Fretilin likened to communist terrorists: NZ diplomat
Fretilin likened to communist terrorists: NZ diplomat
WELLINGTON (Agencies): A senior New Zealand diplomat who visited Indonesia's province of East Timor in 1978 reported the Fretilin independence group had "become a hard-core communist organization along the lines of the communist terrorists in Malaysia, or the early Viet Cong."
New Zealand's ambassador to Indonesia in 1978, Roger Peren, visited East Timor three years after the former Portuguese colony integrated itself into Indonesia. His report was released yesterday under the Official Information Act.
He had a bleak view of the area, saying its "people are poor, small, riddled with disease and almost totally illiterate, very simple and, we are told again and again, primitive'.
"They are almost completely under the influence of their Rajas. Considered as human stock, they are not at all impressive and this is something that one has to think about when judging their capacity to take part in an act of self-determination or even to perform as responsible citizens of an independent country," he said.
Fretilin was prepared to use intimidation as a political weapon, he said.
"It does seem as though what started as an independence movement with widespread support, linking freedom fighters' of various beliefs, has, with the passage of time, become a hard- core communist organization along the lines of the communist terrorists in Malaysia or the early Viet Cong."
Peren reported the view of area commander Gen. Dading that Fretilin had only 50,000 people, or eight percent of the population under its control. He estimated 250-300 determined and elusive Fretilin guerrillas were facing 20 Indonesian battalions.
Drawing comparison with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, he said achieving security was likely to take a long time.
Peren says that Dading later told him privately that tackling the problems of East Timor was a terrible burden for Indonesia, a poor country with troubles enough on its hands. This was an additional headache that Indonesia did not deserve.
Peren's report would have been influential in forming New Zealand policy over the issue. Wellington has officially accepted Indonesian integration of East Timor, although the United Nations considers Portugal to be the enclave's administrator.
Its release yesterday came as a delegation of five government and opposition members of parliament returned here from a visit to East Timor.
A government MP who took part, Nick Smith, said on Wednesday the New Zealand government should speak frankly with Indonesia about human rights violations, but not let the issue to dominate the relationship.
He said the delegation had been allowed to go where it wanted and had been free to speak to anyone it wanted.