ICTJ in the News

June 1, 2006

Was East Timor's Upheaval Avoidable?

The Epoch Times

Violence caused by poor government plagues East Timor

By Shar Adams

East Timor (Timor Leste) could have been on a firmer path to nationhood with recent upheavals avoided if Australia had attended to recommendations made in the East Timorese Reception, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CAVR) report released in January this year.

Democrats Senator Lyn Allison told The Epoch Times that the CAVR, co-ordinated by The International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), offered a "recipe" for East

Timor to make its way to "real nationhood" but said that the report had been ignored by the Australian Government.

"There are so many recommendations in this report and all of them seem worthy to me," Ms. Allison said.

"As far as I have seen, the Australian Government has made very little response to the report and in a number of places the Australian Government is mentioned specifically."

Ms. Allison referred to recommendations made by the CAVR that Australia return documents brought from East Timor for safekeeping; that Australia, Britain and New Zealand pursue the truth of the death of journalists killed in Timor in 1975; and that countries that had a military co-operation programme with Indonesia during Indonesia's mandate period, apologise to the East Timorese.

"Australia was certainly one of those," Ms. Allison said.

Violence, human rights violations plague East Timor
As part of the ICTJ, whose primary role is to assist societies emerging from repressive rule or armed conflict, the CAVR was instigated to inquire into human rights violations committed between April 1974 and October 1999 in East Timor. Additional functions stated that it "support a community-based reconciliation process and submit a report to the Government outlining recommendations as to how to prevent future recurrences of human rights violations."

At its inception, in January 2002, high hopes were held that the CAVR would assist the heal divisions within East Timor and be instrumental in moving the country forward.

The past few weeks, however, has seen the fledgling country racked with violence, international forces back on shore, and, according to World Vision director Tim Costello, a security situation that has fast deteriorated into a "humanitarian one".

While there has been a strong show of support from Australia, Malaysia, the U.S. and New Zealand, Prime Minister John Howard has been forthright in putting the blame on East Timor's Fretilin led Government and its leader, Prime Minister Makiri Alkatiri.

"There is a significant governance problem inside East Timor, there's no point in beating about the bush," he told ABC.

Former political journalist and consultant for East Timor, Denis Reinhardt says the present situation in East Timor is a product of the levels of corruption within the Alkatiri Government, old rivalries and high youth unemployment.

Ms. Allison has a similar view, saying old rivalries evident in the present upheavals were most likely a legacy of Indonesia's brutal and divisive 24-year rule, but says she has "heard very little about the [CAVR] recommendations to do with Indonesia.

"Australia should make a strong stand to impress Indonesia to honour or fulfill those recommendations."

However she says we "also have a role in improving the present situation".

"What we need now is solid measures to put East Timor back on track to safeguard the lives of their population and provide meaningful activities for the population as well."

Australia should address health, education in East Timor
Ms Allison also said Australia has a lot to answer for in only focussing on police and security measures in East Timor, and ignoring recommendations to address fundamentals like education and health.

"It is really a question of resources," she said: "the report says there needs to be special programmes aimed at eradicating illiteracy for adults and especially for women in remote communities. Now, East Timor just can't do that without some assistance from other countries."

Mr. Reinhardt said the UN must also take responsibility for the breakdown and claims the UN's lack of application was partly a result of the gap left after the tragic death of former UN Transitional Administrator in East Timor, Brazilian Sergio Vieira de Mello.

Mr. Vieira de Mello, widely respected for his interest in human rights and his affection for East Timor, was killed in a horrific bomb attack during a UN envoy to Iraq in 2003.