Parliament, Wellington
The Indonesian occupation of East Timor (Timor-Leste) lasted from 1975 until 1999, during which time the Timorese people were the victims of mass torture and violence at the hands of their occupiers. In August 1999, a UN-sponsored referendum was held and returned overwhelmingly in favour of East Timorese independence from Indonesia. New Zealand sent troops to the region as part of the International Force East Timor (INTERFET), an Australian-led multinational peace-keeping task force which operated in accordance with UN resolutions in East Timor from 1999 until the arrival of UN peace-keepers in 2000. At the time, it was New Zealand’s largest overseas military deployment since the Korean War. East Timor officially became an independent nation in 2002.
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The New Zealand Labour Party strongly supports New Zealand making a contribution to the peace-keeping force in East Timor. Our first thoughts today are for the men and women who will be representing New Zealand in East Timor and for their families. Everyone is well aware that our commitment of troops to East Timor involves real risks to those whom we are sending. No country ever takes lightly the decision to commit its men and women—and mainly young men and young women—to any kind of military activity overseas. In this case, however, our responsibility as New Zealanders is clear. It is to act to uphold the result of the ballot for independence in East Timor and to enable that small country to establish its independence. Clearly, that could not be achieved without the presence now of an international peace-keeping force.
I believe that most New Zealanders understand very well the background to the recent traumatic events in East Timor. East Timor was illegally annexed by Indonesia in 1975. An estimated one-third of its population was killed or starved to death in the next four years. East Timor was subjected to heavy military oppression by Indonesia, yet over those long, terrible 24 years, the desire of the people there for independence never died. Standing alongside the people of East Timor have been many people and organisations of conscience.
In that respect, today I pay a special tribute to the Catholic Church and its agencies, and to the outstanding figure of Bishop Carlos Belo, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, alongside Jose Ramos Horta. Without their constant faith, the attention of the world may well have been diverted permanently away from the cause of East Timor.
East Timor’s chance for independence came with the crumbling of the old order in Indonesia, as we have seen over the past year on our television screens. We know that Indonesia itself is in a process of political transition. That process is far from stable and settled. Elections have been held and it is expected that a new president will in due course be elected. All eyes are on Indonesia now to assess whether the new civilian administration will be able to exert more control over its military than the present one of Mr Habibie seems capable of.
It is true that the interim President, Mr Habibie, has enabled an election on the future of East Timor to be held in the territory. However, it has been tragic that the Indonesian government, having given its word to the United Nations that it would maintain law and order both before and after the ballot, proved either unable or unwilling to do that. Historians will debate at length whether the United Nations was even wise to accept Indonesia’s assurances of maintaining order in East Timor, given that lines of civilian authority in Indonesia are so weak, given that Indonesia’s military itself does not appear to have strong command and control systems, and given that that military has been highly resistant over the 24 years of occupation to allowing East Timor to embark on the route to independence.
In the run-up to the East Timor ballot there were indeed many signs that Indonesia would not be able to maintain law and order in the event of a vote for independence. I know that our colleagues from this parliament were well aware of that during the two weeks they spent in the territory. Notwithstanding those concerns, and a great deal of intimidation against the East Timorese, they went out in very great numbers, they voted decisively, and they showed enormous courage in even coming forward to vote in the circumstances.
The reaction since from the militia and from the Indonesian military itself has been quite simply monstrous. They have destroyed East Timor’s infrastructure. Many people have been killed. And I would estimate that probably in excess of 200,000 people have been displaced. International pressure on Indonesia became overwhelming, and by last weekend that country agreed that the United Nations should indeed intervene.
The Security Council has acted speedily in resolving to support the rapid entry of a multinational force, in which we participate with pride, and to follow that through with a formal United Nations peace-keeping force. In readily agreeing to be part of that force we, as New Zealanders, demonstrate again our willingness to back the United Nations, our commitment to regional peace and security, and our commitment to see the ballot for independence in East Timor upheld.
The first task of the international force will be to establish a foothold and then to move progressively to extend its authority throughout the territory. Alongside that will be the efforts of the aid agencies to provide food and other badly needed humanitarian relief. The task ahead of the military in the United Nations—sanctioned force, the civilian aid agencies and friendly governments—is huge because this new small nation inherits the scorched earth left behind by the departing Indonesian occupiers.
There is a new civilian administration to be built from the ground up. There are massive needs for new housing and infrastructure. There are a couple of hundred thousand displaced people who need to be able to come home to safe conditions. And there will be many traumatised men, women and children who have seen acts of savagery committed against their families and their neighbours. It is going to be tough. It is going to be very tough indeed.
It is not yet clear whether Indonesia will continue to obstruct the movement to the independence of East Timor. I must say that reports from West Timor, where there are already well in excess of 100,000 refugees, are not encouraging. Oxfam today has called for diplomatic pressure to be placed on Jakarta, to enable relief agencies and human rights monitors to have access to the West Timor refugee camps. It is essential that those camps are demilitarised and that the safe return of refugees to East Timor is facilitated.
In the next few days as the New Zealand troops enter East Timor we know that they may well face resistance from the militia and from dissident units of the Indonesian army. I am confident that we are sending world-class professional soldiers who will acquit themselves well, whatever the challenge they meet.
There remains the medium- and longer-term issue of New Zealand’s relationship with Indonesia. Both New Zealand and Australia have worked very hard on that relationship for decades. That did not stop Indonesia yesterday unilaterally abrogating its security agreement with Australia, and that is a matter of deep regret. The most optimistic view is that a new Indonesia will emerge from the transition to democracy and that in time better and more durable relations with New Zealand and Australia will follow. The more pessimistic view is that Indonesia may be in turmoil for some time, and that its evolution to more democratic government may be impeded by secessionist forces in other parts of the country.
I believe New Zealand has every interest in seeing Indonesia complete its transition to democracy, and in rebuilding its economy and society from the very harsh blow dealt to it by the Asian financial crisis. I trust that the strong message from this parliament today will be New Zealand’s desire to be a good neighbour, to both a new Indonesia and to the new nation of East Timor. There is a long road ahead of both countries, one vast, the other very small. New Zealand stands ready to help as best it can in the interests of peace and stability in the region.
To the New Zealand servicemen and servicewomen who, in the next few days, will leave for East Timor, I say to them that parliament supports their mission and we have every confidence in their ability to acquit themselves very well on our behalf.