---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press August 17, 1999 Amnesty Intl Rebukes Indonesia Over East Timor Violence TROIA, Portugal (AP)--Amnesty International blamed Indonesia on Wednesday for the continuing violence in East Timor and warned the clashes could undermine a planned ballot on the territory's future. "The consistent failure of the Indonesian authorities to guarantee safety and security for all East Timorese... poses a dangerous precedent for the future of the troubled territory," the human rights group said in a report after a conference here. Dozens of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced during a wave of violence in recent months ahead of a Aug. 30. ballot in East Timor. The vote will allow East Timorese to decide whether to stay part of Indonesia as an autonomous region or to become fully independent and has divided the region's 800,000 people into supporters and opponents of Jakarta's 24-year rule. The London-based rights group said pro-Jakarta militias, backed by the Indonesian military, are behind most of the violence. The report said "the pro-integration militias are continuing to commit the majority of human rights violations, acting with almost total impunity and with the support of the Indonesian National Army and the police." Amnesty International said the militias were engaging in "systematic and widespread harassment and intimidation" of voters. Under an agreement signed in May with Portugal, Indonesia guaranteed that people would be able to vote without duress. The United Nations, which has deployed some 900 staff in East Timor, has twice postponed the ballot because of security concerns and logistical delays. However, the world body says it will go ahead with the vote despite continued threats against civilians and U.N. staff. Indonesia occupied the former Portuguese colony in 1975, and the half-island territory has been beset with guerrilla warfare and human rights abuses since then. Some 450 human rights activists are meeting in Troia, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Lisbon, to discuss Amnesty International's future guidelines. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 18 Aug 1999 jam 03:09:19 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
