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Targeting of religious groups signals extent
of breakdown
From Wire Services and
Correspondents
In the violence that followed the vote for independence in East
Timor, pro-Indonesian militias particularly targeted religious leaders. Until
this recent violence, the clergy and religious enjoyed some protection against
the militias. The change indicates the heightened level of violence and
suggests that no one is safe in the territory.
The East Timor Human Rights Center in Australia issued a report
calling the violence against religious leaders extremely worrying.
The Catholic church was seen as a sanctuary. But now the last line of
protection and the international voice for East Timor is swiftly being
destroyed.
Mass killings and destruction began in East Timor following the
Sept. 4 announcement of the results of the Aug. 30 autonomy referendum in which
78.5 percent of East Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia.
At Castel Gandalfo Sept. 13, a visibly moved Pope John Paul II
received Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo of Dili, the capital of East Timor.
Belo, the 1996 Nobel Peace laureate, fled East Timor after militias attacked
his residence where some 6,000 people had taken refuge. He said armed men
killed 25 people and destroyed a portion of the church in what was part of
a direct attack on the Catholic church.
Belo said Sept. 14 that he asked the pope to seek President
Clintons help in speeding up the deployment of a peacekeeping force
to save the population of East Timor. Amid worldwide pressure,
Indonesian President B.J. Habibie announced Sept. 12 that his government would
accept the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force.
Belo estimated that militias have killed 10,000 people, sent
100,000 fleeing into the mountains and forests and deported 80,000 to West
Timor.
The Timorese people never kill, never burn down
houses, Belo said. That is good, but it is also necessary to defend
ourselves. I have not incited the people to take up arms, but the right to
self-defense is recognized in Catholic morality.
Belo said the militias attacked the church because it has
been the voice of the Timorese, who could not speak freely.
The house of Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau was attacked
Sept. 8. The bishop was stabbed in the hand and fled with refugees who were in
his house.
Among those confirmed killed were Fr. Francisco Barreto, director
of Caritas East Timor, along with most of the 40 staff members, outside Dare.
The director of Jesuit Refugee Service in East Timor, Jesuit Fr. Karl Albrecht,
was killed Sept. 11 in Dili.
Fr. Hilario Pereira and Fr. Francisco Soares, parish priests of
Suai, and recently ordained Jesuit Fr. Tarcisius Dewanto were shot dead in
front of the Suai parish church as they tried to prevent armed men from
entering. Eyewitnesses said the armed men threw grenades into the church,
killing more than 100 people.
Four sisters of the Cannosian order were reported killed in Suai.
At least three other priests and one nun were confirmed dead, while some 60
nuns and 10 priests have disappeared.
The Rev. Francisco de Vasconcelos Ximenes, the acting head of the
Protestant church in East Timor, was shot and killed after being forced out of
a church in Dili.
Indonesia
snapshot |
National motto:
Unity in Diversity Geography:
largest archipelago, spans 3,200 miles, 13,667 islands, 6,000 inhabited
Population: 210,000,000 (fourth most populous
nation) Languages: 300 distinct
languages Religion: 85 percent Islamic, 10
percent Christian, 3 percent Buddhist or Animist, 2 percent Hindu
History: Portuguese colonialism begins in the
early 16th century. In the 17th century, Dutch and British take all but one of
Portugals holdings. The Dutch become the most significant European
influence. In 1950, the Indonesian Republic is declared; Sukarno becomes
president. In 1960, Sukarno suspends parliament; in 1963 he is declared
president for life. Indonesia develops ties with communist bloc. In 1965,
army generals attempt coup, purge communists; in 1968, Suharto, army head
becomes president, develops ties with West; in 1975, Indonesia invades East
Timor as Portuguese rule collapses. In 1998, Suhargo is forces out; B.J.
Habibie, named president, announces East Timor election. In U.N.-sponsored
election Aug. 30, 78.8 percent of East Timorese vot for independence.
Economy: Rich in agriculture and fishing,
Indonesian economy is increasingly export-based. Principal products include
rice, rubber, sugar cane, palm oil, coffee, tea, coconuts and fruits. Indonesia
is rich in precious metals, oil, natural gas and other minerals. |
Dennis Coday, NCR Asia correspondent, contributed to
this report.
National Catholic Reporter, September 24,
1999
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