Allan Nairn's Arrest Situation and Statement, and the
Fate of Timor and the Timorese
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 11:56:34 +0100
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Find below Another Update from ZNet regarding Timor....
---
Please go to ZNet's Timor Pages at
http://www.zmag.org/CrisesCurEvts/Timor/timor_index.htm for regularly
updated information and analysis bearing on the events in East Timor....
If you want one preferred piece to get up to speed and inform yourself
as
quickly as possible, ZNet's best overarching effort to succinctly
situate
the events and our responsibilities is our Question and Answer Article,
the
work of Shalom, Chomsky, and Albert:
http://www.zmag.org/CrisesCurEvts/Timor/qanda.htm
---
You may have heard, already, that U.S. journalist Allan Nairn, arrested
a
few days ago seemingly solely for deportation, is now facing prosecution
in
Indonesia. Benny Mateus, the chief justice of Nusa Tenggara Province
intends
to prosecute Nairn for two violations of Indonesian immigration law, a
local
immigration official in Kupang, West Timor has informed Nairn. Nairn is
to
be charged with engaging in unauthorized activities and overstaying his
two-month visa. Both acts are considered illegal under sections 50 and
52 of
the Indonesian immigration laws. If convicted, Nairn could face 10 years
in
prison. Nairn, who was arrested in Dili on September 14, was one of the
last
journalists reporting from East Timor. Indonesian forces transferred him
to
Kupang in West Timor, a part of Indonesia. A local immigration official,
Mr.
Zurya, has been interrogating Nairn at the immigration facility in
downtown
Kupang for several days. According to Indonesian officials in Kupang,
while
Mateus is seeking to charge Nairn, the Minister of Justice, Dr. Muladi,
and
the Minister of Information, Yunus Yosfiah, are inclined to deport
Nairn.
The detainment and possible prosecution of a U.S. journalist, the only
one
on the scene, is of course generating tremendous concern in the United
States. The key point about Nairn's arrest, however, and our efforts to
free
him, for those who are informed and have broad and consistent moral
values
is that we need to work to free Nairn while at the same time continuing
to
address the plight of the Timorese, and, for that matter, while we work
to
convince those aroused only by Nairn's situation that they need to
broaden
their focus.
For example, approximately 100,000 East Timorese have been driven from
their
country into West Timor, which is a part of Indonesia. These folks are
under
the auspices of the Militia and Indonesian Army and there are no
observers.
Their plight is unknown, but there is every reason to fear for their
lives.
All efforts of virtually any sort to publicize and arouse concern for
Allan
Nairn and outrage at his incarceration will help him and also all East
Timorese. But, such efforts will be that much more effective, on both
counts, if they occur in context of continuing attention the lot of the
worst off and most defenseless...and if they emphasize not solely a
violation of a Western Journalist by the Indonesians, but their quarter
century-long willful violation, abetted by their U.S. sponsors, of the
rights and lives of the Timorese. Nairn himself has no confusion on
these
matters. He is not only courageous, but consistent, not only a fine
reporter, but also a moral, socially concerned and consistent person. In
fighting for Nairn's freedom we should learn from his focus and courage
and
keep the broader context and issues always forefront.
Here then is Nairn's Own Statement to his captors (point l8 of the
interrogation report on Allan Nairn, the part where the Immigration
chief
asks him to handwrite his position).
Nairn's Statement in West Timor to his Captors
I know that the army has put me on the black list. They did this because
I
watched their soldiers murder more than 271 people at the Santa Cruz
cemetery. This crime was the responsibility of the Indonesian army
commander, General Try Sutrisno and the Minister of Defense, General
Benny
Murdani.
The murders were committed with American M-16 rifles. The American
government also bears some of the responsibility because they have
armed,
trained, and given money to the TNI/ABRI, even though they knew the
TNI/ABRI
is led by murderers and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Timorese, Acehnese, West Papuan and Indonesian civilians.
Because I survived the massacre and denounced the crime to the outside
world, the TNI/ABRI and the Suharto government banned me as a "threat to
national security." That ban has been reaffirmed by each subsequent
TNI/ABRI
commander, including General Tanjung and General Wiranto.
I do not think that I am a threat to the Indonesian or Timorese people,
but
I hope that I am a threat to General Wiranto and General Tanjung, and
the
other present and former leaders of the TNI/ABRI. I believe that they
feel
threatened by anyone who would expose their crimes. General Wiranto and
Generals Bambang, Zacky, Syafei, Kiki, and many others, for example, are
responsible for the current militia terror in occupied East Timor and
for
the increase in repression against the people of Aceh. This is no secret
to
the people of Timor or to the people of Indonesia or Aceh. They have
suffered for decades under the repression and corruption of
TNI/ABRI.vMany
brave Indonesians, Timorese, Acehnese, and West Papuans have been
killed,
arrested, tortured or raped because they dared to criticize the army and
demand their right to freedom.
As a foreigner and a journalist, particularly an American journalist, I
know
that I enjoy a certain de facto political leeway that enables me to say
things that local people would be killed for saying. I have tried to use
that privilege to tell the truth about TNI/ABRI. If, because of this,
the
army feels they must arrest or jail me, then I know that there is
nothing I
can do to stop them. But they know that they cannot arrest or kill all
the
people of Indonesia. That is why they are now so fearful, and that is
why I
believe they will lose their desperate struggle to retain their hold on
power and their police state.
During my most recent detention, I have been interrogated by officials
from
army Intel, police Intel, Kopassus Group 5, and many other units. They
have
asked me many questions about my political motives and opinions. I would
summarize my opinions this way:
I am pro human rights, pro democracy, and anti TNI/ABRI. I am a
supporter of
the people of East Timor, Aceh, West Papua, and Indonesia, and an
opponent
of the officials who have repressed and exploited them.
As an American citizen who is visiting Indonesia and occupied East
Timor, I
also want to be clear that I believe in even-handedness. The same
political,
moral and legal standards that are applied to TNI/ABRI officers should
also
be applied to the officers and political leaders of the United States.
So
while I support the UN Secretary-General's call for war crimes and
crimes
against humanity prosecution on East Timor, I think that the prosecution
should not be limited to Indonesian officials. Foreign officials who
were
accomplices to atrocities in East Timor, and provided both murder
weapons
and the logistics of repression should also be charged, prosecuted and
if
convicted, jailed.
Pragmatically, it is hard to imagine General Wiranto sitting in jail. It
is
even harder to imagine President Clinton as his cellmate. But justice
should
be impartial.
It is time for the genocide to end. Untold thousands of Timorese lie
slaughtered. Their families are bereft. The victims of Santa Cruz,
Liquica,
and Suai can no longer speak. Those of us who can should insist that the
killing stop right now. And we should also insist that the killers face
justice, regardless of who they are.
These same principles apply of course to atrocities everywhere. I think
that
this is a simple idea and that most people would agree.
If General Wiranto or any other officials have further questions about
my
views, I would be glad to answer them personally at a time and place of
their choosing. I would also be glad to give details on the crimes
referred
to above, and on the complicity in them of General Wiranto and other
officials.
--
Takver
Takver's Soapbox:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/Takver/soapbox/index.htm
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