'austraLasia' # 97

TIMOR: TALE OF DECEIT

Julian Sleuyter

TOKYO: 4^th September -- Do you remember the big fuss that was made about the departure of 400 (out of 12,000) Indonesian troops from East Timor on 28^th July? A Hercules with a 100 journalists and cameramen was flown to Dili to record this great event and splash it over the front pages and tv screens the world over. But, oh boy, if they only knew the real story!

1. Well-counted, there were only 390 soldiers in the pack.
2. The other 690 (the promise had been to send 1,000 home) never showed up.
3. The above-mentioned big event took place on the morning of the 28^th. The same day, around 3.00 p..m. about 200 km to the east near the little village of Come, a whole battalion of 520 landed.
4. On 4^th August, another ship moored at the same place and unloaded another battalion. These facts have been verified. Runours are circulating, but couldn’t be verified.

How long will this childish deceit go on? Besides the military and the not-too-sincere Indonesian Governement, the big problem for Bishop Basil, and especially for Bishop Belo, the only representatives of the East Timorese people, is the diversity and contrast of opinions and idelogoies within east timor. As Bishop Belo has to keep a neutral position he cannot propose or accept a clear solution as long as he does not represent the opinion of the majority of the people. Indonesia is of course taking advantage of this situation and playing games. But, at least now, the different factions of East Timor are coming together around the same table and starting to listen to one another. Let's hope that Bishop Belo can present a unified voice at the next meeting of the UN, and that this meeting will discuss in depth the problem.