Proindependence E. Timorese students hounded in Yogyakarta
By Singgir Kartana and Tjahjono Ep
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Proindependence East Timorese students living in Yogyakarta are not happy. Since the announcement of the results of the Aug. 30 ballot in favor of the proindependence group, they have been terrorized by prointegration people. Tragically, these students were forced to leave the East Timorese students dormitory and have nowhere else to go for shelter.
The eviction of a score of East Timorese students in the Association of East Timorese University and Secondary School Students (Impettu) began with the arrival of Zito Pinto along with a number of his prointegration buddies on Monday, Sept. 6. Pinto gave an ultimatum to the occupants of the dormitory that they should move out within two days. The dorm occupants said they had earlier been terrorized a number of times over the telephone. One threat was that they would all be butchered.
In Yogyakarta there are two groups of East Timorese students. The prointegration students are associated under the East Timor Students Movement (ETSM) and assemble at Deresan, Catur Tunggal, Depok, Sleman. The proindependence group, on the other hand, has Impettu, and were previously domiciled at the East Timorese students dormitory. The supporters of these two groups are almost the same in number. Since President B.J. Habibie offered his two options to East Timor, tension has marked the relationship between these two groups. Toward the implementation of the recent ballot, the proindependence group was often terrorized by quarters claiming to be integrationists.
"On Aug. 17, for example, they terrorized us by spreading some 50 blood-covered chicken heads. In our custom this means that whoever has sent these chicken heads would like to see us dead. This terror is indelible in our memory," Demetrio Amaral de Garvalho of the proindependence group told The Jakarta Post.
The East Timorese students dormitory is located on East Timor Alley off Jl. Kaliurang in Kentungan, Sleman. This building, measuring some 400 square meters, was put up in 1978 by the home ministry. It has a dozen bedrooms, a library, a secretariat room, a meeting room and a guest room.
The dorm was last occupied by some 20 students studying at various universities in Yogyakarta. Some of them had stayed at the dormitory for 11 years, since their secondary school years, but most of them had stayed there for about 5 years.
"We get really mixed up with the local people around the dormitory. Every time there was a special event in the village, we would be invited. Local Catholics also came to our mass here. Therefore, some locals could not help shedding tears when they saw us leave the dorm. They must have taken pity on us," said Joao Cardoso, with expression of agreement from his friends.
These students decided to leave the dorm not simply because of the threats and terror they had been subjected too, but rather for three reasons. First, Pinto told them that the dormitory would be used to accommodate prointegration East Timorese refugees. (Until now no such refugees have been seen there.) Second, they did not want to bring the conflict between prointegration and proindependence groups to Yogyakarta, particularly to the dormitory's neighborhood. Third, they wanted to avoid clashes that could arise when the two groups fought to gain control of the building, as this would disturb the peaceful lives of the locals.
After leaving their dormitory, these students have stayed at a temporary hideout in Yogyakarta. It is not easy to meet them. The place is kept secret and tightly guarded, because terror and murder threats follow them wherever they go. Those terrorizing them now also include paid hoodlums from outside Yogyakarta.
The latest terror they have been confronted with is the distribution of pamphlets allegedly by the prointegration group, calling on the broad community to fight the proindependence group. These pamphlets have been distributed among students and ordinary people. Yet, Demetrio did not appear fazed by this terror tactic.
"If we respond to this terror, we are indeed foolish. If the pamphlets become a polemic, they will look like a big issue and those distributing them will get big-headed. I believe the Yogyakarta community will not be influenced by words full of animosity that the pamphlets contain. The people in Yogyakarta are hospitable and are opposed to violence. Very soon these pamphlets will simply be forgotten," he said.
In their hide-out, these students also have a number of problems. Besides poor security, they also can no longer communicate with their families in East Timor because communications with East Timor have been completely paralyzed as the rioting degenerates into a murder and arson spree. For three months now they have been unable to get financial support from their parents, on whom they are fully dependent financially for their daily necessities and education.
"I do not know how my parents and my siblings are or where they are now. Since April I haven't received any money from my parents. I don't know how I will continue my studies. What has saddened me more is the death of Father Joao Felgueras SJ after cruel torture by the prointegration militia. He was the chairman of the Dili Jesuit Foundation and helped finance me and some other friends studying here in Yogyakarta," said Yolanda, 24, a student of Informatics Engineering School at the Sanata Dharma University of Yogyakarta.
These problems are faced not only by the 20 students referred to above but also by some 200 other students staying at boarding houses in other places. Besides being scared by threats of kidnapping and murder spread in pamphlets, they also have financial troubles keeping body and soul together. Sooner or later they will need a place which can guarantee their security. At present some girls are already too afraid to go out.
Anyway, the problems facing the students must be viewed as a humanitarian problem. Obviously they are in a dilemma. If they remain in Yogyakarta they will continue to be terrorized and suffer financial difficulties, but they cannot return to East Timor yet because of the turmoil raging there.