proindependence wins, luckily<\/p>\n
Prior to the Aug. 30 direct ballot on the future status of
\nEast Timor, the proindependence group complained that the
\nprointegration group pressured and intimidated local people to
\nopt for integration. On the other hand, the prointegration group
\nfiled a protest, saying that the United Nations Mission in East
\nTimor (UNAMET) took sides with the proindependence group and
\nrecruited only people from the proindependence group for its
\nlocal staff. Therefore, it could be easily predicted that there
\nwould be bloody clashes between these two conflicting groups
\nafter the announcement of the result of the direct ballot,
\nirrespective of which group won.<\/p>\n
Migrants in East Timor predicted that the prointegration group
\nwould win. This would then trigger the anger of the
\nproindependence group, who would resort to acts of violence
\nagainst prointegration locals, particularly migrants. Even under
\nnormal circumstances before the Aug. 30 direct ballot, teachers
\nand medical personnel dedicating themselves to East Timor were
\nalready subjected to torture by certain proindependence people.
\nBecause of this worry, migrants began to leave East Timor. The
\nnumber of people leaving East Timor prior to the Aug. 30 direct
\nballot stood at over 12,000 people and grew in number each
\npassing day.<\/p>\n
After the result of the direct ballot was announced on Sept.
\n4, the prointegration group, which believed that the direct
\nballot had been rigged by UNAMET and the anti-Jakarta group,
\nresorted to acts that caused concern to everybody, only to vent
\ntheir anger.<\/p>\n
The foreign media and Western countries supporting the
\nindependence of East Timor began to denounce and threaten
\nIndonesia, saying that it could not overcome the brutal action of
\nprointegration militias and accusing the Indonesian military of
\nabetting the prointegration militias in causing this mayhem.<\/p>\n
I try to imagine what would have happened if the winner was
\nthe prointegration group. The proindependence group would then be
\nangry and resort to the same acts the prointegrationists are
\ncommitting now. Members of the proindependence group would vent
\ntheir anger upon government apparatuses of the republic of
\nIndonesia, the prointegration group and also UNAMET. They would
\nattack military bases and police stations, the head office of
\nUNAMET and locals believed to have opted for the wide-ranging
\nautonomy offered by the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
Surely under such circumstances, the Indonesian military and
\npolice as well as the prointegration militias would not remain
\ndefensive. They would certainly launch a counterattack and the
\nnumber of victims would be larger than it is now.<\/p>\n
Luckily, it is the proindependence group that won the direct
\nballot.<\/p>\n
SUNARTO PRAWIROSUJANTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/proindependence-wins-luckily-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }