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.