---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- The Straits Times, Aug 30, 1999 Less fear of a split in Aceh and Irian Jaya DILI -- There is less fear that independence for East Timor will fuel popular support for secessionism in Aceh and Irian Jaya, for the historical framework that leaves East Timor out in the cold -- resistance to Dutch imperialism -- applies to the two provinces. They have very different histories from East Timor -- they were both part of the Dutch East Indies which ruled Indonesia for four centuries. East Timor did not join till 1975. Acehnese had sold their gold jewellery to buy the fledgling revolutionary movement its first plane, the only province to do so. For that patriotic sacrifice alone, how can they not consider themselves Indonesians? The Dutch had to be ejected forcibly from Irian Jaya, whose leaders voted to join Indonesia. So how can they want to secede? They might want to have special autonomy status, but independence, never. (Susan Sim) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 2 Sep 1999 jam 08:46:00 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
