DATE=02/04/99
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-11130
TITLE=A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR EAST TIMOR? -- CQ
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT= (EDS: DROPS REFERENCE TO TITLE OF GENERAL IN 4TH GRAF OF
TEXT AND MAKES IT READ, MR. HABIBIE; NO OTHER CHANGES)
INTRO: AFTER YEARS OF INTERNAL STRIFE, RELATIONS BETWEEN
INDONESIA AND THE FORMER PORTUGUESE COLONY OF EAST TIMOR APPEAR
TO BE CHANGING FOR THE BETTER. THE U-S PRESS IS HERALDING THE
NEWS THAT JAKARTA MAY BE WILLING TO GRANT THIS PREDOMINANTLY
CHRISTIAN AREA ITS LONG-SOUGHT INDEPENDENCE.
FOR A SAMPLING OF REACTION, WE TURN THE MICROPHONE OVER TO
__________________ WHO JOINS US NOW FOR TODAY'S U-S OPINION
ROUNDUP.
TEXT: EAST TIMOR IS A SMALL ISLAND IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION
OF THE HUGE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO AND WAS, FOR CENTURIES, A
PORTUGUESE COLONY. IT SHARED HALF THE ISLAND OF TIMOR WITH
INDONESIA. IN 1975 THE PORTUGUESE WITHDREW AND SOON, INDONESIA
HAD FORCIBLY ANNEXED THE REMAINDER OF THE ISLAND.
/// OPT ///
SINCE THEN, MANY TIMORESE HAVE CHAFFED FOR INDEPENDENCE FROM THE
PREDOMINANTLY MUSLIM INDONESIA, AND THE INDONESIAN ARMY HAS, AT
TIMES, BRUTALLY MAINTAINED CONTROL AND SUPPRESSED DISSENT. A
THIRD OF EAST TIMOR'S POPULATION HAVE BEEN KILLED IN FIGHTING, OR
DIED FROM FAMINE OR DISEASE DURING THE PAST QUARTER CENTURY OF
OCCUPATION.
IN 1996, A PAIR OF NATIVE LEADERS, JOSE RAMOS HORTA AND THE ROMAN
CATHOLIC BISHOP OF THE ISLAND, CARLOS XIMENES BELO, WERE AWARDED
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR THEIR INDEPENDENCE EFFORTS.
/// END OPT ///
AFTER THE FALL OF THE SUHARTO REGIME IN A POPULAR UPRISING DUE TO
THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE OF THE INDONESIAN ECONOMY LAST YEAR, THE
NEW GOVERNMENT OF MR. HABIBIE MADE A MAJOR REVERSAL OF POLICY AND
RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD ENTERTAIN THE IDEA OF AUTONOMY
OR EVEN FULL INDEPENDENCE FOR THE ISLAND TERRITORY.
THE AMERICAN MEDIA, WHICH HAS FOLLOWED THE INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE,
IS HOPEFULLY OPTIMISTIC, THOUGH CONCERNED THAT A TOO-SPEEDY
INDONESIAN WITHDRAWAL MIGHT BRING ANARCHY RATHER THAN PEACE. IN
BOSTON, "THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR" EXPLAINS ITS POSITION
THIS WAY.
VOICE: WORD THAT INDONESIA MIGHT BE READY TO GRANT INDEPENDENCE
TO EAST TIMOR STIRS A MIX OF WELCOME AND CAUTION.
WELCOME, BECAUSE THE EAST TIMORESE HAVE CHAFED UNDER
JAKARTA'S YOKE FOR ALMOST A QUARTER CENTURY ....
CAUTION, TOO. THOUGH THE PEOPLE OF EAST TIMOR HAVE A
HISTORY AND RELIGION (PREDOMINANTLY CHRISTIAN) DISTINCT
FROM THE REST OF INDONESIA, THEY ARE N O T UNITED
POLITICALLY. SOME EAST TIMORESE PREFER CONTINUED UNION
WITH INDONESIA. CURRENT NEWS REPORTS INDICATE
PRO-JAKARTA ACTIVISTS ARE BEING ARMED BY THE INDONESIA
MILITARY. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED FROM
THEIR HOMES BY FIGHTING. THE PROSPECT OF IMMEDIATE
INDEPENDENCE FOR THE HALF-ISLAND OF SOME 800-THOUSAND
[PEOPLE] IS THUS DAUNTING IN THE SHORT-TERM. ... PHASED
DEPARTURE OF INDONESIA'S MILITARY AND ADMINISTRATIVE
PRESENCE, MAKES BETTER SENSE THAN SUDDEN CHANGE. ///
OPT /// JAKARTA HAS TO PROVE IT'S SERIOUS BY JOINING IN
A CREDIBLE PLAN FOR EAST TIMOR. /// END OPT ///
TEXT: "THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS ALSO PLEASED, BUT CAUTIOUS.
VOICE: INDONESIA'S FORCIBLE ANNEXATION OF EAST TIMOR 23 YEARS
AGO HAS BROUGHT DEATH AND DEVASTATION TO THE TERRITORY'S
PEOPLE AND HAS BEEN CRITICIZED BY MOST OF THE WORLD'S
GOVERNMENTS. SO IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT INDONESIA'S
PRESIDENT, B-J- HABIBIE, NOW SAYS HE WOULD CONSIDER
GRANTING THE TERRITORY INDEPENDENCE LATER THIS YEAR IF
HIS OFFER OF AUTONOMY UNDER INDONESIAN RULE IS NOT
ACCEPTED. BUT THE TIMING AND MANNER OF ANY INDONESIAN
EXIT MUST BE CAREFULLY PLANNED. /// OPT /// AFTER
NEARLY A QUARTER-CENTURY OF REPRESSION, EAST TIMOR NEEDS
A CHANCE TO REGAIN ITS BALANCE AND DISARM THE WARRING
PARTIES. EAST TIMOR'S PEOPLE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO
DETERMINE THEIR OWN FUTURE THROUGH AN INTERNATIONALLY
MONITORED REFERENDUM ... HELD AFTER INDONESIAN-BACKED
PARAMILITARY FIGHTERS AS WELL AS PRO-INDEPENDENCE
GUERRILLAS HAVE BEEN DISARMED ... AND MOST INDONESIAN
TROOPS WITHDRAWN. LISBON AND INDONESIA'S LEADERSHIP ARE
NOW ENGAGED IN TALKS SPONSORED BY THE UNITED NATIONS
OVER THE TERRITORY'S FUTURE. PORTUGAL'S ROLE HAS BEEN
POSITIVE, TRYING TO COMPEL INDONESIA TO TAKE MORE
ACCOUNT OF TIMORESE CONCERNS. BUT THE PEOPLE JAKARTA
REALLY NEEDS TO NEGOTIATE WITH ARE TIMORESE LEADERS ...
JAKARTA MUST NOW MOVE CAREFULLY AND RESPONSIBLY TOWARD A
REFERENDUM. /// END OPT ///
TEXT: "THE WASHINGTON POST" IS ALSO CAUTIOUS, WARNING THAT THIS
IS:
VOICE: ... NO TIME TO BE OVERCONFIDENT ABOUT A DEMOCRATIC
OUTCOME IN TIMOR. /// OPT /// CERTAINLY IT HELPS THAT
THE INDONESIANS ARE MAKING USE OF THE INTERNATIONAL
SUPPORT STRUCTURE - - INDONESIAN-PORTUGUESE TALKS, A
U-N MEDIATOR, AMERICAN ENCOURAGEMENT OF CIVILIAN RULE -
- DEVISED TO ASSIST THE PASSAGE. BUT /// END OPT ///
THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE SOME HESITATION TO LET GO AMONG
THE MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDONESIA AS WELL AS IN
THE MILITARY. /// OPT /// FOR ONE THING, INDONESIANS
HAVE SOME APPREHENSION, AND WITH SOME REASON, ABOUT
SETTING AN AUTONOMY / INDEPENDENCE PRECEDENT IN A
COUNTRY WHOSE SHARP REGIONAL AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES WERE
LARGELY CONTAINED, BUT NOT REMOVED, BY A MILITARY
REGIME. /// END OPT /// INDONESIA'S POST-SUHARTO REFORM
MOVEMENT DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE GOTTEN FAR INTO
DEVOLUTION OF POWERS AND DEVELOPMENT OF FEDERALISM - -
THINGS THAT MIGHT GIVE THE GOVERNMENT MORE CONFIDENCE IN
DEALING WITH EAST TIMOR.
TEXT: BACK TO BOSTON LASTLY, FOR THIS VIEW OF THE SITUATION FROM
"THE BOSTON GLOBE" WHICH TAKES NOTE OF THE STRONG RELIGIOUS AND
CULTURAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO PEOPLES.
VOICE: /// OPT /// THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY INDONESIA'S FOREIGN
MINISTER THAT HIS GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING TO OFFER
INDEPENDENCE TO EAST TIMOR ... COMES AS A WELCOME SIGN
THAT THE LONG NIGHTMARE OF THE TIMORESE PEOPLE MAY BE
ABOUT TO END. ... SINCE LAST YEAR'S FINANCIAL IMPLOSION
AND THE DEMISE OF SUHARTO, THE AUTOCRAT WHO RULED
INDONESIA AS A FAMILY FIEFDOM FOR MORE THAN THREE
DECADES, /// END OPT /// JAKARTA HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY
DEPENDENT ON THE OUTSIDE WORLD FOR ECONOMIC SUCCOR AND
DIPLOMATIC ACCEPTANCE. IN ONE FORUM AFTER ANOTHER,
INDONESIAN REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN HEARING THAT THEY
CANNOT ANTICIPATE COOPERATION FROM ABROAD IF THEY DO NOT
RECOGNIZE THAT THE PRIMARILY CATHOLIC POPULATION OF EAST
TIMOR IS NEVER GOING TO ACCEPT ANNEXATION BY PRIMARILY
MUSLIM INDONESIA. ... /// OPT /// THE OUTSIDE WORLD
SHOULD HOLD JAKARTA TO ITS WORD AND STAND READY TO
ASSIST IN EAST TIMOR'S TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE. ///
END OPT ///
TEXT: THAT CONCLUDES THIS SAMPLING OF U-S EDITORIAL COMMENT ON
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STORMY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
INDONESIA AND EAST TIMOR.
NEB/ANG/GE
04-Feb-99 3:10 PM EST (2010 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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