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.