Indonesia, a nation in chaos

Indonesia, a nation in chaos

The United Nations has a choice in East Timor: Deploy troops or face a humanitarian disaster. It is tragic that Indonesia's President Habibie, who rang in East Timor's freedom, has to pay for the militia terror in the territory, an heir of the Soeharto regime. And East Timor is only one conflict among many in a nation in chaos.

The UN naively handed over the protection of the East Timorese to Indonesia, and now it faces accusations of being partly responsible for the murders there by not insisting on neutral troops to protect the population.

UN troops in East Timor would mean a capitulation for Indonesia. Also, the Indonesian faithful fear an Asian Kosovo; the revenge of the Timorese against their Indonesian torturers. The UN awakened the hopes of the Timorese, now they must be fulfilled.

-- Die Welt, Hamburg