Timor terror
Sir: In East Timor today depleted national- ist forces continue to fight a guerrilla war against the Indonesian army. Portugal, Britain's Nato ally, continues to claim sovereignty over the province. The UN Secretary-General continues his efforts to mediate in the matter, unsupported by any major Western power. The Indonesian army continues to rape and kill women (as reported by Amnesty International) and to torture, maim and wantonly murder help- less Timorese villagers. The Indonesian government has imposed a foreign lan- guage on the Timorese, has forced them at gunpoint to resettle in militarily controlled camps where many have died of hunger, has excluded them from all commerce in their own country, and is encouraging an influx of non-Timorese settlers from other parts of Indonesia.
The rest of the world continues to ignore these injustices. Can nothing be done to stop the destruction of East Timor?
James Irving
53 Patterson Street, Middle Park, Victoria, Australia
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