Tensions in East Timor Rising Amid Indonesia Crisis

by Sonny Inbaraj

The Indonesian Armed Forces (Abri) presence in East Timor, a tiny island 2,500 km east of Jakarta, intensified early this year with new forces from eight battalions, totalling 5,600 men, moving into the island.

In a message received by human rights organizations in Darwin, recently, the East Timorese resistance, known as Falintil, said government forces had launched a new campaign against villagers suspected of supporting its guerrillas.

"This is a concerted attempt to terrorize the population so that they stop supporting us," said the statement.

But at the end of MArch, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said he did not see East Timor coming up in the talks. "I think that will impossible during the summit. We should know that it will be an irrelevant topic. All people, including the host country (Britain) know this," he told Kompas news agency firmly.

Diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a solution to the East Timor problem seem to be making little headway of late.

No date has yet been fixed for a visit to East Timor's capital, Dili, by the European "troika" of past, present and upcoming European Union presidents, announced by British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook recently in Jakarta.

Exiled East Timorese leader and Nobel Peace Prize co-winner Jose Ramos Horta says European governments should not use the Asian financial crisis as an excuse to not take a stand on East Timor or press Indonesia on it.

"Several countries claim the West should not put extra pressure on Indonesia right now. This kind of argument is hypocritical and unethical and displays a lack of courage on the part of Europeans," said Ramos Horta.

Meantime, Falintil said two villagers had been tortured and one beheaded by Abri's Rajawali forces in Ermera district in East Timor. Also in Ermera, it said, seven people suspected of helping the guerrillas were arrested recently after all their possessions were destroyed by Abri.

The Falintil message also had details of a Jan. 4 night strike by Abri in Bobonaro district, which led to the arrest of two guerrillas and eight villagers. According to Falintil, one villager was killed and his body found floating in the Bebuik River.

While they could not independently verify these reports, Australian aid workers returning from East Timor last week confirmed the increase in Indonesian troop presence. "It's worst in the villages than the last time I was there," said a relief worker who did not want to be named.

"There are more checks; there are soldiers in more places and all of them are heavily armed. It seems they're ready for combat," added the relief worker.

Defense analysts estimate that the Indonesian government is spending at least $200 million a year in maintaining an estimated 15,000 troops in East Timor.

"Given an official defense budget of $3 billion, a defense force of 500,000, including police, and an assumed strength of 15,000 actually in East Timor, then expenditure would be around $90 million per annum," said Robert Lowry, formerly of the Australian Defence Academy, and author of "The Armed Forces of Indonesia."

"That figure could be, at least, doubled because of the cost of troop rotation and salary supplements, the greater intensity of operations, and cross subsidies from other government departments and agencies. An annual cost of $200 million per annum would be a conservative figure," he added.

This amount spent on the troops in East Timor, in the midst of the economic crisis tearing the seams of Indonesia's social fabric, has yet to be questioned by the international community involved in the financial bail-out of the country.

Meantime, East Timorese also have to put up with a prolonged drought that has hit the region. Indonesia is suffering from its worst drought in 50 years.

The Australian relief agency AusAid says the most severely affected area is Atauro Island off the northern coast.

"The problem in Atauro is further compounded by the fact that prices have risen sharply, due to the currency crisis, and the majority of East Timorese can no longer afford to buy food at current prices," the aid agency said. "There have been reports that because of this, people are scavenging for food and eating leaves and tubers."

The loss of livestock due to drought also plagues residents. "Previously, in East Timor, if the crops failed cattle and pigs could be sold to supplement family income. Now that seems impossible, further exacerbating the impact of the drought," AusAid said.