Precedence: bulk
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Monday 7 June, 1999
East Timor authorities bank-rolling anti-independence campaign
As East Timor joins the rest of Indonesia in voting,
there is new evidence that Government authorities in
the territory are illegally bank-rolling the campaign
against independence for East Timor.
A leaked document shows local government
departments have been encouraged to contribute
some of their budget to back the campaign for
autonomy.
A document signed by East Timor's Governor and
forwarded to offices in Jakarta, including the office of
Indonesia's military chief, General Wiranto, calls for
local government departments in East Timor to set
aside up to 20 per cent of their development budgets
for the campaign in favour of autonomy rather than
independence.
The document is considered to be genuine by the
United Nations headquarters in East Timor, which
says it is a clear breach of the accord signed by the
governments of Portugal and Indonesia on May 5.
In a press release, the head of the UN's mission in
East Timor, Ian Martin, has called for an end to any
premature campaigning on the referendum questions
to be put before the people in East Timor on August 8.
� 1999 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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