Inter Press Service: 7 September 1999
EAST TIMOR: TOKYO ASKED TO LEAN ON JAKARTA AS MARTIAL LAW DECLARED
Activists claim Japan, Indonesia's major aid donor, should pressure Jakarta more as martial law is declared in East Timor and jailed guerrilla leader Xanana Gusmao is freed.
By SUVENDRINI KAKUCHI
TOKYO, Sep 7 (IPS) - Traditionally reticent Japan should be using
its clout as Indonesia's top donor to force Jakarta to crack down
on the bloodbath in East Timor, frustrated activists here say.
They say the anarchy in East Timor, where hundreds of deaths
have been reported in the past week and tens of thousands are
fleeing violence, is no occasion for Tokyo to issue the usual
diplomatic niceties.
Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has condemned the violence
in East Timor, and called on all parties to respect the outcome of
the UN-sponsored referendum on Aug 30, where 78.5 percent of
voters chose independence.
But analysts and human rights advocates say they want Japan to
take a leading role in pressuring Indonesia -- a role that in the
Asia-Pacific appears is being played by Australia and New Zealand
so far.
''Japan, even more than the United States, can do much more for
bringing peace to East Timor because of its close economic
relations with Indonesia,'' argued Kiyokazu Yoshioka of the
Pacific Asia Resources Centre, a non-governmental organisation
that monitors Japanese aid in Asia.
''Japan must put aside its economic interests and work much
harder for peace by taking definite steps toward pressurising
Jakarta to observe human rights in East Timor,'' Yoshioka added.
So far, Australia and New Zealand have been the most vocal in
the Asia-Pacific in criticising Indonesia's inability, or
unwillingness, to stop pro-Jakarta militias from terrorising the
East Timorese.
They have expressed support for quick intervention in the form
of peacekeeping troops if needed, and back the use by countries of
foreign aid money and the international bail-out package for
Indonesia as pressure to get Jakarta to act soonest.
Martial law was declared in the territory on Tuesday.
Supporters of East Timor want Tokyo to officially single out
the Indonesian military's role in arming anti-independence
militia, restrict Japan's aid contributions, and force the
government of President Bacharuddin Jusus Habibie to do much more
than give verbal promises.
After China, Indonesia is the second biggest recipient of
Japanese aid. Japan is also the largest investor in Japan, making
up 15 percent of total investments, and has large exposure in
Indonesian banks.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said: ''Our nation
is watching the situation with great interest and as the need
arises, we will urge the Indonesian government to take
responsibility for safety (in East Timor).''
Officials also told the Japanese press that Tokyo is
considering the option of sending civilian police to the United
Nations Mission in East Timor.
Japan is also preparing financial and material assistance as
the need arises, they added. The Asahi newspaper, a leading daily,
reported that Japan is expected to play a major role in the UN
peacekeeping activity in East Timor if a force in dispatched
there.
Professor Kei Nemoto at Tokyo Gaiko university and an expert on
Burma and human rights in Asia, explains that East Timor
represents a complex diplomatic situation for Japan -- which has
maintained close ties with Indonesia during the past decades.
''Extremely close economic links with Indonesia, based on the
nation's huge supply of natural gas, petroleum and other natural
resources that are exported to Japan, make it very difficult for
Japanese politicians to take a stance on the issue,'' he
explained.
Indeed, experts contend Japan is now in a quandary about how it
should react to the volatile situation in East Timor.
''The challenge presented by East Timor is all the more obvious
when you consider how Japan reacted to the Asian financial crisis
by providing huge amounts of aid,'' argued Nemoto. ''But when it
comes to protecting human rights, Japan's leadership is hardly to
be seen.''
On Tuesday, the Japanese chapter of the NGO Free East Timor
presented a statement to the Foreign Ministry asking Habibie to
agree to Japanese peacekeeping forces being sent to East Timor,
and to increase humanitarian aid to beleaguered civilians.
''We also want the Indonesian military and police to completely
move out of East Timor and prosecute the militia, a move that will
pave the way to democracy,'' said a member who asked not to be
named.
Professor Kenichi Goto, an expert on Indonesia at Waseda
University, explains that Tokyo must follow other countries' call
for stopping financial aid to the Habibie government.
Usually silent on countries' political affairs, the
International Monetary Fund indirectly indicated it would withold
future funds if Indonesia does not act to reverse the situation in
East Timor. The Fund is ''closely watching the situation'' in the
territory, an official in Jakarta said Monday.
The IMF led a 43-billion U.S. dollar bail-out programme for
Indonesia, and Japan is the biggest bilateral contributor to the
package.
The World Bank has sent similar signals, saying its member
countries were concerned about East Timor's fate.
So far, Japan, traditionally reluctant to use official
development assistance for overtly political causes, has not yet
indicated a step toward this direction.
But critics point out that Japan is actually not respecting its
own, much-proclaimed aid principles, which promise not to extend
aid to countries with huge military budgets.
Nemoto says the logic is simple: ''The Japanese public want
their tax money to be used to uphold human rights and encourage
prosperity in the world. By refusing to stop aid to Indonesia, the
Japanese government is not respecting the will of its people.''
Experts add that Japan's diplomatic dithering this time
reflects its weakness in maintaining ties with opposition
political leaders and civic movements in other nations.
Said Goto: ''The tendency has always been to rely only on
official governments when it comes to conducting Japan's
diplomacy. This narrow definition is different from countries such
as the United States, which maintains a more mature approach.''
(END/IPS/ap-hd-ip/sk/js/99)