Besi Merah Putih
Encyclopedia
Besi Merah Putih meaning 'red and white
iron' in Indonesian
, is the official name of a pro-Indonesia militia
operating in the district of Liquiçá
, and originating in the village of Maubara
.
in East Timor
, and was responsible for the burning of houses, murder
, torture
, rape
, and intimidation
of hundreds of East Timorese citizens during the 1999 pullout from East Timor
by the military of Indonesia
, and in the time leading up to the referendum for independence. The BMP were commanded by Manuel de Sousa, an East Timorese in support of the Indonesian rule over East Timor. During the months leading up to the East Timorese people voting for independence, the BMP held absolute control over the areas surrounding Liquica, as well as the town itself. In March 1999, international observers serving in Liquica, including several American
police officers serving with the International Police
(but at that time as unarmed observers) issued a report that read The Besi Merah Putih surround a Carmelite convent in Maubara
, some 60 km west of Dili
yesterday and remain in place today. The militia threatened "to kill any nun leaving the convent" because they were allegedly working for the resistance. A priest denied the charge, saying the nuns were providing aid to anyone in need "regardless of colour, ideology or religion." http://www.etan.org/et99/april/11-17/11ychart.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/timor/death_squads5.htm
Before committing a murder
, BMP members have confessed that they all would drink a cocktail of alcohol, animal blood and drugs. Former members have also confessed to collecting trophies of those they killed, usually cutting away from the victim either an ear
or a penis
. http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~warcrime/East_Timor_and_Indonesia/Indictments_and_judgments/Indonesia_Kuswani_Judgment.htm The most notable acts of murder involving the BMP was the Liquica Church Massacre
, which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 civilians.
and New Zealand
in mid-1999, BMP members fled into the rain forrests of East Timor, or across the West Timor
border into Indonesian territory. Many were later arrested by the International Police through strained but coordinated efforts with Indonesian authorities. A large number of members were indicted for their part in the Liquica Church Massacre following the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment
exhumations and murder investigations of late 1999 and into 2000.
Many other members attempted to integrate back into their former village homes in East Timor, but were often frightened away by enraged villagers, or at times killed. Several did for a time successfully integrate back into the villages of Buku Mara and Bazartete, given the job of being a servant to the other villagers, chopping and gathering firewood or cleaning. However, many of those who were integrated disappeared, with International authorities being unable to verify their whereabouts when attempting to locate them for questioning. It was suspected that they were killed by the village inhabitants in retaliation to their prior acts of violence against their own people.
Flag of Indonesia
The national flag of Indonesia, which is known as Sang Saka Merah-Putih or Bendera Merah-Putih or simply Merah-Putih in Indonesian, is based on the banner of the 13th century Majapahit Empire in East Java...
iron' in Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, is the official name of a pro-Indonesia militia
Pro-Indonesia militia
Pro-Indonesia militias were East Timorese paramilitary militia groups that formed to show loyalty to the Indonesian government during the movement for East Timorese independence in the late 1990s...
operating in the district of Liquiçá
Liquiçá (district)
Liquiçá is one of the districts of East Timor. Its capital is also called Liquiçá.-Geography:Liquiçá District is situated on the northern coast of East Timor, and borders the districts of Dili to the east, Aileu to the Southeast, Ermera to the south, and Bobonaro to the southwest. To the...
, and originating in the village of Maubara
Maubara
Maubara is a village in East Timor and is a subdistrict of the district of Liquiçá, just west of the city of Liquiçá.During the beginning of the Portuguese occupation, it was taken by the Netherlands. There is a historic Dutch fort, located at the entrance to the village on the seaside overlooking...
.
Acts of Murder, Torture and Intimidation
It was one of the most feared of all the militiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
, and was responsible for the burning of houses, murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and intimidation
Intimidation
Intimidation is intentional behavior "which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities" fear of injury or harm. It's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened.Criminal threatening is the crime of intentionally or...
of hundreds of East Timorese citizens during the 1999 pullout from East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
by the military of Indonesia
Military of Indonesia
The Indonesian National Armed Forces in 2009 comprises approximately 432,129 personnel including the Army , Navy including the Indonesian Marine Corps and the Air Force ....
, and in the time leading up to the referendum for independence. The BMP were commanded by Manuel de Sousa, an East Timorese in support of the Indonesian rule over East Timor. During the months leading up to the East Timorese people voting for independence, the BMP held absolute control over the areas surrounding Liquica, as well as the town itself. In March 1999, international observers serving in Liquica, including several American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
police officers serving with the International Police
International Police
The International Police is the title used for an organization of police officers representing various countries throughout the world, brought together to assist in the training, organization, stabilization of a destabilized region, or creation of indigenous police forces primarily in war-torn...
(but at that time as unarmed observers) issued a report that read The Besi Merah Putih surround a Carmelite convent in Maubara
Maubara
Maubara is a village in East Timor and is a subdistrict of the district of Liquiçá, just west of the city of Liquiçá.During the beginning of the Portuguese occupation, it was taken by the Netherlands. There is a historic Dutch fort, located at the entrance to the village on the seaside overlooking...
, some 60 km west of Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
yesterday and remain in place today. The militia threatened "to kill any nun leaving the convent" because they were allegedly working for the resistance. A priest denied the charge, saying the nuns were providing aid to anyone in need "regardless of colour, ideology or religion." http://www.etan.org/et99/april/11-17/11ychart.htm http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/timor/death_squads5.htm
Before committing a murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, BMP members have confessed that they all would drink a cocktail of alcohol, animal blood and drugs. Former members have also confessed to collecting trophies of those they killed, usually cutting away from the victim either an ear
Ear
The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position. The ear is part of the auditory system....
or a penis
Penis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
. http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~warcrime/East_Timor_and_Indonesia/Indictments_and_judgments/Indonesia_Kuswani_Judgment.htm The most notable acts of murder involving the BMP was the Liquica Church Massacre
Liquiçá Church Massacre
The Liquiçá Church Massacre was an atrocity that occurred in the war torn country of East Timor, in April, 1999. It was the first case to be heard by the Second Special Panel.-Events and Aftermath:...
, which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 civilians.
International intervention
After the intervention of an international military force, led by AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in mid-1999, BMP members fled into the rain forrests of East Timor, or across the West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
border into Indonesian territory. Many were later arrested by the International Police through strained but coordinated efforts with Indonesian authorities. A large number of members were indicted for their part in the Liquica Church Massacre following the UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment
UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment
The UNTAET Crime Scene Detachment was the common title for an elite investigative unit created in the war torn and newly liberated country of East Timor in November 1999, under the direction of the United Nations mission in East Timor, consisting of International Police, Australian Military Police...
exhumations and murder investigations of late 1999 and into 2000.
Many other members attempted to integrate back into their former village homes in East Timor, but were often frightened away by enraged villagers, or at times killed. Several did for a time successfully integrate back into the villages of Buku Mara and Bazartete, given the job of being a servant to the other villagers, chopping and gathering firewood or cleaning. However, many of those who were integrated disappeared, with International authorities being unable to verify their whereabouts when attempting to locate them for questioning. It was suspected that they were killed by the village inhabitants in retaliation to their prior acts of violence against their own people.
External links
- Timor-Leste.gov Official government site]
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Timor-Leste
- Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the United Nations in Geneva
- East Timor and Indonesia on the World-Wide Web (ETAN) link directory
- CIA World Factbook on East Timor
- East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis (La'o Hamutuk)
- Timeline of Timor Sea boundary negotiations (Radio Australia)
- "Death of a Nation - The Timor Conspiracy" documentary produced by John Pilger in 1994.
- "Minding the Timor Gap" article on East Timor natural resources in Dollars & SenseDollars & SenseDollars & Sense is a magazine dedicated to providing left-wing perspectives on economics.Published six times a year since 1974, it is edited by a collective of economists, journalists, and activists committed to the ideals of social justice and economic democracy.It was initially sponsored by the...