Last week brought shocking news of concentration camps in East Timor, administered by the Indonesian military and paramilitary groups. Two Australian newspapers, The Age (of Melbourne) and the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Catholic aid workers in Dili, the capital of East Timor, have film footage of a camp on the outskirts of Liquica, 40 kilometers west of Dili, where Indonesian officials are holding over 10,000 Timorese refugees in squalid conditions under tarpaulins, in open sheds, and in misappropriated Red Cross tents. The refugees have no access to sanitation or cooking facilities and very little water or food. Many of the refugees appear to be in need of medical treatment; however, no Red Cross officials or any other foreign aid workers are being allowed to visit the Liquica camp and a similar, smaller camp at Hatolia, 45 kilometers southwest of Dili. From the film footage, it appears that Indonesian troops are separating the men from women, and forcing the refugees to sing the Indonesian national anthem each day, salute the Indonesian flag, and wear red and white, the flag's colors. A small group of foreigners was able to reach the camp last week and reported that most refugees were too terrified to speak with them; Indonesian intelligence agents who escorted the foreigners inside the camp reported that East Timor's top military officers were furious upon learning that some foreigners had been allowed to briefly tour the Liquica camp. A photographer for the Sydney Morning Herald was turned away at gunpoint from the Hatolia camp on May 6. Most of the refugees inside the camps are believed to be people who have fled villages to escape from violent, rampaging pro-Indonesia militias. Those same militia members have bragged that they are receiving arms and training from KOPASSUS, the notorious Indonesian "intelligence" unit. Indonesia's ambassador-at-large in East Timor also has ties to groups supporting the paramilitary squads.--Maria Tomchick. From: "Revealed: Thousands of villagers undergoing pro-Jakarta indoctrination/Timorese sent to camps," The Age (Melbourne), 5/7/99; and "Corralled East Timorese told: pledge loyalty to Jakarta," Sydney Morning Herald, 5/7/99; and "Hundreds of refugees flee renewed violence in East Timor," AFP, 5/7/99.

Last Wed., May 5, the foreign ministers of Portugal and Indonesia signed peace accords for East Timor. The accords provide for a special election on independence for East Timor on August 8; voter registration is to begin on June 13. Under the accords, 600 civilian monitors and an unspecified number of police advisers will be sent to Timor; however, no peacekeeping troops will be stationed there. The Indonesian military will have the sole responsibility for ensuring the safety and security of the voters and the polling stations. With recent paramilitary violence that has left hundreds dead and thousands displaced from their homes, it's unclear how voter registration will occur and whether the elections will be able to go forward in areas outside of Timor's main cities. Even inside the capital of Dili, paramilitary troops openly patrol the streets without interference by the Indonesian military, which has done nothing to check the paramilitary violence. Regarding the accords, independence activist Jose Ramos-Horta said: "Asking the Indonesian army ... to guarantee the security of the people ... is the same as asking Milosevic to guarantee the security of the people of Kosovo." In the meantime, East Timorese students have held daily demonstrations at the University of East Timor since Wednesday, the date the accords were signed. Among their demands is a call for an end to the paramilitary violence.--M.T. From: "U.N. Council Endorses Plan For East Timor Vote," by Anthony Goodman, Reuters, 5/7/99 and "Hundreds Rally For East Timor Independence," by Beawiharta, Reuters, 5/7/99.

On May 3, the U.S. government unconditionally released the assets of Saudi businessman Salah Idris, the owner of the Sudanese pharmaceutical plant destroyed by 13 U.S. cruise missiles last August. This is being viewed as an admission that the U.S. government was wrong about the plant being used for chemical weapons production. No credible evidence has ever been provided that chemical weapons agents were produced there or that Salah Idris has ties with Osama Bin Laden, as the U.S. government claimed. Mr. Idris is still pursuing plans to sue the U.S. government for full compensation for destroying his factory. Before the bombing, the El Shifa factory provided pharmaceuticals for the Sudanese people, had a contract to sell veterinary medicines to Iraq under the U.N.-sponsored Oil For Food program, and provided over half of Sudan's export income.--M.T. From: "U.S. backs down on Sudan factory," BBC, 5/4/99. See also: "The Sudan Deception," ETS!, 9/2/98.

Venezuela's new President Hugo Chavez signed a law on April 27 that will give him wide-ranging powers to bypass the Venezuelan Congress in setting economic policy and enacting new laws. The "Enabling Law" will allow Pres. Chavez to enact legislation on tax reforms, debt issues, changes in the state bureaucracy, and a wide variety of other issues without congressional approval. In the same week, Venezuelan voters approved Chavez's proposal to set up a Constitutional Assembly with powers to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution and to dissolve both Congress and the Supreme Court. Notably, U.S. newspapers reported that the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of Chavez's proposal; however, over 60% of registered voters stayed away from the polls. Chavez, who has served time in a Venezuelan prison for leading a coup attempt, was recently elected to office after campaigning in his trademark military beret, quoting the Bible, and claiming that he would "reform" the corrupt government. Chavez is known to be a good friend of Norberto Ceresole, an Argentine writer who espouses rule by military junta and the exclusion of political parties.--M.T. From: "Venezuela's Chavez Assumes Wider Economic Powers," Reuters, 4/27/99 and "Chavez's goals for Venezuela may yet derail," by Steven Gutkin, AP, reprinted in the Seattle P-I, 4/27/99, A2.