E. Timorese take break after two days of protests
E. Timorese take break after two days of protests
JAKARTA (JP): Protesters took the day off yesterday after two
consecutive days of demonstrations both here and in Dili, East
Timor, to demand a referendum in Indonesia's youngest province.
The 1,200 mostly Timorese protesters who held a noisy rally at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here Friday left Jakarta on
Saturday aboard commercial trains bound for Central and East Java
where many live.
They had spent the night in Cibubur, on the outskirts of
Jakarta, after being herded away by security officers.
More than a dozen buses took the demonstrators from Cibubur to
the Jatinegara train station and Kampung Rambutan bus depot, both
in East Jakarta, where they were dropped off without any overt
security supervision.
They looked relaxed, although a few were confused as they said
they had lost their money and possessions after Friday's
demonstrations.
They claimed they were well treated while spending the night
in a hall in Cibubur.
The protesters, both here and in Dili, were obviously taking
advantage of the more relaxed climate since the resignation of
former president Soeharto last month.
Prior to this it would have been difficult to conceive such a
large anti-integration rally being held in Jakarta.
The former Portuguese colony of East Timor was integrated into
Indonesia in 1976.
In Dili there was no sign of commotion as residents quietly
went to church yesterday.
In his sermon, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo called for
peace and calm.
"Please don't create situations which might disturb peace
among people," Belo said.
With the recent riots which hit major cities in the country
apparently weighing on his mind, Belo urged people to "avoid
violence, respect shops and avoid stealing".
On Saturday more than 1,000 students held a rally at Timor
Timur University demanding independence for the province and the
release of jailed Timorese separatist leader Jose Alexandre
"Xanana" Gusmao.
They waved pictures of Xanana and flags of his Fretilin
resistance movement. Some even climbed atop the roofs of campus
buildings to hoist the flags and sing traditional songs.
No serious incidents were reported as about 100 soldiers kept
a watchful eye from a distance.
The university's rector, Theo T. Balella, was not willing to
take any chances, however, and said he was temporarily suspending
all activity, academic and nonacademic, on campus.
"Since Thursday the university administration has officially
suspended all activities. We saw indications that there is a
group of students aspiring to organize a rally on campus which is
directed toward anti-integration sentiment," he was quoted as
saying by Antara Saturday.
"We do not want this campus to be used as a base for the
students' struggle for independence," he remarked without saying
how long activities would be suspended.
In Jakarta, former East Timor governor Mario Viegas
Carrascalao described the idea of an independent East Timor as
absurd.
He said the province was too small to be able to survive on
its own.
"Its own revenue is only 7 percent of the province's annual
budget, with the rest provided by the central government,"
Carrascalao said after being sworn in as a member of the 45-
strong Supreme Advisory Council (DPA) at the State Palace
Saturday.
Carrascalao was East Timor governor for 10 years before being
appointed an ambassador in 1992.
While apparently taking a more relaxed approach toward
demonstrators than his predecessor, President B.J. Habibie is
adamant that East Timor will continue to remain an integral part
of Indonesia. (prb/rms)