Australia in E. Timor role due to ASEAN bust

Australia in E. Timor role due to ASEAN bust

By Phil Chetwynd

HONG KONG (AFP): Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN)'s failure to respond to the howls of outrage over the
carnage in East Timor has exposed the group's impotency and
thrust Australia into the role of chief peacekeeper, analysts
said.

Indonesia is pushing for a force made up of "Asian faces" to
restore order in East Timor with the support of allies in the
(ASEAN).

But analysts said ASEAN had lost credibility by keeping quiet
while Indonesian-army backed militias embarked on a two-week
killing spree in East Timor, leaving Australia to shoulder the
burden of responsibility.

Bob Broadfoot, of the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy
(PEERC), said the 10-nation ASEAN was terrified of upsetting its
biggest member -- Indonesia.

"ASEAN has shown itself to be ineffective as an organization,"
Broadfoot told AFP.

"It has shown that it is not capable of dealing with any
crisis in its back yard. The group has shown itself to be
obsessed with sovereignty, with not upsetting its fellow
members," he added.

Dr. Leonard Sebastian, of the Singapore-based Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), said ASEAN was conservative and
ill-equipped to respond to the East Timor situation.

"Most member states will wait and see what Indonesia wants
before they do anything, as Indonesia is first among equals
within the group," he told AFP.

So far ASEAN members Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia,
Singapore and Thailand have offered troops for a UN force. The
other states in the group are Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar
and Vietnam.

Professor Lau Siu-kai, associate director of the Hong Kong
Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, said ASEAN's reluctance to
criticize Indonesia would not inspire confidence in ASEAN
peacekeepers.

"There must be real anxiety amongst the East Timorese about
any ASEAN force. Would they be prepared to stand up to the
Indonesians?" he asked.

But Lau also warned there was a growing backlash in both
Indonesia and Asia over perceived Western meddling which he said
could sow trouble for the Australian peacekeepers expected to
head a UN force in East Timor.

"It is important for Asia to show it can sort out its own
problems. There is a widespread feeling Western hedge funds,
unchecked by Western governments, caused the Asian financial
crisis and we are now very hostile to colonial solutions imposed
from abroad," Lau told AFP.

Australia has 2,500 troops on standby to enter East Timor and
has committed a total of 4,500 soldiers for a UN force, far more
than any other nation.

U.S. President Bill Clinton Monday made it clear Australia
should lead any force and that Jakarta should not be able to
dictate which countries participate.

Sebastian, of ISAS, said Australia could gain valuable
diplomatic mileage from a successful peacekeeping mission.

"They have always wanted a foothold in Asia and certainly this
could help," he told AFP.

But he warned: "There are real concerns too. There is a big
perceptional problem because, unfortunately, Australia is
associated with the West and not with the region. There could be
a lot of hostility."

Indonesian politicians have whipped up anti-Western and anti-
Australian feeling in response to virulent criticism of Jakarta's
failure to stop the army-backed militia terror in East Timor
since the Aug. 30 referendum which led to an overwhelming vote
for independence.

In East Timor the army-backed militias have accused the United
Nations of rigging the referendum and targeted local UN staff in
their killing and looting spree.

Canada and Bangladesh have also offered troops for the 7,000-
strong force, while Britain and the United States have promised
at least logistical support. China has also said it is mulling
involvement.