Good News - Suharto has left hospital.
Bad News - Suharto is still alive.
Now please don't think that I wish the man ill, but while he is still alive his family and cronies remain under his protection and are acting seemingly with immunity, impunity and without reproach.
As an example, let's consider the events in East Timor as was and Timor Leste as is. The country is now under emergency rule following rioting which has left about 20 dead in what appears to be gang warfare..
The initial cause seems to have been a strike in February by 400 troops over pay and conditions, followed by the dismissal in March of 600 of the 1,400-man army. The sacked troops took to the hills and then in April began rioting which left five people dead. Last month, with an escalation of the violence, an appeal by the government for help was answered by Australia whose troops have restored a semblance of order.
There are grounds for thinking that there are ethnic issues behind the grievances of the troops which had been formed from former militia groups and independence fighters. Others, notably the
Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, suggest a political
coup d'état because he isn't able to work with President Xanana Gusmao.
But, let's go back to the beginning and question who might really be best served by this fledgling country's current woes.
Consider that
Timor Leste has oil. The rights to exploit the oil were initially carved up by Suharto and Australia. Now there are ongoing efforts to provide Timor Leste with a more equitable share of its wealth.
Consider too that
the looters have stolen
between 12% and 15% of the criminal archive including (or especially?)
files related to Indonesia's bloody withdrawal from East Timor, after (the)
1999 referendum and, in particular, to Gen. Wiranto, Suharto's last army chief.
It would be easy to draw sinister conclusions from the above, but I am merely posing questions. I don't have the resources to explore the issues further but ....
....
maybe Yosef Ardi has?
|