E Timor Votes

For Immediate Release
Contact: John M. Miller, 718-596-7668, 917-690-4391 (cell)

East Timor Holds First Free Elections August 30

New Country Moves Towards Full Independence with Refugee Crisis, Justice Issues Unresolved

Interviews Available

August 28, 2001-- The East Timor Action Network (ETAN) welcomed this week’s election in East Timor as an important milestone in East Timor’s path to independence, but cautioned that many important issues must be still be addressed by the international community. On Thursday, August 30, the people of East Timor will go to the polls to elect a national assembly. On the second anniversary of 1999’s historic referendum for independence, voters will elect an 88 member body tasked with writing the national constitution in a mere 90 days. The country, currently under United Nations administration, is expected to become independent in 2002. Key concerns include:

The continuing refugee crisis. Approximately one-tenth of East Timor’s population is unable to vote because they continue to be held in Indonesian military and militia-controlled refugee camps, mostly in Indonesian West Timor. Up to 80,000 refugees remain in the camps, under extremely poor conditions, two years after Indonesian troops and their militia proxies forced them across the border during the post-referendum devastation of East Timor.

The need for an international tribunal. War crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Indonesian military during and prior to 1999 have been well documented, but no military members have yet been held accountable for the murders, rapes, forced population movements, property destruction, or other gross human rights abuses committed in East Timor. Many have in fact been promoted within the Indonesian military. An international tribunal, called for by East Timorese leaders and non-governmental organizations as well as two UN commissions, is needed to prosecute those most responsible.

International accountability. East Timorese leaders and non-governmental organizations have charged the United Nations and other international institutions with not consulting adequately with East Timorese and not allowing adequate time for the institutions of the new nation to be firmly established during the transitional period. As the international presence decreases sharply over the next year, it is crucial that every effort be made to meet East Timor’s needs, strengthen local capacity and reflect local priorities.

Border security. Indonesian military-backed militias continue to destabilize East Timor by launching cross-border raids from their bases in the West Timor refugee camps. Many militia leaders say they plan to increase hostilities when the UN reduces its peacekeeping presence in East Timor next year.

The following ETAN members are available for interviews, to discuss East Timor’s upcoming elections, critical issues, and U.S. policy towards the region:

John M. Miller, Brooklyn, NY; 718-596-7668, 917-690-4391 (cell)
John M. Miller, ETAN's Media and Outreach Coordinator, co-founded ETAN in 1991. He is the UN representative of the International Federation for East Timor and served as staff for the Parliamentarians for East Timor observer mission to the 1999 independence referendum in East Timor. He was evacuated from Dili, East Timor’s capital, on September 6th, with the last remaining international observers.

Diane Farsetta, Madison, WI; 608-663-5431; 608-347-4598 (cell)
Diane Farsetta is ETAN's national field organizer. A member of ETAN since 1993, she was the coordinator of ETAN’s Madison chapter for over four years. She was based in Suai, East Timor as a UN-accredited observer during the 1999 referendum in East Timor, and was also evacuated from Dili on September 6. She coordinated the successful effort to join Madison, WI with Ainaro, East Timor, as the first official sister city of East Timor in the U.S.

Ben Terrall, San Francisco, CA; 510-985-0385;
In early September 1999, Ben Terrall returned from his second trip to East Timor, where he was a UN-accredited election observer. Two years earlier, Terrall founded the East Timor Relief Fund, which distributes U.S. contributions to East Timorese individuals and organizations. His articles on East Timor and Indonesia have appeared in Indonesia Alert!, The Progressive, and the Christian Science Monitor. Terrall coordinated a major book drive for the People's Library of East Timor and the University of East Timor, and continues to support educational initiatives in East Timor. He is the coordinator of ETAN’s San Francisco chapter.

Chris Lundry, Tempe, AZ; 480-784-4696; 480-965-5881 (office)
A doctoral candidate in political science at Arizona State University, Chris Lundry has traveled to East Timor five times. His work covers issues of human rights, indigenous rights, democratization, sovereignty, and the role of non-governmental organizations in Indonesia and East Timor. An accredited observer during 1999’s vote, he returned to East Timor and Indonesia last January to identify priority areas for aid and document the military’s destruction. He has also researched the role of the UN in East Timor, focusing on plans to bring past and current human rights abusers to justice.

The East Timor Action Network/U.S. supports human dignity for the people of East Timor by advocating for democracy, sustainable development, social, legal, and economic justice and human rights, including women's rights. ETAN has 28 local chapters. For additional information, see ETAN's web site: http://www.etan.org.

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