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Withdraw from East Timor
[The following are statements released by SPRIM and PRD on December 7, shortly after the embassy occupations began.]
The reality in East Timor is not what the Suharto Regime tries to promote -- that the integration of East Timor into Indonesia was the result of a process of self-determination by the people of East Timor. This propaganda is a lie. The reality is that to this day the Suharto Regime has carried out military intervention against the people of East Timor in pursuit of its own aim: the integration of East Timor into Indonesia. This has meant 20 years of brutal oppression, which has been rejected by the East Timorese people themselves.
The reality is that the United Nations has passed a resolution rejecting all of the Suharto regime's actions, and has organised negotiations between the governments of Indonesia and Portugal, in which the UN acknowledged Portugal as the sovereign power in East Timor. The Suharto regime however, has never shown any genuine conviction and has never been serious about resolving the East Timor problem. Aside from this, other countries have "adapted" themselves to the issue of East Timor (such as the UN which has not consistent).
The terrible conditions experienced by the people of East Timor, caused by the Suharto regime, are not very different from the conditions faced by the people of Indonesia. For example, there is no freedom to organise, or to express opinions either verbally or in writing. This indicates that there is no people's sovereignty in Indonesia. The Suharto regime enforces a packet of five repressive political laws which are extremely undemocratic in nature.
In view of the conditions mentioned above, today, we, from the organisation PRD (People's Democratic Union) supported by the national trade union PPBI (Centre for Labour Struggle), SMID (Student Solidarity for Indonesian Democracy), STN (National Peasants' Union), Jaker (People's Art Network) and SPRIM (Indonesian People's Solidarity Struggle with the Maubere People) jointly with East Timorese are currently occupying the Dutch and Russian Embassies.
SPRIM's program includes the following demands:
withdrawal of all Indonesian military and police from East Timor a referendum on independence in East Timor repeal of the five repressive political laws of 1985.
The suffering which has been experienced by the whole of the East Timorese people at the hands of the cruel Suharto regime, has also been experienced by the people of Indonesia. The tools used by the regime to continue this situation include the five laws on political affairs, laws which give no place for active control of government by the people.
Because of all this, on this day, December 7 1995, we from the political organisation PRD alongside East Timorese people, are holding demonstrations in the embassies of the Netherlands and Russia. Also participating in these demonstrations are activists from PPBI, SMID, SPRIM, STN and Jaker. The aims of these demonstrations are to condemn the Suharto regime for its military invasion of East Timor and to request the embassies of the two countries to support the struggle of the East Timorese people for self determination through a referendum held under international supervision. In addition, we also demand that the New Order regime repeals the five laws on political affairs. Jakarta, December 7, 1995.