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First anniversary of independence ballot |
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August 31, 2000
DILI, East Timor (AP) - In a day of tears and dancing, prayers and forgiveness, war-weary East Timor marked the first anniversary of the independence ballot that ended 24 years of bloody occupation by Indonesia. East Timorese leaders promised Wednesday to work hard to bring democracy and a peaceful and prosperous future to the tiny Southeast Asian nation. "We must come together to build this country," East Timor's charismatic independence leader Jose "Xanana" Gusmao told a cheering crowd in front of the rambling seafront building that served over the years as the seat of Portugal's colonial rule and Indonesia's occupation government. It now houses the temporary U.N. administration. "We will show to all the people that there is democracy," said Gusmao, who hours earlier was re-elected as head of a coalition of pro-independence groups, making him the likely first president of East Timor when it achieves full independence. Despite the euphoria of the rally, for many it was also a time to remember the sad and bloody past. Indonesia's military invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Some 200,000 lives were lost to disease, famine and military repression before the Aug. 30, 1999 referendum. Four-fifths of East Timorese voted for independence in the U.N.-sponsored vote. The overwhelming result infuriated pro-Indonesian militias, which reacted by murdering hundreds of people and laying waste to much of the territory.
The violence and destruction came to a halt after international peacekeepers arrived in September. The United Nations, which is administering East Timor during its transition to independence, has started to rebuild. Schools have been reopened and houses constructed. A democratic administration is being set up. During a special anniversary mass, Dili's Roman Catholic Bishop Carlos Belo told a teary eyed congregation to pray for "the heroes who died for our liberation." He also called on the East Timorese to put the violence behind them and look to the future. "We must forgive our enemies, the Indonesian generals, the autonomy leaders, those who support integration (with Indonesia) and the militia commanders," said Bello. Later, thousands gathered at Dili's Santa Cruz cemetery, the scene of a 1991 massacre that focused the world's attention on the brutality of Indonesian rule. They placed floral wreaths and pink and white bougainvillea petals around a simple black steel cross at the site. "We are at the resting place of those who gave their lives so that East Timor can be free," said Jose Ramos-Horta, who shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Belo in 1996. "Those who survived have the burden of building a better East Timor, a country that is worth the sacrifice of so many." U.N. Administrator Sergio Vieira De Mello read out a speech from U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. "I salute the courage of every Timorese citizen and the memory of those brave men and women who perished in the struggle for independence," Annan said. Security was tight in Dili as heavily armed peacekeepers stood guard amid fears that militia groups might try to disrupt anniversary celebrations. On Tuesday, U.N. peacekeepers and militiamen exchanged gunfire near the border with Indonesian West Timor. No one was injured. It was the latest in a series of clashes. Two peacekeepers and several militiamen have been killed in recent weeks. In West Timor, some 2,000 militiamen staged a noisy protest to demand that Indonesia's ex-President B.J. Habibie be tried for treason for allowing the Aug. 30 referendum. |
