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After the riots in Dili - A call for renewed solidarity and vigilance

Initiatives for International Dialogue Press Release - May 4, 2006

Time and again, the Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) continuously reminds that the East Timorese people's struggle did not end when it acquired its independence. There is still unfinished work to help the East Timorese tread the path to political stability, democracy, justice and economic independence; and internal security and law enforcement inherent to a young and fledgling country like Timor Leste.

And last week's deadly riots at the seaside capital of Dili, considered by many as the worst to rock Timor Leste since its vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999, was a grim reminder of this reality.

The international community was taken aback with last week's bloody end to a week of protests outside the prime minister's office and rioting in the streets of Dili, started by soldiers who were sacked by the Timorese government. As reported, the brutal police and army operation to end the unrest left at least 6 people dead (all civilians except for a police officer), 3 injured and more than 60 hospitalised.

Nearly 600 soldiers, more than a third of East Timor's army mainly from the country's west, walked out of their barracks on February 8 claiming they were poorly paid and complained of favored treatment being given to soldiers from the east. The soldiers were later sacked when they refused to return to their barracks. The east is a key center of resistance to the Indonesian occupation of East Timor from the mid-1970s until 1999.

Reacting to the incident, Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta was quick to downplay the deadly riots when he said the violence "lasted no more than one afternoon". Horta also said that the government has formed a body to address the soldier's grievances and asked the soldiers to turn themselves in and cooperate with a "commission of investigation" that will study their complaints.

The probe body will include officials from the ministries of health and labour, the administrator of Dili district, the Dili district police chief and representatives of the Catholic Church, non-government organisations and the judiciary.

Even at the outset, it can be seen that the deadly clash between the protesters and the police with the help of the military was the product of months of steadily rising tensions. The riots could have been averted if the venue for a dialogue was established where the complaints were being properly heard and addressed accordingly.

Therefore, IID as a pioneer of the solidarity movement for Timor in the southeast Asia region, cannot just turn its back on the East Timorese at this trying time of their collective life as a young nation.

In solidarity with the East Timorese, IID expresses its support for the government's decision to conduct an investigation that will probe the root causes of the soldiers' grievances. We welcome the membership of the Timorese church, civil society organizations and the judiciary in the probe body and hope that their participation will provide balance and prevent a whitewash of alleged wrongdoings by law enforcers.

We also call for the government to determine if the police acted with the requisite maximum tolerance and restraint in dealing with the protesters, which could prevented the unnecessary deaths and damage to properties. Civilian wrongdoers, however, must also be punished accordingly.

Towards this end, we are calling for the active participation of the civil society organizations in the conduct of the probe. Their perspectives will be crucial in forming a complete account of the violent events. We also renew our call for vigilance among international solidarity members for Timor Leste, as the East Timorese tread the most trying and difficult paths of their journey as a young independent nation.

Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
Davao City, Philippines

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