Crisis in East Timor

What Happened in East Timor?⁸

• August 1999 saw a vote on self determination in East Timor.
• Leading up to this and after the vote where there was an overwhelming majority who voted for independence, Indonesian military-backed militia and paramilitaries went on a terror campaign with slow international reaction.
• Much of East Timor was destroyed and at some points there were estimates from 200,000 to 300,000 refugees created with up to 600,000 people displaced.
• East Timor is now an independent nation, officially. It is also in the process of rebuilding and recovering from the violence it has suffered.
• Reports of other areas of Indonesia suffering similar rights violations are also emerging.
• Find out more⁹ about what is going on now in East Timor.

The Mainstream Media and East Timor¹⁰

• Unfortunately, yet predictably, there was one-sided media coverage of the crisis in East Timor by major media institutions in the West (especially from nations that continuously supported the often brutal regime).
• Most mainstream coverage failed to trace back the root causes for such gross violations (i.e. the fact that East Timor has oil, timber and other rich resources and that Indonesia is strongly anti-Communist, which has helped western backers ignore brutal crimes and therefore continue "business as normal").
• Find out more¹¹ about the media reporting of this crisis.

Indonesian Support of Paramilitaries¹²

• Pro-integration paramilitaries in East Timor were armed and supported by the Indonesian government and military.
• This had been known for a long time, months before the voting began, when killings were already occurring and the global media were not covering it.
• Many of the militias were not East Timorese people themselves, but also Indonesian troops in a bid to discredit and disrupt the referendums and independence movements.
• Documentary evidence of an Indonesian army-supported "scorched earth policy" to wipe out the independence movement has also emerged, and yet the international community had hardly done anything regarding this. (But, Indonesia itself is well-equipped and well trained by the US, UK etc., which may help to explain why the "international community" was slow to respond.)
• Find out more¹³ about the Indonesian support of the violence.

US, UK and Other Support of Indonesia¹⁴

• When Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975, it was with the OK from the then US President, Ford. Ever since then, the US, UK and Australia have been criticized for their support of the regime.
• It has also been reported that Washington trained death squads, sponsored by the Clinton Administration.
• The US provided military support even to this latest crackdown
• The UK has also provided training and military arms in the past to Indonedisa.
• Business interests have been a factor in the slow response.
• Australia's much needed peace-keeping was also slow going as they also have additional interests in East Timor.
• Find out more¹⁵ about the support of Indonesia by countries like the United States, and United Kingdom as well as other international issues.

The Role of the UN¹⁶

• There were numerous questions about the UN and the UN Security Council's ability to swiftly respond to this crisis.
• However, as in many other regions around the world, it was affected by the power politics of the more influential countries in the UN.
• Countries like the US who owe a lot of payment to the UN (and often refuse to pay) criticize it for being ineffective.
• Find out more¹⁷ about the UN involvement in East Timor, and the problems that they have faced.

A Comparison with Kosovo¹⁸

• Just a few months earlier, the international (West) community led a campaign in Kosovo on the grounds of humanitarian intervention. Here, there may have been an even greater need for similar international involvement in helping diffuse the crisis.
• The NATO nations still insisted on Kosovo being autonomous rather than independent, whereas East Timor had been an occupied country since 1975.
• The western mainstream media and politicians from countries like the United States made an observation after the Kosovo crisis about how national sovereignty cannot hide war crimes etc. In East Timor the same people suggested that Indonesian sovereignty needs to be maintained and they need to be responsible in the peace process.
• Find out more¹⁹ about comparisons with the Kosovo crisis.

Geopolitics

Read “Geopolitics” to learn more.

What Happened in East Timor?

Read “What Happened in East Timor?” to learn more.

The Mainstream Media

Read “The Mainstream Media” to learn more.

Indonesian Support of Paramilitaries

Read “Indonesian Support of Paramilitaries” to learn more.

US, UK and Other Support of Indonesia

Read “US, UK and Other Support of Indonesia” to learn more.

The Role of the UN

Read “The Role of the UN” to learn more.

A Comparison with Kosovo

Read “A Comparison with Kosovo” to learn more.

Links to More Information

Read “Links to More Information” to learn more.