By: Basilio Dias Araujo Chairman of Indonesian, Association of British Alumni of East Timor

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to the Special Committee on Decolonization for allowing me to address the item concerning East Timor during its current session.

Allow me to take this opportunity to express fraternal greetings direct from East Timor of approximately 850.000 people living there who are earnestly hoping that the Special Committee on Decolonization will respect their wishes.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It was twenty three years ago that Portugal fled East Timor irresponsibly by leaving that territory in a chaotic and fratricide civil war. Thank God for listening to the cries and prayers of the innocent people and the Indonesian Government for sending its forces to help the prisoners, the weak and the oppressed people who were badly and arbitrarily treated and executed by Fretilin without the implementation of any legal procedures.

Ramos Horta's own brother, Arsenio Horta, is one of the victims and living witness of the arbitrary detention and political immaturity of the irresponsible actions of these so-called East Timorese politicians. And thank God, it was Indonesian forces who saved him from prison. For Arsenio Horta, therefore, the presence of Indonesian forces in East Timor is not an invasion, but a saviour angel.

Imagine, Ladies and Gentlemen, you are inside a dark room when you do not know who will save you because the master (colonial power) who maintains law and order has abandoned the country and the people outside your door are all outlaws and suddenly an Indonesian soldier opens your door and says : "Sir you are free". For this man in prison, he would not think twice to say that this individual is an intruder or invader, but he would call this soldier a savior angel.

This Portugal failure and Fretilin arbitrary and extra judiciary acts, however, have never been taken into account by certain groups of the international community. They keep laying the blame on Indonesia for not allowing the decolonization process to take place in East Timor.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Fretilin had never considered decolonization or even the holding of a referendum after he Fretilin ousted Portugal and hoisted down the Portuguese flag.

Fretilin ignored the process of decolonization or the holding of a referendum because Fretilin thought it had won the war and it murdered and killed all their political opponents in order to hold on to power.

Thank God for listening to the voice of innocent people and saving them from the hands of the Fretilin, the tyrants, murders and killers of innocent lives.

Here I am, Ladies and Gentlemen, a survivor of the fratricide war. I would not be standing here and making my statement, if the Indonesian had not come to East Timor upon our request.

This side of story, however, has never been taken into account by these groups and they only condemn Indonesia as the "bad guy" and legitimize Fretilin and Portugal as the "good guys" and raise the issue of legitimacy as the main question in the case of the Integration of East Timor into the Unitary State of Indonesia based on the UN Resolution 1541.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman:

What is the meaning of legitimacy anymore in East Timor if Fretilin have killed all the East Timorese and just left twenty of them who share the same views and idealism?

Seeing this condition, let me pose a question as to why, in one side, do those groups identify themselves with Fretilin and legitimize their acts, while on the other, they condemn Indonesia? The answer is simple: "They might be all communists and cold blooded killers".

It is not fair, Ladies and Gentlemen, to wage a negative campaign against a savior and praise the killers. It is not just to justify and legitimize an act of killing by raising the same issue of legitimacy for the act of a savior. Neither is it appropriate to wait for legitimacy to be endorsed by the United Nations and let the murderers take innocent lives.

Therefore, Ladies and Gentlemen, if you were in the same situation of a prisoner would you wait for the United Nations to legitimate the Indonesian act first or give your hands to the Indonesian soldier who says "Sir you are free".

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

This might be one of the failures of the United Nations to decide where it should stand and the failure of our Administering power to fulfill her obligation under article 73e of the UN Charter by hiding behind the word "LEGITIMACY".

Now, however, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Indonesian Government is trying to open a new page for the history of East Timor by proposing a Special Status to East Timor as one of the most feasible solutions for the case of East Timor.

This proposal, Ladies and Gentlemen, is really the only and so far, the best alternative for the solution of the case of East Timor because the same status to East Timor has ever been proposed by Xanana Gusmao representing Fretilin, Governor Abilio José Osorio Soares representing the local Government and Bishop Belo representing the Catholic Church.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

If all of us are sincere and serious to solve the case of East Timor and put an end to the drops of tears and blood, this alternative is the only compromise that can unite all the interested parties.

I, therefore, invite all the interested and competent parties to hold our hands to ether and take this alternative as the point of start to discuss a political format for the future of East Timor.

I, however, would like to remind you Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen that there now emerge new political charlatans and false political prophets in East Timor who do not accept this proposal and try to blur and influence the innocent and immature young people of East Timor to reject this proposal by calling for an immediate Referendum and Independence to East Timor when they themselves are not aware of what will happen next.

This group also tries to influence the young people to reject the fundamental principles of the FALINTIL forces as stated by TAUR MATAN RUAK, the Deputy Commander of FALINTIL, in his letter dated 23 April 1998, addressed to the East Timorese National Convention in the Diaspora which emphasized that the FALINTIL's fundamental principles to negotiate for a peaceful solution to East Timor is through DIALOGUE and CONSENSUS - without which, he said : "a partisan spirit will take over and divisions will get hold of our minds."

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

The Late José Fernando Osorio Soares, the founder of the APODETI Party had ever predicted before his tragic death in the hands of Fretilin on the Christmas Eve of 1974, without any legal procedures that there would appear revolutionaries of last hours and persons who do not welcome peace and who will continuously incite the population of East Timor to spend all their times sharpening their cutlasses and javelins, all of which are only intended to create a climate of fear and insecurity and to turn the propitious field into a sowing of demagogic and charlatanic ideologies:

We do not, in whatsoever form, with imaginary reserves and disguise, make ourselves adventurers or make ourselves charlatans affairs and eloquent actors to continuously incite the population of East Timor to spend all their times sharpening their cutlasses and javelins, all of which are only intended to create a climate of fear and insecurity and to turn the propitious field into a sowing of demagogic and charlatanic ideologies. (José Fernando Osorio Soares, Message of Christmas of 1974).

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Experiences have shown us that a referendum does not promise peace. Examples of Cambodia and other cases have shown us that when there exist LOSERS and WINNERS new conflicts is unavoidable. Therefore, a compromise solution which ensures no LOSERS and WINNERS is the only and the best solution for a conflict.

I would also like to recall that Portugal never conducted a referendum in her former colonial territories such as Mozambique and Angola. Portugal has never asked the people of Macau of weather they need a referendum or not to join China. Why should Portugal force one for East Timor? It is just ridiculous and unquestionable.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Reading the golden words of José Osorio Soares and the fundamental principles of Taur Matan Ruak, THERE IS only one sentence rest on us to say: "THE PERSONS WHO OPPOSE THE IDEA OF SPECIAL STATUS TO EAST TIMOR ARE THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE EAST TIMORESE LIVE IN PEACE AND UNITY."

Therefore, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I appeal to you not to be distracted, misled and deceived by these charlatans because they do not have a genuine commitment to the search for a just, comprehensive and internationally acceptable settlement to the question of East Timor.

I appeal to you to refer to Bishop Belo's descriptions of these persons as DREAMERS as stated in one of his interviews with the local East Timor newspaper "Suara Timor Timur" commenting on the National Conference of East Timorese in the Diaspora:

They have formed a unity of political vision. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THEY ARE LIVING ON THE CLOUD/SKY They have to return to East Timor and have a dialogue with you (the East Timorese now living in East Timor - Red), have a dialogue with the parties existing and living in East Timor, with the institutions existing in East Timor for the development of East Timor. When meeting them abroad, I always remind them "Don't you (East Timorese Overseas -' Red) dream of returning to Dili and becoming all Kings. In East Timor, the people are already well prepared. So a dialogue is necessary. (STT, 4 June 1998).

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:

In consideration of the above premises, I, once again, appeal to you not to be distracted, misled or deceived by people who hold unclear principles.

Focus your attention on the proposal of the Government of Indonesia to grant a special status to East Timor by studying the type and format of Special Status to be applied to East Timor.

The 850.000 people now living in East Timor and the approximately three thousand East Timorese intellectuals being the product of integration will give all our support and will do all our best to assist the United Nations to remove for ever this item from its agenda and give East Timor a firm and respectable status.

Before closing, Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen Distinguished Members States of The Committee, please accept my deepest appreciation to the United Nations under the administration of His Excellency Mr. Kofi Annan and his special appointed person in charge of the Case of East Timor, Mr. Jamsheed Marker and all his assistants without whom a final solution to the case of East Timor will never be found.

To my East Timorese brothers living overseas, if you love peace and our people, stop playing games with innocent lives, come and join us in the territory to support Indonesia and the United Nations to build a better future to our beloved East Timor in peace and harmony based on the rules of UN Charter.

Lets us not throw away for the second time the chance that Portugal gave us in 1975 by letting it go in vain the second chance that Indonesia is giving us now.

MAY GOD SAVE AND BLESS THE UNITED NATIONS. THANK YOU.

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