The strength of East Timorese support for Bishop Belo against his Indonesian attackers was clearly manifested between November 12 and 15 during several days of peaceful demonstrations in Dili. The demonstrations were provoked by an anti-Belo demonstration orchestrated by the Suharto dictatorship in Jakarta.
Suharto's military were angered by an article in the German magazine Der Speigel which quoted Belo as saying that the army treated Timorese like "dogs". A military spokesperson called for the Indonesian parliament to summon Belo and question him about his "involvement in politics". Jakarta's foreign minister, Ali Alatas, also warned Belo not to interfere in politics.
Public support for Belo thus became a way of expressing agreement with Belo's support for East Timor's right to self-determination. Following pro-Belo demonstrations during the week, an even bigger crowd turned up at Dili airport to welcome Bishop Belo back to Dili from meetings in Jakarta.
Reuters quoted leading NGO activist Florentino Sarmento as estimating that 60,000 people gathered at the airport. Other wire agencies estimated up to 200,000 — a third of the East Timorese population. The outspoken alternative news bulletin in Jakarta, SiaR, reported that the crowd carried placards reading "Belo is our father", "Nobody has the right to expel Belo from this land", "Long live Bishop Belo!'
The size of the crowd supporting Belo in Dili dwarfed that organised by the pro-dictatorship Golkar and Pancasila Youth hacks in Jakarta. The turnout in Dili reinforced Belo's status as a popular leader, including among the Indonesian public.
An important feature of all the demonstrations has been the non-interference of the police and military. This seems to be partly a gain following the upsurge of anti-dictatorship activity in June and July by Indonesian pro-democracy forces. The damage and deaths during the July 27 riots, the strengthening of the prestige of Megawati Sukarnoputri, the heightened profile of the radical People's Democratic Party (PRD) and a report critical of the military by the National Human Rights Commission were all factors damaging the political standing of the dictatorship.
Large rallies since then have not been harassed, and Suharto has been forced to order that demonstrations be handled only by the police. While this instruction will not necessarily hold for long, it is a reflection of the increasing pressure the dictatorship is feeling from democratic forces in Indonesia and East Timor.
SiaR magazine in Jakarta also quoted sources linked to serving officers in Dili as saying that the non-interference by the military was motivated by local military officers' anger at Jakarta's moves against Belo, whom local officers see as a moderating influence. Spokespersons for the National Human Rights Commission have also questioned the appropriateness of the government's campaign against Belo.
Meanwhile in the Attorney General's Department detention centre in Jakarta, jailed PRD leaders Budiman Sujatmiko and Wilson began a hunger strike on November 12 in solidarity with the East Timorese struggle.
The undergorund Central Leadership Council (KPP) of the PRD released a letter by Budiman Sujatmiko smuggled out from prison. Budiman and Wilson led the joint East Timorese-Indonesian embassy sit-in protests on the December 7 anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor last year. Budiman led the group in the Russian embassy and Wilson the group in the Dutch embassy. Budiman's letter read:
"Five years after the Santa Cruz tragedy, the New Order government has not changed its conservative stance on East Timor. As a member of the United Nations, the Indonesian government refuses to carry out the general stance on human rights namely that 'Human rights need to be protected by law', so that people need not choose rebellion as a way of opposing oppression and occupation.
"There have been many 'international voices' showing sensitivity on East Timor and now democratic fighters in Indonesia, such as the People's Democratic Party, with all its mass organisations, has also raised the East Timorese people's demand for freedom through a referendum. One consequence of this is that in the charges against us, the PRD is accused of 'destroying the unity of the nation'. While in fact we are only trying to implement our constitution which opens with the statement: 'Freedom is the right of all nations'.
"The struggle of the people of East Timor for freedom and of the Indonesian people for democracy is a part of history that cannot be turned back. Sooner or later 'the New Order rulers' who oppress their own people and the people of East Timor will face a dead end. Out struggle is like two separate ships facing the same pirates.
"May peace, justice, democracy and freedom be ours soon. God and the people are with us."