Subject: Indonesian independence
Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 23:58:49 +1000
From: gheard@surf.net.au (Geoffrey Heard)União Democrática Timorense TIMORESE
DEMOCRATIC UNION MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release: 10.30 pm AEST, Sunday 16/8/98
Indonesia's Independence Day is no day for celebration, say East Timorese
SYDNEY: Indonesia's Independence Day marks the creation of a corrupt Javanaese colonial
state that delights in brutally crushing its adversaries through rape, torture, murder and
genocide, the President of the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), João Carrascalão, said
today. He said he expected some East Timorese would turn out to celebrations of the day in
East Timor, but the vast majority would do so only under threat of their livelihoods and
ultimately, their lives. "East Timorese everywhere, even members of the Apodeti Party
who campaigned for the integration of our country with Indonesia in the 1970s, today
totally reject any notion of East Timor being a part of Indonesia. "All five major
East Timorese political parties, UDT, Fretilin, Apodeti, Kato (Traditional Monarchist) and
Trabelhista (Labour), are united around the world today in calling for Portugal, the
United Nations and Indonesia to meet with East Timorese leaders and negotiate a settlement
of the East Timor situation based on a self-determination referendum for the East Timorese
people. "It's estimated 200,000 East Timorese have died during the 23 years of forced
Indonesian rule since the illegal invasion and annexation of East Timor. "More die
every day. Women are raped. Children are tortured. Students who organise peaceful
demonstrations are savagely gunned down by the Indonesian military. "Indonesian
independence is a code word for Javanese oppression of the hundreds of other Ethnic groups
within Indonesia, and outside its borders in East Timor. If you doubt that, ask the West
New Guineans and the people of Aceh and Kalimantan. Look at the growing evidence that the
army stimulated the Jakarta riots, targeted the Chinese, and were the murderous rapists of
Chinese women."
Mr Carrascalão said Indonesian Independence Day was an appropriate time for East
Timorese everywhere to appeal to Portugal and the United Nations not to throw East Timor
to the Indonesian wolves - as was threatened by Portugal agreeing at the United Nations
sponsored talks two weeks ago to discuss the Indonesian proposal for East Timor become an
autonomous province within Indonesia.
"Portugal and the United Nations have the responsiblity to provide the East
Timorese people with a self-determination referendum. They have no mandate to negotiate
the future of East Timor with another power - particularly a corrupt, murderous, illegal
occupying force like Indonesia."
FURTHER INFORMATION: João Carrascalão, President, UDT % 02 9823 5616 0418 767 101
Domingos De Oliveira, Secretary-General, UDT % 08 9384 7943 Issued on behalf of UDT by
Geoffrey Heard & Associates Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
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