Indonesian brutality against humani

[nyeinchan@xxxxxxxx]

The Nation (24 November 1997)
 Opinion 

Letters to the Editor 

Indonesian brutality against humanity 
The article and photos (allegedly Indonesian soldiers) that you carried
on Nov 21 about human rights violations against women on East Timor were
one more reminder of how far some people ­ I use this term loosely ­ can
sink. 

Violent violations against any person are violations against all humans. 

But it seems that in man's (very rarely in history has woman been
portrayed as the aggressor) quest for domination, he destroys that which
he cannot control, understand or simply does not like. For examples look
to Rwanda, Burundi, the US from the beginning, the Taleban, Britain's
colonial craze, the list goes on. 

What the Indonesian government and many of the people fail to understand
is that the people of East Timor do not want to be a part of Indonesia.
The Timorese had enough of colonisation under Portugal, why would they
want to be colonised by Indonesia? 

The East Timorese have one simple goal: freedom. The freedom to practice
a religion besides Islam and not be harassed. The freedom to speak a
language that is not Indonesian. The freedom to rule their lives in
accordance with laws that do not restrict the way they think. The freedom
to live without fear. 

For any person or government to violently strip away another's
inalienable rights is more than just morally wrong. It reveals a lack of
humanity. 


Hermana Kaye 

KRABI