By Mark Dodd
June 15, 1999
Dili - Indonesian authorities in East Timor plan to use more than $7 million in aid money earmarked for the poor to fund pro-autonomy propaganda and militia groups, according to documents obtained by the Herald. The documents, signed this month by the East Timor Governor, Mr Abilio Soares, authorise the district head in Ambeno, for example, to spend much of his 3 billion rupiah ($200,000) allocation from President Habibie's Social Safety Net program in support of the autonomy cause.
Diplomats and analysts say that the documents, if authenticated, could indicate a misuse of international aid from countries such as Australia which have given substantial amounts to help ease Indonesia's financial crisis. Australia has given Indonesia more than $45 million in humanitarian assistance to help cope with the Asian economic crisis. Asked yesterday if government funds could be used to promote autonomy, the United Nations spokesman in Dili, Mr David Wimhurst, said: "It is totally prohibited." He also criticised the continuing role of East Timorese government officials in pro-autonomy rallies across the province, saying campaigning for the referendum was not scheduled to begin until July 20. Government officials are banned from taking part in political rallies in support of either the pro-autonomy or pro-independence cases, he added.
For Ambeno, the document recommends that 20 per cent of the 1999-2000 allocation from the Social Safety Net program be given to "sosialisasi" - the term widely used in government circles here for propaganda for the autonomy option. A further 5 per cent is earmarked for the Pamswarakasa, or village-level civil defence, a controversial security force comprising members of staunch pro-Jakarta militias involved in recent widespread political violence. The United Nations Assistance Mission to East Timor (UNAMET) has questioned the legality of the Pamswarakasa but is yet to make a formal response to the Indonesian authorities. A second document dated May 21, 1999, earmarks a similar percentage of money for the eastern district of Los Palos.
The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, will assess within days whether security conditions in East Timor will allow the vital first phase of the East Timor plebiscite - voter registration. Several senior UN officials say privately that they would not be surprised if the referendum date is pushed back because of continuing security problems. The UN's Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Mr Keiran Prendergast, said in a report to the Security Council on Thursday: "Reports carried back by UN personnel who have now visited every region of East Timor indicate a climate of violence, fear and intimidation pervades much of daily life in many areas outside Dili. In many areas, the pro-integration militias which have been the primary source of recent violence continue to operate with impunity and with the apparent aim of ensuring that the populace in their areas vote for autonomy."
Experts who have seen the documents say the Safety Social Net cash will be used to fund political activities across the 13 East Timorese districts - in all, worth more than $7million. Two documents addressed to the "Bupati" or mayors of Ambeno and Los Palos are written as replies to earlier spending proposals.
