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Fretilin Radio Link Reopened

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Fretilin radio link reopened r On 26 May, 20 journalists, politicians, and East Timor supporters watches as two-way radio contact was made for the first time in six years with Fretilin guerillas deep in the mountains of East Timor from a secret site 100 kilometres outside Darwin. Radio contact was re-established with Fretilin on 6 January 1985 after it had been lost in December 1978. The new radio was smuggled into East Timor in 1984. Dozens of radio contacts had been made since January but public acknowledgement of the link was withheld until 26 May. The transceiver in Darwin is operated by the Australian Coalition for East Timor(ACET). Reopening of radio contact with East Timor, 26 May 1985 During the 40-minute link-up, Mr Mauhunu Karatainu, a member of the Fretilin central committee, played a five-minute tape stating that the radio would be used on an open channel of com recording of an Indonesian aerial attack a few weeks earlier on an munication only, not for clandestine purposes. East Timorese village and sent messages of greetings. He told jour The Minister refused the licence on two grounds.'The licence has nalists Fretilin was ready to answer any questions over the radio and been refused,' he wrote to ACFOA, 'firstly because facilities for appealed to parliamentarians to support East Timor and the link. public communications with East Timor already exist through the Among those present at the link-up were Robert Tickner, Labor Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) and it is not MHR for Hughes, Ken Fry, former Labor MHR for Eraser, and Jean government policy to authorise communication links to bypass OTC McLean, a Victorian MLC and member of the Federal ALP Foreign services. The particular circumstances of the present case do not re Affairs committee. Revival of the link was 'a sharp reminder to the quire a departure from that policy. Secondly, the issue of any licence invaders that the voices struggling for freedom would not be silenced for a fixed link from Australia to Timor would be inconsistent with by brute force and intimidation', said Ken Fry. Later Robert Tickner international practice (under the International Telecommunica told journalists that 'two national conferences of the ALP over tions Union (ITU) convention, Ed.) without the agreement of In several years supported the right of Fretilin to establish a radio link donesia. The Department of Foreign Affairs have advised that In with East Timor from Darwin after the Eraser government twice seiz donesia would not agree.' (29July 1985) ed Fretilin radios in 1976'. Mr Duffy's department has since admitted that an adequate OTC Commenting on the new link, Abilio Araujo, head of the Fretilin link with East Timor does not exist, A departmental officer, Mr external delegation based in Lisbon, said 'it represents a qualitative Ramsay, informed a Senate Committee on 13 September,'the advice leap in our struggle', and 'a victory' over Indonesian attempts 'to of the OTC was that the communications existed and that you could isolate East Timor from the outside world'. get telephone and telex messages through to East Timor(at the time To all appearances the revelation of the new link took both of the Ministerial decision, Ed.). Since that date, for reasons Canberra and Jakarta by surprise. An Indonesian embassy spokes unknown to the department, the Indonesian authorities stopped person said in Canberra, 'I don't think that there has been a link-up telephone calls but not telex messages going into East Timor from since January', but went on to call on the Australian Government to Jakarta'. (Senate Estimates Committee C, Hansard, 15 September stop the contacts. {Australian, 28 May) Speculating on whether 1985) planes were used to smuggle the radio to Timor, General Benny Mur- Ramsay added,'the second reason on which the Minister made the dani, Indonesia's armed forces commander, threatened 'if this was decision still stands'. the method they use to contact Fretilin, then from now on we will feel In fact, it has been virtually impossible in practice since 1975 for free to shoot down any planes, irrespective of who is flying them'. the Australian public and East Timorese with relatives in East Timor {Sydney Morning Herald, 29 May) to phone East Timor. And though Australia and Indonesia are both Australia's Foreign Minister, Bill Hayden, echoed the contradic members of the ITU it is questionable whether Australia has any tory Indonesian statements. He told an ALP meeting in Adelaide he obligation to Indonesia under the convention in relation to East 'doubted that Fretilin was broadcasting from East Timor' but was Timor as such, given that the UN does not recognise Indonesia's reported in the press as having asked his Department to report on the sovereignty, security, diplomatic and legal implications of the link. (Australian, '1 28 May) In this Issue By mid-June, however, official scepticism about the existence of Radio link restored the radio had given way to moves for its closure. Australian Foreign Affairs sources confirmed on 24 June that the Indonesian Govern Australian PM recognises Indonesian sovereignty ment had protested to Australia, both in Jakarta and Canberra, Timor divides CCA Assembly about the link. {Melbourne Sun, 25June) Nairobi Forum '85 ICRC report Licence refused US Congress and MPs express concern On 6 June Brian Manning, on behalf of the ACET, applied to the UN update Minister for Communications, Michael Duffy, for a radio licence The Ausfralian Council For Overseas Aid (ACFOA) is Ihe co-ordinating body tor some 60 Australian non-government agencies working in the field of overseas aid and development. Chairperson: John Birch Executive Director: Russell Rollason. GPO Box 1562. Canberra ACT 2601 Australia. Phone (062) 47 4822, Telex: 61643 HUfi^ANS Editor East Timor Report: Pal Walsh. 124 Napier St. Filzroy 3065 Australia. Phone (03) 419 5588. foreign delegations were invited to visit the territory, as is now the Hawke recognises Timor put on women's case,' she said. Roger Clark, on behalf of the International League agenda UN scene for Human Rights said,'There can be no settlement of the problem Indonesian sovereignty of East Timor without a genuine, internationally supervised act of Australia's Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, in an interview recorded on Thousands of women from all parts of the world were exposed to self-determination. The task of the committee, we submit, is to keep 25 July in Canberra with Indonesian television, said Australia graphic testimony on East Timor by three East Timorese women Fretilin leader welcomes UN this proposition in the forefront of its work on this item." Fretilin's recognised 'the sovereign authority of Indonesia' over East Timor from Australia during an international women's conference in initiative representative at the United Nations, Jose Ramos Horta, said after and went on to describe the East Timorese as 'citizens of Indonesia'. Kenya, 10-19 July. 10 years Indonesia had failed to pacify East Timor politically or This is the first public acknowledgement by a Labor Minister of The conference. Forum '85, was held at the University of Nairobi Fretilin President, Kairala X. Gusmao, has welcomed the efforts of militarily. Western governments which supply Indonesia with Indonesian sovereignty. Reminiscent of Mr Whitlam's concessions to to mark the end of the UN decade for women. Some 15,000 women the UN Secretary-General to achieve a peaceful solution in East military assistance are directly responsible for the tragedy in East Indonesia in 1974, the Hawke statement was made without prior con attended. The fares and expenses of the three East Timorese dele Timor and has declared his availability for consultations. Timor, he said. sultation with either Cabinet or the Labor Party caucus and without gates — Mimi Fereira, Emilia Pires, and Ines de Almeida, were In a message to the Secretary-General, dated 20 July, Gusmao debate in Pariament. However, though the statement went substan largely met by public appeal in Australia with assistance coming also said: 'The Fretilin leadership and the people of East Timor whole African states press tially beyond official ALP policy, the door for such a move had been from Dutch groups and the UN organising secretariat. heartedly welcomed the adoption of General Assembly resolution left open by the failure of the ALP to take an in-principle stand on A workshop on Timor presented by the East Timorese women was 37/30.' He went on, 'The people of East Timor are the party most Secretary-General self-determination at last July's ALP national conference. attended by women from Canada, USA, West Germany, Nether directly concerned. Through the Fretilin leadership based in the 'We recognise the sovereign authority of Indonesia', Mr Hawke lands, France, Argentina, Eritrea, Angola, Vanuatu, Tonga, Por liberated areas of East Timor and its plenipotentiary representatives The Permanent Representatives to the UN of Angola, Cape Verde, told his interviewer.'We welcome the evidence of very substantial at tugal, New Caledonia, West Papua, Torres Strait Islands, South abroad, the people of East Timor claim their legitimate right to be Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and Sao Tome and Principe, met with tempts to put realistic economic aid and social assistance from the Africa, Tanzania, Australia, Palestine, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, consulted about their very future . The Fretilin leadership the Secretary-General of the UN, Javier Perez de Cuellar, in New central government into East Timor. And we share the hope that the and Ireland. declares that it is available for consultations within the framework of York on 8 August. Also present at the meeting was Mr Rafeeuddin levels of the standards of the East Timorese will be lifted, that their The presence of 20 Indonesian women (mainly from the Indone General Assembly Resolution 37/30.Just as much as we welcomed in Ahmed, Under Secretary-General and Special Representative for opportunities for full participation as citizens of Indonesia will be sian National Council of Women Kowant) and two Indonesian in good faith and with open arms an Indonesian military delegation in Humanitarian Affairs in South East Asia.
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