The carefully planned campaign of violence and terror carried out by the Indonesian security forces and their militia surrogates in East Timor and in West Timor over the past several weeks has spread throughout Indonesia. Carter Center observers have gathered first-hand evidence of systematic efforts by the Indonesian military, police, local government officials, members of Timorese pro-autonomy groups, and armed militias to harass and terrorize refugees from East Timor who have taken refuge in Bali and several cities on the island of Java, including the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
Reports from East Timor indicate that the Indonesian security forces and paramilitary militias continue to loot, burn, and destroy houses and infrastructure throughout the territory, including areas outside Dili. The capital city of Dili was already laid waste by these activities. A steady stream of refugees continued to cross the border into West Timor over the past week, and armed militias control refugee camps in Atambua, Kupang, and on the island of Alor, frustrating the efforts of both domestic and international relief agencies.
Carter Center staff and observers, forced at gunpoint by militia and Indonesian police to evacuate Dili on Sept. 5 and now reporting from various locations in Indonesia and Darwin, Australia, have confirmed the following through eyewitness accounts from reliable sources:
In Bali, Indonesian police and military officials have visited places where refugees are sheltering and threatened that a "sweeping operation" is underway to arrest and drive refugees out of their places of refuge. Indonesian soldiers and FPDK members also have approached and threatened Timorese residents in neighborhoods with a high concentration of refugees, barring access to banks, shops, and telephone bureaus. Soldiers, FPDK members, and militiamen have even carried out open acts of intimidation in popular tourist areas such as Kuta and central Denpasar.
The Carter Center East Timor Observation Mission
Emerald Hotel, 81 Cavenaugh St., Darwin, Australia
Tel. 61-8-8981-7771, Rm.112 - Fax. 61-8-8981-7760
If you would like to receive Carter Center weekly reports and press releases, please forward your name, organization, e-mail address or fax number and a telephone number where you can be reached to The Carter Center at CCNDI@hotmail.com to be added to our distribution list.
Please sign up below for important news about the work of The Carter Center and special event invitations.