Word: referendums
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Hints of the fury that struck East Timor had been apparent since January. When Habibie unexpectedly offered locals a referendum on independence, militia groups who wanted continued ties with Jakarta began to organize and acquire guns. Even before the vote, independence campaigners were intimidated and dozens killed. Although the militias were clearly supported by elements of the Indonesian armed forces, the international community in May agreed to entrust security during the referendum period to Indonesia. It was a fatal misjudgment, as the bloodbath showed. Why the killing? There were all kinds of theories. Perhaps the military, angered at having...
...this diplomatic embarrassment that President Habibie proposed the referendum, ignoring the warnings of powerful military leaders, including armed forces chief General Wiranto. Habibie should have listened. Within hours of the Sept. 4 announcement that nearly 80% of the electorate had voted for independence, Dili and other towns echoed with gunfire as militiamen took over the streets, unchecked by the military. Civilians began pouring into churches, convents and U.N. compounds seeking safety (see accompanying story). "If there is a devil, these militia guys work for him," said a photographer evacuated from Dili after the referendum...
...blush. "Social Democratic supporters have been shocked by Schroeder?s plans, because they?re so unlike the party?s traditional policies," says Sautter. And while Clinton?s policies were put before the voters at two-year intervals, an ongoing series of state and regional elections has provided an ongoing referendum on Schroeder?s. "This series of elections in quick succession is creating a snowballing rejection of Schroeder?s policies," says Sautter. And sooner than get voted out themselves, that may tempt the Social Democrats to ditch Schroeder and his policies...
Yesterday Indonesian President B.J. Habibie said he would allow United Nations peacekeeping forces to enter East Timor, the Indonesian province that has been engulfed in chaos since voting overwhelmingly for independence in an Aug. 30 referendum. Habibie's announcement, in a nationally televised address, is a crucial step toward peace in East Timor and a welcome reversal of Indonesia's previous opposition to foreign intervention. What is most important now is that the UN and the international community quickly take Habibie up on his offer...
...years since. But thus far in the current crisis, the Clinton administration has done a good job prodding Indonesia along the road to peace in East Timor. Pressure from the U.S., Indonesia's second-largest trading partner after Japan, helped convince Habibie to agree to a referendum in the first place and to permit peacekeepers. It may again prove invaluable as the specifics of the UN mission are worked...