A national disgrace

A national disgrace

Nearly one year since its separation from Indonesia, East
Timor is still haunting the republic the way it always did when
it was under Jakarta's occupation between 1975 and 1999. The
brutal killing of at least three United Nations humanitarian
workers by pro-Indonesian East Timorese in the West Timor border
town of Atambua on Wednesday has brought nothing but shame and
disgrace, not only to the government and the military, but also
to the entire nation.

Their horrifying deaths -- they were reportedly mobbed,
mutilated and then set on fire -- once again portray the
impotence of the government in protecting people's lives and
property, as well as the nation's penchant for using violence to
settle scores. This not only happened in East Timor when it was
under Indonesian occupation by Indonesia until October, but also
in Maluku, Poso (Central Sulawesi), West Kalimantan, and even on
the streets of Jakarta.

The barbaric attacks on the UN workers in Atambua took place
on the same day that the world body opened its millennium summit
in New York and, naturally, they brought swift international
condemnation. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed regret
and called for a minute's silence when he inaugurated the summit,
which was also attended by President Abdurrahman Wahid.

We may recall that prior to the Atambua murders, Annan had
personally demanded the Indonesian government increase the
protection of UN humanitarian staffers working in the various
refugee camps in West Timor. The UN operation to repatriate over
100,000 East Timorese from refugee camps in West Timor was in
fact halted for a while because of constant intimidation and
threats from pro-Indonesian militias. It only recently resumed
after assurances from the Indonesian government.

The Indonesian government cannot absolve responsibility for
the deaths of the three UN humanitarian workers. Not only did the
attack happen on Indonesian soil, but it was also perpetrated by
pro-Indonesian East Timorese militias that were created, funded,
trained, armed and sustained by the Indonesian Military.

These militias, notorious for their brutality, were part and
parcel of the Indonesian Military's campaign machinery during the
occupation of East Timor. They were chiefly responsible for the
campaign of terror and violence in the territory before and after
the UN-sponsored ballot in August 1999. When it became clear that
they had lost the vote to independence supporters, they went
berserk, completely destroying the territory and forcing almost
the entire population to flee, mostly to West Timor. Since then,
the militias have continued to terrorize East Timorese in the
refugee camps, preventing or slowing down the process of their
repatriation to their newly independent country. On Wednesday,
they turned their guns toward UN humanitarian workers.

The Indonesian government must assume the greater share of
responsibility for the Atambua killings. The Indonesian Military,
being the chief sponsor of the militias, must be made to rein in
its proxy soldiers, disarm them and arrest their leaders who have
perpetrated the campaign of terror. It is hard to believe the
military's claim that it has lost control of the militias.

The repatriation of East Timorese refugees from Indonesia has
now been halted indefinitely because the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has abandoned all its offices
in West Timor. An Indonesian government apology and a promise to
improve the security of UN staffers will not likely convince the
international community of Indonesia's sincerity.

A promise to investigate and punish the murderers will also be
unconvincing given that Indonesia has not even begun trying those
responsible for the mayhem in East Timor last year. The official
investigation has only got as far as naming 19 suspects. Another
promise, this time to prosecute the Atambua killers, would at
best be welcomed with cynicism by the international community.

The least the Indonesian government should do to win back
international confidence is to speed up the investigation into
last year's atrocities. It must now show that Indonesia can live
up to its responsibility as a member of the international
community. That means upholding justice for the victims as well
as the perpetrators of past and recent atrocities.

The government has wasted too much time pussyfooting with the
military who seemed determined to prevent their senior officers
from facing trial. Failure to punish the perpetrators of the
crime against humanity would send the wrong signal to the
menacing East Timorese militias that they can get away with
murder.

Surely the government must now realize that the shame and
disgrace which the Atambua killings have brought on the entire
nation is simply too high a price to pay to shield the dozens of
murderous generals, colonels, lieutenants and militia leaders
from having to appear in court.