A CEREMONY to mark the 20th anniversary of East Timor's "integration" into Indonesia was boycotted yesterday by the influential and vocal Catholic Archbishop of Dili, Dr Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo.
The former Portuguese colony was said by witnesses to be peaceful though graffiti saying "Integration is not freedom" and "We want the right for a referendum" was reported.
Governor Abilio Soares led the ceremony, attended by more than 1,000 soldiers, civil servants, village chiefs and school students.
Indonesian officials have denied requests by foreign journalists to visit East Timor to cover the ceremonies marking the signing of a law by President Suharto declaring East Timor the country's 27th province on July 20th, 1976. Indonesia invaded the territory the year before.
The anniversary coincides with a 10 day series of ASEAN meetings in Indonesia, which the Tanaiste will join next week as leader of the EU troika of foreign ministers.
The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Ali Alatas, with whom Mr Spring clashed publicly last year over East Timor, yesterday urged Portugal on settle the issue. "To settle through dialogue needs the co-operation and political will of Portugal. As long as there is no political goodwill, it is difficult to expect improvement," he said. The UN still views Lisbon as East Timor's administrator.
Pro-independence activists have used international events to highlight human rights abuses in East Timor, where Jakarta maintains a strong military presence. Since September 76 Timorese have gained asylum in Portugal.
Jakarta based its move on a 1975 document signed by several Fast Timorese tribal chiefs calling for the territory to be joined to Indonesia. About 200,000 Timorese have been killed by troops since the invasion, according to Amnesty International. A National Human Rights Commission member, Mr Clementino Dos Reis Amaral, said there were still "a lot" of human rights violations and illegal arrests.
In a related event in Australia, an actor playing President Suharto was "kicked" and spattered with fake blood during a protest in Darwin, where many Timorese exiles live, reports said. Outside the Indonesian consulate in Sydney, about 20 protesters waved placards calling for Indonesia's withdrawal, while in Manila about protesters held a demonstration at the Indonesian embassy.
. Mr Tom Hyland of the East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign described Mr Alatas's statement as "nonsense". It was Indonesia that had refused to budge over the last 20 years or to show any goodwill, he said.