Sauron Moridor wrote:
>
> Sauron1 writes; Alan; East Timor Genocide? What is the Portuguese
> connection, was it a colony?
Correct. I'll try to give a potted explanation, and please bear in mind
I'm as subject to Prejudice as anyone else - a disintrested observer may
see things quite differently.
When Portugal threw off the Salazar dictatorship in the 70s, it adopted
a Socialist government. Not "Socialist" as in the USA's view of a
European or Canadian Labour Party, but Socialist as in "Democratic
People's Republic"-type. All of its colonies in Africa went hard-line
Marxist, ie Angola and Mozambique. East Timor was going down the same
road - maybe. Probably, even.
Enter the Indonesians, who in the 60s had butchered their Communist
Party in toto (about 0.5% of the population, half a million people, died
within a month).
They took over East Timor, with the Australian government giving them a
quiet wink and tacit approval. They Invaded it, in much the same way
Iraq took over Kuwait. The UN has never recognised the takeover.
The Indonesians proceeded to literally decimate (as in 1/10 killed) the
population, enthusiastically uprooting Dose Debil Marxists, and
installing fine, upstanding hard-working Javanese. Any left-leaning
moderates not shot by the Indonesians were taken out by the hard-line
Communists before they, too, got the chop (in a war lasting nearly 10
years). The population went from 250,000 to 150,000, then up to 300,000
today, about 50% being Indonesian colonists.
The last major kerfuffle was in Dili, the capital, where a peaceful
demonstration was fired upon by Indonesian troops (1993 from memory).
According to ANTARA, the official Indonesian newsagency, 14 people were
killed. As the US NBC network cameras showed over 50 people being shot
in the cemetary, where they'd fled to after the initial shooting
started, this seems a little low. Other estimates, up to several
hundred, appear too high.
It's complicated by several facts:
1) Indonesia has 180 million people in, and a Fascist (as in
Ultra-Nationalist with military 'advisors' at village level, NOT Nazi)
regime. It also has a distinct land shortage. Australia has less than 20
million, and rather a lot of real estate.
2) The border between Timor and Australia was never clear: And the
Arafura sea has a lot of Oil underneath. The Australians and Indonesians
signed a treaty clarifying the issue, where in zone 1, Australia gets
25% of the total that Indonesia has exclusive rights to, zone 2 where
Indonesia gets 25% of the total, but Australia dos the exploitation, and
a middle zone, where either can exploit, giving the other party a 50/50
share.
Portugal was never able to sign such a treaty, and is now lobbying the
UN hard to try to get a piece of the pie (oh yes, and a token effort to
protect their former citizens too, those that are left).
So... Australia abhors the atrocities in East Timor, but our economic
interests dictate that we abide by the treaties in place. Despite hard
evidence showing how a group of Australian journalists was deliberately
executed during the war.
Imagine if Canada had a land border with China instead of Alaska, and
you'll get the picture.
--
aebrain_at_... <> <> How doth the little Crocodile
| Alan & Carmel Brain| xxxxx Improve his shining tail?
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Received on Sat Sep 27 1997 - 22:34:15 UTC