Military

EDITOR'S NOTE: This survey is based on 36 reports from 22 countries, September 16 - 20. Editorial excerpts are grouped by region; editorials from each country are listed from the most recent date.

EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC

INDONESIA: "Cessation Of IMF Support An Indirect Economic Boycott"

Leading, independent Kompas stressed (9/21): "The IMF has decided to postpone all its missions to Indonesia following the crisis in East Timor and the unsettled Bank Bali case.... This posture might provoke outrage against the IMF, the World Bank or the ADB. And, indeed, we have loudly warned them not to link financial aid to Indonesian internal affairs, such as the Bank Bali case or the East Timor question. This might be hard for us to accept. But isn't it true that the economic reform programs...will not work out unless we change the way we manage our economy and country?"

"Is Australia A Friend?"

Muslim-intellectual Republika contended (9/21): "The media reports that the Australians are launching intimidation and furious protests against Indonesian citizens residing there.... [Therefore], it is not appropriate for Prime Minister John Howard to say that, 'We still want to maintain our friendship with all the Indonesian people because Indonesia is our closest neighbor.' It is also improper for Howard to say that Australia's involvement in East Timor is because the Indonesian Armed Forces have failed to control the riots. We wonder whether the Australians can treat our citizens more humanely. Can you stop the insults against our nation?"

"Avoiding Possible Charges"

Ruling Golkar Party's Suara Karya argued (9/21): "Despite the anticipatory steps that we have considered or taken, there must still be loopholes that other parties may use to provoke Indonesia, for example on the border between East and West Timor. It is entirely possible that the international forces will cross the border or open fire on the West Timor border, under the pretext of hunting down pro-integration fighters. Similarly, different opinions may easily surface over the returning of the refugees, including which refugees are allowed to return to East Timor and by what means. All these should be calculated carefully, bearing in mind the Australian mindset that Indonesia still tries to support the pro-integration groups in any way possible."

"Don't Get Provoked!"

Armed Forces' daily ABRI noted (9/21): "Indonesia should not be swept up in the provocative statements of John Howard. In terms of East Timor, we firmly stick to the UN resolution. Indonesia will not be swayed by Australia's provocations. And, the Indonesian government will always maintain its sovereignty with the support of all Indonesians."

"TNI And East Timor"

The leading, independent, English-language Jakarta Post observed (9/21): "TNI's apparent readiness now to cooperate with the UN to bring about peace in the territory must be appreciated by all who want the best for the people of East Timor. It is to be hoped that the peace and order that appear to have begun to return to the territory with the arrival of the peacekeepers can be maintained."

"Many Bridges Of Understanding Needed Between Jakarta, Canberra"

Independent Media Indonesia maintained (9/21): "It is regrettable, really, [that] formality at a state level is not supported by a bridge of understanding between the peoples of Australia and Indonesia.... In terms of East Timor, both nations need many bridges to understand each other.... In fact, we can build many more bridges, including bridges of culture."

"Spontaneous Heroism"

The government-oriented, English-language Indonesian Observer pointed out (9/21): "The anger of the Indonesian people is not only directed at Australia. In particular, it is also directed against the United States. It is now the task of the [influential Islamic organization which raised the notion of 'jihad' in a recent public statement] Nahdlatul Ulama leadership and the government to caution these spirited youths before they carry out action which will have far-reaching consequences and implications.... The presence of the multinational force here does not constitute intervention.... The UN...arrived here only after the militia killed their own brothers.... The militia have committed crimes against humanity, condemned by the whole world."

"Interfet Forces Land In East Timor"

Independent afternoon Suara Pembaruan observed (9/20): "The arrival of Major General Cosgrove on Sunday in Dili was uneventful because he conveyed a positive impression and views about the Indonesian military (TNI) and his tasks in East Timor, unlike the statements of Prime Minister Howard or Minister Downer. At least, he did not stir strong reactions from the great deal of armed pro-integration militia.... We agree that once all the multinational forces enter, all the TNI and police forces should withdraw from East Timor.... We hope that it will be accomplished [very soon] so that Australian politicians can no longer criticize TNI."

"Interfet And Martial Law"

Independent afternoon Suara Bangsa held (9/20): "What impact will the UN resolution bring on the existence of martial law [in East Timor]? Given the presence of the multinational forces, should the martial law be still necessary?... If the martial law is retained, there will be ambiguity in securing East Timor. Surely, this is a very dangerous situation and will bear high risks."

AUSTRALIA: "Timor Is Our Long-Term Commitment"

The national, conservative Australian (9/21) featured this editorial: "In the space of a few weeks, Australia's role and responsibilities in the region have been transformed. We have taken on the role of regional policeman and peacemaker. It is clear that the United States expects that we, not they, will fulfill the lead role in our part of the world. Rightly, we have embraced our responsibilities but we must be in no doubt that our commitment is for as long as it takes and as much as it costs.... We are in East Timor for the long haul."

"Redefined Alliance Shares The Load"

In national, conservative Australian (9/20), political commentator Glenn Milne observed: "The East Timor crisis has redefined key elements of the Australia-U.S. alliance.... Some commentators have suggested that the events of the past two months now leave Australia 'home alone' in the region. In fact, what Clinton is suggesting is a form of 'neighborhood watch,' in which the countries of the region take responsibility for containing trouble, with the bottom line being the involvement of the global policeman, the United States."

CHINA: "Peacekeeping Forces Face Difficult Task"

Wang Peng said in the official Central Legal and Political Commission Legal Daily (Fazhi Ribao, 9/21): "For both historical and practical reasons, UN peacekeeping forces face a very difficult task in dealing with...East Timor.... It is our hope that with the entry of UN forces, there will be a quick restoration of peace and stability."

JAPAN: "Forces Face Daunting Task In East Timor"

Top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri indicated (9/21): "The first element of a 1,200-strong Australian-led multinational force has arrived in East Timor in the wake of slaughter, destruction and looting in the territory.... The militias harbor a particular animosity toward the Australian military, which is leading the multinational force. The multinational force should give careful consideration to the Indonesian people's nationalist sentiment. Japan has announced that it will provide financial assistance to deal with the situation. But...the government of Japan should [also] actively consider a number of different duties in such areas as medical treatment for refugees and facilitative assistance to the UN peacekeeping operation."

NEW ZEALAND: "Justice In East Timor"

Auckland's top-circulation, moderate New Zealand Herald held (9/21): "Events in the territory during recent weeks make it imperative that a tribunal on East Timor be established. Neither individuals who have so brutalized a population nor those who directed them should ever be allowed to think that they will escape justice--anywhere. The possibility of some statute of limitations on an East Timor tribunal...may be the price to be paid for bringing to justice those who have turned East Timor's independence hopes into a wasteland of despair. If Indonesia is prepared to place those accused before a tribunal, some justice will be done. Better that than none at all."

PHILIPPINES: "ASEAN Disunity On East Timor"

The new, nationally circulated broadsheet Philippine Post concluded (9/21): "Unfortunately...ASEAN is not united on the issue of East Timor.... ASEAN has historically shied away from military questions and matters of defense and security.... East Timor is one opportunity for the ASEAN to take a leading role. But divisions in the association, kinship with Indonesia and unfamiliarity with the terrain of war prevent the ten-member group from defining what its exact role in East Timor would be."

"In Harm's Way"

The lead editorial of the new, nationally circulated broadsheet Philippine Post (9/21) said: "It does not take the prescience of an elder statesman...to expect that there could be casualties among the United Nations peacekeeping force in East Timor.... Pro-Jakarta terrorists have vowed to resist foreigners who will come to their shores.... What is the UN strategy? Disarm the militias or shoot them in self-defense? Neutralize the hotheads or pursue a seek-and-destroy mission? How to deal with Indonesian troops who have supported or encouraged the terrorists? We hope the rules of engagement and code of conduct the UN devises work to restore peace and respect the verdict of the August 30 vote. Otherwise, the Filipinos (who are part of the UN peacekeeping force) and their peers could be in for a long, tough visit."

SINGAPORE: "Finish The Job"

The pro-government Straits Times put forth this view (9/21): "However difficult it gets, the peacekeepers must not leave the territory till they get the job done....

"To ensure that the mission does not become more protracted than necessary, ASEAN, Australia and the United States must continue with their diplomatic efforts in Jakarta. The international community is correct to decide that the Indonesian military is no longer capable of restoring order in East Timor, but the fact is the TNI remains the single most important institution in Indonesia, and no lasting peace in East Timor is possible without its aid. The task of diplomats is to shore up the more moderate elements in the TNI, and gain their cooperation, even as soldiers in the multinational force resist rogue elements of the same army in East Timor. Little will be gained if in the effort to restore order in the territory, the international community endangers Indonesia's stability by discrediting...its civil or military leaders."

THAILAND: "Prime Minister Chuan, Aren't You Ashamed?"

Lom Plientid emphasized in top-circulation, nationalist Thai Rath (9/21): "On the face of it, Thailand seems to have gained credit (by joining the multinational peacekeeping force), but a closer look will reveal it being exploited politically by the United States, the UN and Australia. The East Timor issue is a by-product of the bygone Western colonialism. It must therefore be the responsibility of the West. But (Thai) Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai decided to dispatch a Thai contingent to help shoulder the responsibility--and with a Thai officer serving as deputy commander of the Australia-led UN force at that!... Such is yet another example of the all-too-often 'foreign policy gone astray' executed by the Chuan administration."

VIETNAM: "Asian Countries And Peacekeeping Forces In East Timor"

A Commentary in Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon), the mouthpiece of Ho Chi Minh City's Communist Party, remarked (9/20): "Asian countries, especially ASEAN countries, seemed to be very cautious about the situation in East Timor despite the fact that Indonesia wanted to have a majority of Asian troops in the multinational force. This cautious attitude proves the respect held by ASEAN countries for both international and ASEAN principles, that is, 'no intervention into the internal affairs of other countries,' and the respect they hold for Indonesia's sovereignty in East Timor since at this point in time East Timor is still an integral part of Indonesia. Right now the public is concerned about the situation in East Timor, especially the objectivity of the multinational force preparing to arrive in East Timor."

EUROPE

PORTUGAL: "The Price In Blood"

Readers of centrist Diario de Noticias saw this op-ed piece (9/21) by commentator Adriano Moreira: "Those responsible for the [peacekeeping] operation have left no doubt: the objective is to enforce respect for the will of the people of Timor, to obligate the aggressor to end the challenge...to the international community, to hold legally accountable the authors of the continuing crimes against humanity...to pay the price in blood which may be required to impose the decision of the international community, to secure the conditions for the reconstruction of a decent and independent life for the Timorese among the community of nations."

"Punish The Criminals"

In centrist Diario de Noticias, Francisco Azevedo e Silva commented (9/21): "If much that has happened is irremediable and must not be forgotten, as [President] Jorge Sampaio emphasized yesterday, 'In this case, as in others, we must not allow a culture of impunity.'"

BRITAIN: "Army Must Back Off Throughout Indonesia, Not Just East Timor"

The centrist Independent's editorial maintained (9/21): "There is more to be ashamed of than to be proud of in the international reaction to unfolding events in East Timor in recent months. Kofi Annan...declared yesterday that 'a global era requires global engagement.' There is an obvious danger. If UN operations abroad come to be seen as the armed wing of American foreign policy, then things will have gone from bad to worse. For the moment, however, an international consensus exists that brutal behavior is unacceptable, period. The most important task now is to squeeze the army out of Indonesian politics for all time. We must hope now for determination in facing up to a government which--events of recent weeks would suggest--has lost little of its cynical nerve."

"Under The Influence"

John Pilger opined in the liberal Guardian (9/21): "For the few of us who reported East Timor long before it was finally declared news, the 'disclosures' last weekend that Washington had trained Indonesia's death squads are bizarre. That the American, British and Australian governments have underwritten proportionally the greatest savagery since the Holocaust has been a matter of unambiguous record for a quarter of a century. The real agenda for the UN 'peacekeeping' is to ensure that East Timor, while nominally independent in the future, remains under the sway of Jakarta and Western business interests. What terrifies the Western powers is that the Indonesian military will be weakened and unable to control a second uprising by Indonesian students for real democracy."

GERMANY: "A Leap Into The Unknown"

Michael Stuermer judged in right-of-center Die Welt of Berlin (9/21): "The first peace forces have now landed in East Timor. They have a robust mandate and are not supposed to preserve peace, but to enforce peace.... At issue, however, is not only East Timor and state independence, but the structure and the stability of the Indonesian archipelago, the first elements of democracy, international economic, strategic and political relations and the cohesion of the (Indonesian) state. The Australians and the British Gurkha forces are entering a destroyed country. And the militia forces plan to ambush these forces. It is unclear whom the Indonesian forces obey. The premier of neighboring Malaysia said that one does not want to see 'white faces,' i.e., the Australians. This will be a bloody mission. Nobody can predict where and how it will end."

"Action In East Timor"

Klaus-Dieter Pflaum pointed out in right-of-center Maerkische Oderzeitung of Frankfurt on the Oder (9/21): "If [the Indonesian military] now encourages these militia forces to put up resistance to the multinational forces, the subsequent confrontation would be a disaster for all parties involved.... The fact that the UN Security Council made a unanimous decision on sending a peace forces to East Timor is based on the view that the international community could not afford a second Rwanda where the UN idly watched a genocide. This would have provided a death blow to its battered credibility."

ITALY: "Off They Go"

In leading rightist opposition Il Giornale (9/21), Egidio Sterpa noted: "Today 600 Italian troops are heading for the Australian Sea, including aircraft and a tender, equal to Great Britain's (contribution)...and exceeding that of France and the United States by 200 troops. Frankly, it is not clear what use will be made of our participation in a mission which is not, certainly, peaceful, although considerable economic interests are there in the background. However, they (the interests) do not concern us (Italy).... Let's be clear....

"I am not contrary to a mission in support of a population which is, apparently, the victim of genocide. However, some serious doubts about this commitment, which is geographically so far away and also alien to our interests, cannot be denied."

DENMARK: "Some Things Are More Important Than Sovereignty"

Center-left Politiken opined (9/21): "Some things are more important than sovereignty. Regarding East Timor, this realization appears to have come too late. Therfore, it is crucial for the entire region that the international intervention is a success."

POLAND: "The Last Test"

Lukasz Warzecha judged in right-of-center Zycie (9/21): "Now the Blue Helmets [sic] are faced with a great challenge, as they have Indonesian troops against them, troops which are still numerous in Timor, and--most of all--heavily armed militants. Many of the military will not be willing to let go of the province it cost so much effort to seize and keep.... It is not going to be an easy mission in that hot country.... If the UN does not pass the test in East Timor, one can hardly predict of what other use this organization can be."

SPAIN: "The Lesson Of East Timor"

Barcelona's centrist La Vanguardia observed (9/21): "The UN decided to sponsor a referendum in East Timor, but failed to adopt the necessary safeguards to avoid a massacre should the Indonesians not accept its results. Afterwards, the international community took its own sweet time in reacting. In a world where humanitarian intervention has become legally sanctioned, the lesson to be derived by the international community from the East Timor experience is that it needs to develop the institutions and means to prevent delays of this sort from benefiting the perpetrators of aggression. Such preparations would also serve to dissuade aggressors in the future."

TURKEY: "East Timor"

Cengiz Candar wrote in mass-appeal Sabah (9/21): "The tiny island is becoming more important, especially from the international political spectrum...just like Kosovo. When East Timor was annexed by Indonesia in 1975, nobody heard cries for independence.... Today, Indonesia, despite its location in one of the world's most strategically important positions, accepted the UN peacekeeping force in East Timor under heavy pressure because the Cold War changed all geopolitical equilibrium. And countries who fall behind this new development start to weaken."

SOUTH ASIA

INDIA: "Timor And Timorousness"

The centrist Times of India's Praful Bidwai judged (9/21): "New Delhi cut a sorry figure by vacillating on participation in a UN-sponsored or authorized force in East Timor in the context of a referendum there overwhelmingly favoring independence. South Block first calculated that President Habibie would firmly resist a UN force. This was a gross misjudgment; for he himself invited it, albeit under international pressure. If, on the other hand, India thought it was too risky to interfere with the Indonesian militias' 'sovereign' right to attack the Timorese, it was guilty of more than just misjudgment.... India's timorousness over Timor is in line with its failure to criticize, let alone condemn, Indonesia's annexation of the territory and its genocidal terror which led to the killing of a third of Timor's population. This has less to do with the importance of friendly relations with Indonesia...than with fears that a referendum or international intervention in East Timor would lead to similar demands for Kashmir."

SRI LANKA: "A Bloodbath In East Timor"

An op-ed piece in the government-owned and -controlled Daily News emphasized: (9/16): "Whatever acts of omission or commission of the international community that might have occurred in the past, their present actions through the UN Security Council, in creating a UN peacekeeping force for East Timor, with a strong and clear mandate to restore peace, law and order, is a step in the right direction to halt the senseless tragedy in East Timor."

AFRICA

NIGERIA: "Investigate East Timor Crisis"

The Lagos-based, independent Punch told its readers in an editorial (9/18): "We welcome President Habibie's apparent change of heart and hope that it marks the end of the misery of the hundreds of thousands of East Timorese who had been forced to flee their homes to escape the terror of the militias.... But we would also like to see a thorough investigation conducted into the acts of violence unleashed on the Timorese people so that the perpetrators can be brought to justice, if possible under international law."

WESTERN HEMISPHERE

CANADA: "The Other Asian Crisis"

Frederick Wagniere contended in centrist, French-language La Presse (9/21): "One can come to the rescue of this country that was illegitimately annexed by Indonesia in 1975, but we must be careful not to provoke the break up of the archipelago with its 200 million inhabitants. In only a few years, the stakes have completely changed for the non-Asian members of APEC.... While before the question was to develop trade and economic ties around the Pacific, we must now aim at greater political stability and...economic prosperity, which will always be elusive if it is not based on the respect of democratic rights."

BRAZIL: "Fears Of Destabilizing Indonesia Kept U.S. From Acting"

An op-ed piece in independent Jornal da Tarde claimed (9/21): "East Timor, which has committed the crime of dreaming about independence, is today another devastated area on Earth. Why? Because the power that is the world's police, the United States, feared 'destabilizing' Indonesia, its docile ally in Southeast Asia."

PERU: "East Timor--600,000 People In Search Of Help"

Virginia Rosas remarked in respected El Comercio (9/21): "It is normal that the (Indonesian) military, who are used to managing the people with an iron fist, perceived the secession vote as humiliating. But for Indonesians...now to be defending the military who repressed them during the 40-year dictatorship of Soeharto, is something surprising. The only explanation is the disinformation that they have received for decades."

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9/21/99

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