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East Timor - The G8 - Third World Poverty
Lidia Tindle - Tyneside East Timor Solidarity
East Timor won independence from Indonesia in 2002 after a 25 year war, the 20th of May, saw the third anniversary of independence. Western power backed Indonesia, supplying arms and money, Britain gave several soft loans. Celebrations, marking the anniversary were hollow, with many Timorese questioning what they have gained by independence, although they are not killed by a combination of Western weapons and the Indonesian military, Western advice and indifference is still causing havoc and deaths. In the capital, Dili the Maubere, (indigenous poor) East Timorese are treated like second class citizens by most Westerners and the Timorese elite. The luxury hotel floating in Dili harbour is for Westerners, the elite and high flying business people. Even if ordinary East Timorese could afford to visit this pleasure house it’s strictly off limits, as are other hotels and most coffee houses. Since independence the East Timorese, struggling to rebuild their country find themselves in a new battle, they now struggle against big business (and to some extent their own government) for the right to develop in the manner the majority want. *
Unemployment is extremely high, much of the young population have left the districts converging to Dili, in the hope of finding none existent work. Main employment in Dili, for the indigenous East Timorese is taxi driving or security work, both are very low paid jobs and hard to come by. To obtain other employment it’s pretty essential to speak English, Portuguese, or Indonesian. However, even if all these languages are spoken, if you are critical of the way the country is being developed, or don’t know someone in the administration, it is almost impossible to find other work. (Although English is now highly in demand there are few English teachers, and most schooling has to be paid for) . Western employees receive very high salaries inflating prices to an abnormal level for the region. Timorese find food & basic necessities very expensive, (the country basically runs on two economies). East Timorese who do manage to gain employment other than taxi or security work receive a fraction of the salary paid to Western colleagues for doing the same job. Many Timorese returned from the West with, computer skills, and the ability to teach basic, English or Portuguese, most Timorese have building, and agricultural skills, these skills are being wasted.
Shanty towns, surrounded by open sewers, have sprung up all around Dili. Malaria, Dengue Fever & T.B. are rife in an already weakened society.* Vaccinations are unobtainable. Vaccination programs were started but money has run out.
In the mountains there has been no rainy season for three years, resulting in failure of the rice crop.* Recently reports of people dying from starvation have been received, thousands are suffering from malnutrition. Shirley Shackleton, who was married to Greg Shackleton the Australian reporter murdered in the Balabo massacre, reported that from November 2004 to April 2005 Timorese living in the hills were once again scraping in parched soil for grass & berries, as they did during the war. Government statements counseled there was no need for concern, claiming it was the hungry season and occurred every year. Finally, after much pressure and many deaths, food aid was sent to villages in the districts. The Newspaper, Suara Timor Lorosae, who were reporting on the famine were evicted from their offices. New information received advises that people in the hills are still living in famine conditions.*
The proud Maubere, once lauded as the; ‘brave resistance who would win the war,’ bore all indignities and murder of family with dignity and bravery, now sell firewood in Dili, or scrat for food in the hills. Churchill’s rhetoric; ‘the British Tommy is the bravest fighting man in the world, and miners are the backbone of Britain,’ spring to mind. Bush and Blair use similar tired rhetoric in their ongoing Imperial Wars.
At the moment rice is imported from other Asian counties, (mainly Indonesia) many Timorese have no money to buy rice, because rice is imported money is not going into the East Timorese economy. Grass roots activists believe a solution to both problems would be a return to more sustainable crops, e.g. maize. Maize, the staple diet of East Timor before the introduction of rice by Indonesia, needs little water. Activists are campaigning for tools and seeds to be given to subsistence farmers to implement this transition. However, the East Timorese government have been told by Western advisors to introduce intensive rice farming. It is well documented that intensive farming does not feed the poor in the third world.
In the outlying districts a high percentage of the population suffer, and in a lot of cases die from T.B. Vaccination again unavailable; indeed there is very little medical aid of any kind, though some charities are trying to rectify this. Child mortality is very high – 87 per 1000 of under 1 year olds as against 5 per 1000 in this country. The mortality rate throughout East Timor would be much higher but the Timorese have tight knit communities, (this is how they kept the Indonesians at bay without assistance for so many years). Anyone lucky enough to find work, or who has managed to grow crops takes on the responsibility of feeding many people. Some of the East Timorese who came to Britain to raise awareness of our involvement in the war, have remained in Britain and found, on the whole low paid work, and send what they can afford home. After the referendum some Timorese joined family in the West hoping to find work so they too could send money home, but documentation needed to leave East Timor is increasingly difficult to obtain.*
The vote for independence saw the Indonesians destroying villages and the infrastructure throughout the country. For many Timorese this was the second destruction of their homes. At the beginning of the war villages, particularly in the Los Palos region were raised to the ground, the first resistance leader, Konis Santana came from this area. (The Indonesians infiltrated this area long before the invasion of Dili) The people of Mehara, Tututala, and the surrounding area were singled out for further special attention because they hid Xanana, the second resistance leader, for three years after he contracted Malaria. Hardly any of the infrastructures in this area has been replaced, in some villages people have to walk miles over rough terrain for water.
Very little of the governmental aid donation has reached people in the districts, or the shanty towns of Dili. Much aid is paying for overpriced Western advisors, or is still swilling around Dili board rooms.
The majority of East Timorese want an International Tribunal into atrocities committed during the war and after the referendum. The Timorese government and the U.N. were campaigning for an International Tribunal into atrocities committed after the referendum, (atrocities committed during the war years seemingly dismissed) but were leaned on by Western diplomats to drop tribunals in favour of South African style peace and reconciliation commission. There have been many demonstrations in Dili and Indonesia against this with East Timorese and Indonesians calling for International Tribunals, demonstrators are met with increasing brutality . Human rights organisations have commented; ‘in view of recent successful tribunals in the Hague, peace & reconciliation talks are a backward step.’ Western governments are probably opposed to International Tribunals because many individuals, including our own dear Tony, Thatcher, Major, Robin Cook, {who slated the Tories when New Labour were in opposition for selling Hawk Jets to Indonesia, in government claiming no Hawks had been used against the East Timorese, he finally found his conscience after the invasion of Iraq), Kissinger, and most recent US presidents, including Clinton, who was treated as a hero by Timorese administration when he attended independence celebrations in East Timor in 2002, could be sited as war criminals. (Kissinger has confirmed he could be impeached) Meanwhile the Surharto family live in luxury while the East Timorese starve. (Indonesians, who were also persecuted during Surharo’s reign, still find themselves in difficulty.) It’s interesting that in 2005, the year Blair & Brown are proclaiming an end to world poverty, they continue to back Indonesia’s oppression of the people of West Papua supplying money and weapons to assist. Any honest economist will tell you supplying weapons will not solve world poverty.
Recently ‘the first lady of East Timor’ gave a talk to solidarity in England; she glibly said General Wirranto, a war criminal of the highest order, has ‘tea and crumpets’ with Xanana . In view of the present situation this seems rather insensitive. (see Tempo Magazine No. 40/IV/June 08 - 14, 2004) National For the Future Whilst it is important to move on and come to some kind of reconciliation with your neighbours, reconciliation without justice for the thousands murdered, tortured and raped is empty. Note the word ‘justice’, the East Timorese don’t want revenge only justice.*
East Timor is an oil rich country, but Australia (the first country to recognise Indonesian sovereignty of East Timor after the invasion) stole the oil rights in a famous deal with the Indonesian government, while flying over East Timor. Australia has magnanimously offered East Timor a small percentage of oil rights; however they are going against international laws in not recognising maritime boundaries, claiming the bulk of the oil rights from the Timor Sea. Calls for a fairer deal are met with disdain, indeed Australia is now threatening to deport East Timorese who sought asylum there during the war years. The threat includes children born on Australian soil. The people of East Timor helped prevent the Japanese invading Australia during the Second World War, at great cost to their own population (when the war ended Australian planes flew over East Timor dropping leaflets saying, ‘Australians would never forget their Timorese friends).
Its worrying that certain criteria leading to the invasion is still in place. East Timor is an oil rich country, it is still seen as a buffer zone between Australia and China, and it could still be used as an oil dump for refilling planes for domination of the Middle East. Many commentators believed Western intention was to treat the people of East Timor in a similar manner to the people of Diego Garcia, the occupation being seen as a means of getting rid of a large percentage of the population and softening the remainder. America & Britain did not think the East Timorese would fight for 25 yrs, nor win against the regime they backed. (This assumption of course being made in most terror campaigns backed by America and Britain.)
Recently demonstrators campaigning for justice at the Santa Cruz cemetery were met with violence by the authorities, the authorities also tried to ban a veteran’s protest in Dili.
Last year in one of the shanty towns in Dili 4 Timorese were dragged from their beds in the middle of the night by the police. They were beaten so severely two were hospitalised for several days. The heinous crime committed, when playing football the ball touched the foot of a police officers wife. They immediately apologised but apparently that was not enough. I am told it is a common occurrence for the police to beat people for very little reason.
If conditions continue to deteriorate a civil war could ensue, Western intervention would be inevitable and it’s not impossible that Indonesia could be given the green light to invade again, naturally on ‘humanitarian grounds’. Indeed a cynical person could be forgiven for thinking that Western power is once more playing the game of divide and conquer.
It is not all bad news, some charities, including Concern, a British charity, work with East Timorese in the districts, rebuilding communities and the infrastructure. However, Concern have pointed out, as other issues take centre stage and East Timor once again slips into obscurity, hardly ever receiving media coverage, aid is becoming increasingly difficult to raise.
An Australian charity was working with the Timorese in the shanty towns around Dili, and a Canadian charity is working with the people of Com on sustainable fishing.* La'o Hamutuk (Walking Together) are monitoring the Timorese Government and Western business. They campaign with grass roots activists on many issues.
In Dili, Ros Dunlop, an Australian clarinettist works with Max Stahl, training young Timorese in multi media studies. Max, who filmed the Santa Cruz massacre, and worked with John Pilger on Death of a Nation, is also setting up a film archive of the war years, and filming up to date events. Initially some funding came from the East Timor, German and Finnish Governments, but funding to continue these projects is increasingly difficult to come by. Ros and Martin Wesley-Smith will be giving a concert in Newcastle during October to raise funds for East Timor. I’m informed they will be touring Britain but don’t have full details yet.
The East Timorese, a resilient, hospitable people, are asking the International community to support them in their new struggles. They deserve nothing less.
•It should be noted that whilst most East Timorese have no problems in Britain & Ireland (apart from the low wages) there have been some instances of racism and police harassment.*
•JAKARTA, Indonesia, June 28 (AP) - Human rights groups Tuesday hailed a
U.N. panel recommendation that an international tribunal be formed to try
Indonesian military officers accused of violence in East Timor in 1999 and
Attacks on the United Nations mission (atrocities committed during the 25 year war have not been referred to). However, U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Pierre Prosper offered full support in working with East Timor and Indonesia to make the Truth and Friendship Commission as credible as possible, which presumably means they don’t want an International War Crimes Tribunal. At the same time the US are formally) trying to restart military aid to Indonesia (it never really stopped).
PLEASE NOTE: East Timor has no third world debt, but it is still the poorest country in Asia, it is now been encouraged to buy weapons, guess who.from?
TYNESIDE EAST TIMOR SOLIDARITY is an unfunded grassroots activist organisation, working directly with the people of East Timor. Much of the background information is from first hand knowledge, and consultation with the people of East Timor. Information gained in this way is marked with *.
DONATIONS: to help us continue working directly with the people of East Timor would be gratefully appreciated.
Donations can be sent to:
The Treasurer,
Tyneside East Timor Solidarity,
17 Barlow Lane,
Winlaton,
Blaydon NE21 6EZ
. i http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/cbj2005/ane/tp.html
ii http://www.aare.edu.au/02pap/mcd02130.htm
iii http://www.etan.org/et2004/june/01-07/00let.htm
iv East Timor: a tiny half island of surplus humanity ......... by Ben Moxham
v ZNet Commentary East Timor – Indonesian Amnesia August 30, 2003
vi http://www.etan.org/et2004/december/26-31/28et-in.htm Guardian 28th Dec 2004
vii UNICEF
viii Stand your Ground Matt Abud
ix http://www.etan.org/lh/misc/0306dev.html
x http://author.voanews.com/english/Indonesian-Presidential-Visit-to-Timor-Ends-Demonstrators-Moved.cfm
xi http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB62/
xii http://www.stethelburgas.org/articles_papers.htm
xiii http://www.etan.org/lh/bulletins/bulletinv3n8b.html
xiv http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3729807.stm
xv http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/625/625p11c.htm
xvi John Pilger Death of a Nation (video)
xvii http://www.leftlink.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=13
xviii The Guardian Newspaper’s Christmas appeal 2004
xix http://www.concern.net/pressroom/pressroom.ds2?news_id=198
xx http://www.etan.org/lh/ Lao Hamutuk
xxi http://www.reportage.uts.edu.au/stories/2004/politics/etsf.html
xxii KESTA email list
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