By Jon Land

The Indonesian government has clamped down on the activities of East Timor solidarity and human rights groups in response to international attention to the plight of the people there. The release of John Pilger's film Death Of A Nation and critical studies by respected Indonesian academic George Aditjondro have increased solidarity activity in and outside Indonesia.

A seminar planned for May 4-5, convened by the University of East Timor in Dili, was prohibited by the military command. Titled ``Sustainable Environmental Development'', the seminar was organised by ELSAM, an Indonesian human rights organisation which is part of a coalition of NGOs called the Joint Committee for the Defence of East Timorese. This was to be the first time that Indonesian NGOs held such a seminar in Dili.

The banning follows a number of small protests and actions against the Indonesian occupation in the presence of foreign journalists touring Timor over the last few weeks. The tour was organised to show ``economic progress'' under Indonesian rule. Although under strict control and surveillance, several journalists were approached by members of the resistance movement, who stressed that little had changed since the Dili massacre and that the Timorese people are still determined to win independence.

Another seminar on East Timor held in Jakarta was broken up by the military on April 24. More than 50 students and representatives from human rights groups came to hear George Aditjondro and Timorese student activist Virgillio da Silva Guterres (recently released from prison after serving a sentence for his involvement in demonstrations in Jakarta following the killings in Santa Cruz cemetery).

Aditjondro spoke of the brutal measures and corruption of the Indonesian regime since it had invaded East Timor. He also detailed the misinformation campaign the Indonesian government was carrying out -- claims that Fretilin is a communist front and that the people of East Timor had asked to be integrated with Indonesia in 1975.

Guterres described his experiences in the bush with the resistance movement and the difficulties they are faced with. He also stressed the importance of the growing number of Indonesians opposed to the occupation of East Timor.n

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