East Timorese Rebels Meet to Prepare for Referendum 🗳️

(2 Jul 1999) Indonesian/Nat

East Timorese rebels have held an historic meeting to discuss preparations for the upcoming August referendum that will decide East Timor's fate with Indonesia.

It's the first time in 23 years of armed struggle that such a meeting has taken place.

The referendum, due in late August, will give East Timorese the chance to choose whether to become independent or gain autonomy within Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

East Timorese, Rai Lakan, have been hiding in the jungle for 23 years.

Hugging and smiling with his sworn enemy, it's hard to believe Lakan has spent most of his life fighting the Indonesian army since their brutal invasion of his native land 25 years ago.

Since then, the former Portuguese colony has been wracked by violence between the Indonesian military and East Timorese guerrillas.

The upcoming referendum will give the East Timorese the opportunity to choose whether to remain part of Indonesia as an autonomous region or break away altogether.

As a result, the Falintil guerrillas were finally willing to call a truce and start negotiating a definitive ceasefire.

The United Nations, also at the meeting acting as escorts to the rebels, want to see the vote carried through without an atmosphere of intimidation from opposition groups.

SOUNDBITE: (Batun)
"With the arrival of the United Nations we are willing to come out to find a solution to work independence, the East Timorese people had to decide on what is wrong according to their own belief."
SUPERCAPTION: Rai Lakan, Rebel commander in the region

Lakan squarely blamed the fighting on both the Indonesian military and the militias whom he feels has the support of the Indonesian Army.

SOUNDBITE: (Batun)
"The existing problem in the villages is caused by the Indonesian army and the militia, East Timorese people are willing to find a solution but the militia, the police and the army are still out killing people, they trigger the problems in East Timor we Falintil (rebel group) do not bring problems to the people."
SUPERCAPTION: Rai Lakan, Rebel commander in the region

But Lakan added that no peace deal will be signed until he hears directly from jailed rebel leader Jose Alexander "Xanana" Gusmao.

Gusmao was jailed in 1992 and has been under house arrest since March and has not been allowed to visit East Timor in advance of the vote.

Meanwhile about 600 U-N electoral and other officials are to be stationed in East Timor before the ballot.

Some 274 unarmed international police advisers have begun to arrive in Dili to help Indonesian security forces maintain law and order.

The U-N have warned the Indonesian government to provide adequate security or accept the deployment of an armed intervention force from abroad.

On May 5th, Indonesia signed a U-N-brokered agreement in New York promising, among other things, to guarantee security in the lead-up to the referendum.

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