SINCE THE beginning of September East Timor has been shaken by a widespread uprising led by thousands of youth. The uprising originated in Viquaque, about 65 miles from Dili, the capital of East Timor.
The targets of the youths are mainly the cultural and religious expressions of the indonesian occunation of Eas Timor: mussallas (small is. lamic prayer centr-s), stalls owned by Indonesian transmigrants, and other symbols of the Indonesian transmigration programme which has the purposes of swamping the inIndonesian settlers.
The rioting then spread to numerous towns and villages in East Timor, reaching the capital Dili on 9 September when hundreds of youth. mostly secondary school stulook to the vreets.
The uprising occurred after reports spread of an Indonesian official insulting the Catholic faith in the Maliana prison. 45 miles south of Dili. on 4 September. Inmates said that they heard a Sanusi Abubakar, a ministry olicial. describe the Catholic faith as a "nonsense religion". When word of this spread outside of and regious ouncines the prison, through a leaflet written by the prisoners, riots Ruchiatna stated that erupeed across East Timor.
Early on the 9 of September youths burned down the Komoror market in Dili where Muslim transmigrants dominate the trade.
In an attempt to calm the morese situation the occupying indonestan military said oo saut day that the Indonesian official had been arrested on cations technology" charges of insulting other people's religion.
This charge, is, of course, a double edged sword as many of the targets of the East Ti- the resistance movement morese youth were mosques which the military continually claim only has several hunOminously General Adang dred members. The use of the secret and radio communi state is based on law. Those cations is also a result of the who are guilty will be prose- increased capacity and cohecuted" According to Adang. the violence was "incited" by tance movement. about 3.000 clandestine activ- response of the military has ists in favour of Bast Tiindependence ring leaders of the resistance. operating across East Timor. As of 18 "They have made best use of sources inside East Timor desophisticated telecommuni. scribed the security situation inside East Timor as very That the General was pre- fragile and tense. pared to accept that over It is indicative of a national 3,000 were well organised is liberation struggle that has an important concession to reached a very high pitch in the minds of the oppressed peopie that, what wour scem to an outsider to be such a small incident, would spark such a widespread uprising. A combination of religion and national independence have become the mobilising The ideology of the revolution. The resistance is still on an arrest the so-called upward curve which is likely to reach its zenith between September year which see the fourth anniversary of the Dili Massacre on November 12. and the twentieth anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of Fast Timor in 1975. clude Andy Kilmister, Alain Krivine, Jeanette Habel. Tickets £7 (£3.50 NUS/UB40) from Ernest Mandel Memorial Fund, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU NATIONAL day of action against immigration detention centres organised by National Network against Detentions and Deportations Mon 15 RACE, Class And Black Struggle 5.30pm - 9.30pm ULU. Malet St. Tickets £5/E1. Tel 0171 837 0041. COMEDY night for London Hospital campaigns 7.30pm Wimbledon Theatre SW9: Jo Smith tel 0181 540 0362 Frl 20 FREE Satpal Ram national demonstration 10am Court