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US knew Indonesia intended to stop East Timorese independence 'through terror and violence'
Source: The Guardian
US knew Indonesia intended to stop East Timorese independence 'through terror and violence'
Documents reveal ‘muted’ attempts to convince Indonesian officials to allow free vote to proceed
Helen Davidson
@heldavidson Email
Wed 28 Aug 2019 17.00 BST Last modified on Thu 29 Aug 2019 01.16 BST
The US government knew for months that Indonesia’s military was supporting and arming militias in East Timor in the lead-up to the 1999 independence referendum but continued to push for stronger military ties, declassified documents have revealed.
The hundreds of documents provide a window into US policy on the months of terror inflicted on the Timorese and the “muted” attempts by the US to convince Indonesian officials to allow a peaceful and free vote to proceed.
The formerly classified documents are released in a briefing book by the National Security Archive’s researcher Brad Simpson on Friday to coincide with the 20th anniversary of East Timor’s independence referendum on 30 August 1999.
They reveal extensive and early awareness within the US government of the Indonesian military (formerly ABRI, now TNI) and its “determination to thwart an independence vote in East Timor through terror and violence”.
State department v Pentagon
Clinton Fernandes, a professor of international and political studies at the University of New South Wales, said the documents illustrated a split between the US state department concerned with the TNI-backed militia violence and the Pentagon striving to preserve a military relationship in the face of widespread opposition.
-snip-
Documents reveal ‘muted’ attempts to convince Indonesian officials to allow free vote to proceed
Helen Davidson
@heldavidson Email
Wed 28 Aug 2019 17.00 BST Last modified on Thu 29 Aug 2019 01.16 BST
The US government knew for months that Indonesia’s military was supporting and arming militias in East Timor in the lead-up to the 1999 independence referendum but continued to push for stronger military ties, declassified documents have revealed.
The hundreds of documents provide a window into US policy on the months of terror inflicted on the Timorese and the “muted” attempts by the US to convince Indonesian officials to allow a peaceful and free vote to proceed.
The formerly classified documents are released in a briefing book by the National Security Archive’s researcher Brad Simpson on Friday to coincide with the 20th anniversary of East Timor’s independence referendum on 30 August 1999.
They reveal extensive and early awareness within the US government of the Indonesian military (formerly ABRI, now TNI) and its “determination to thwart an independence vote in East Timor through terror and violence”.
State department v Pentagon
Clinton Fernandes, a professor of international and political studies at the University of New South Wales, said the documents illustrated a split between the US state department concerned with the TNI-backed militia violence and the Pentagon striving to preserve a military relationship in the face of widespread opposition.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/29/us-knew-indonesia-intended-to-stop-east-timorese-independence-through-terror-and-violence
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Related: U.S. sought to preserve close ties to Indonesian military as it terrorized East Timor in runup to 1999 independence referendum (National Security Archive)
