Government urged to look into E. Timor problems

Government urged to look into E. Timor problems

JAKARTA (JP): The raging controversy over Bishop Carlos Felipe
Ximenes Belo's critical remarks on the military prompted
observers Saturday to call on the government and the public alike
to look into the root of the problems facing the territory.

They said that finding ways to improve conditions in East
Timor would be more productive than blowing up the issue and
organizing street demonstrations.

Belo has been under public scrutiny after reports filtered
back of an interview the bishop had with German magazine Der
Spiegel, in which he reportedly said Indonesian soldiers treated
East Timorese like "scabby dogs".

The call to look into the cause of East Timorese problems was
made by political scholar Juwono Soedarsono of University of
Indonesia, sociologist Loekman Sutrisno of the Gadjah Mada
University and Clementino dos Reis Amaral of the National
Commission on Human Rights.

In separate interviews with The Jakarta Post, they agreed that
violations of human rights remain commonplace in East Timor
despite progress in social and economic development there.

"Not only do they happen in East Timor, but also in Irian Jaya
as well as in many other provinces," said Juwono, who is also
deputy governor of the National Resilience Institute.

He said the government has built a lot of schools, bridges and
roads in East Timor but the people want their basic rights better
respected.

Juwono referred to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human
Rights which stipulates that five elements of human rights --
civil, political, social, economic, cultural -- should be equally
respected.

He said the government's success in raising East Timorese's
welfare has yet to be followed with better respect for their
basic rights.

"How East Timorese people have been striving hard to get into
the mainstream of our national culture is one thing that should
be addressed," he said.

Meanwhile, Amaral, an East Timorese native, said that the
economic development in East Timor is undeniable.

"However, there's still a gap between those economic successes
and the social, cultural, political and civil rights that have
yet to be fully addressed," he said.

According to Amaral, East Timorese are still being treated
unequally in fields such as in civil service recruitments and in
legal matters.

East Timorese's civil rights such as freedom from torture,
mental and physical terror, and the right of expression are not
fully guaranteed.

When asked to comment on Belo's remarks, he said the comments
should have been taken with a full grasp on the East Timorese
culture and the Catholic teachings in which most Timorese
believe.

"I believe the bishop did not mean to insult the Armed Forces
or the government. Besides, it's not yet clear whether the bishop
was referring to the whole ABRI or just some individuals in the
central or local government," he said.

Lukman Soetrisno said the government should not only expect
flattery for its successes in East Timor but also listen to
criticism.

"Apart from the rudeness of Belo's remarks, which I myself
dislike, we should look into the more substantial issues voiced
by the bishop, that there are still violations of human rights
there in East Timor," Loekman said.

He pointed out that the government should realize that unlike
churches in other parts of Indonesia, Catholic ones in East Timor
have a unique function in that they voice people's aspirations,
he added. (08)