(11 Sep 1999) English/Nat
Appalled by the chaos in East Timor, the Security Council on Saturday condemned Indonesia for allowing a U-N-organised vote on independence to deteriorate into an orgy of violence.
The move came as Indonesian military commander General Wiranto, rumoured by many to be the power behind the throne in Jakarta, took a U-N Security Council delegation on a tour of East Timorese devastation.
In a statement made after the tour, Wiranto appeared to back down on an earlier pledge to allow U-N peacekeepers into East Timor, suggesting instead that an arrangement be reached based on "security cooperation" with the Indonesian army.
As U-N Security Council members prepared to tour the wrecked streets of Dili on Saturday morning, world anger on both sides of the crisis was reaching a peak.
Pro-Indonesian demonstrators disgusted at the imminent loss of East Timor marched on the Australian and American embassies in Jakarta.
In Australia, pro-independence supporters stormed the offices of Prime Minister John Howard.
Foreign leaders worldwide have criticised the Indonesian government for its failure to halt the savage slaughter sweeping East Timor since the August 30 referendum showed that four-fifths of the half-island territory's 800-thousand people favoured independence.
Military commander General Wiranto, rumoured by many to be the power behind the throne in Jakarta, accompanied the U-N Security Council delegation on its tour.
Thousands of troops provided tight security and, for the first time in more than a week of violence, hardly any shots echoed across the wrecked provincial capital of Dili.
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"They seem reasonably cheerful and seem in reasonably good health. The medical tent here is not full, there are one or two people with cuts to the face and that sort of thing. It is one side of the picture and it is the best side of the picture, they are not going to show us the worst side of the picture, today we don't have time to wonder around Dili. It never-the-less gives you an indication of a society in total disruption."
SUPER CAPTION: Sir Jeremy Greenstock, UK ambassador to the UN
The Security Council delegation found entire neighbourhoods burned to the ground and no pro-independence supporters appeared to be left.
In other spots, houses and shops appeared to have been destroyed in a more selective manner with untouched buildings often flying the red-and-white Indonesian flag.
Numerous soldiers patrolled the streets, and some militiamen roamed about with automatic weapons.
At the U-N compound, now managed by a skeleton staff looking after hundreds of terrified refugees sheltering there, the delegation saw the extent of the threat posed to U-N personnel in the last few bloody days.
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"This is a UN vehicle and it now has an Indonesian flag which is a sign that the militia have been at it.Trashed as you see, full of boxes of computers and other equipment which they have taken. "
SUPER CAPTION: Sir Jeremy Greenstock, UK ambassador to the UN
After seeing whole streets reduced to ashes, General Wiranto seemed to cave in to criticism that his troops had done little to stop the mayhem or had even joined in.
He announced that he'd recommend the possible deployment of U-N peacekeepers.
An encouraged U-N Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the Indonesian position appeared to be shifting and he would speak on Sunday with Indonesian President B-J Habibie to clarify Jakarta's position.
But, just hours later, Wiranto's concession was not so clear.
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