Human rights

The Region

Human rights abuses grow

Palau, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti cited in an

Amnesty International report.

By David Robie

UNTIL last year the South Paci fic was so peaceful it never rated a mention in the Amnesty International annual report on human rights abuses. But now, af ter a debut by New Caledonia, the world human rights organisation’s re port this year has introduced an Asia- Pacific section that cites several Pacific countries for the first time: even Au stralia gets a notoriety listing.

The change began with a fact finding mission by a senior executive to island states last year, but the major concerns still remain on the fringe of the region in particular, the In donesian-ruled territories of East Timor and Irian Jaya.

Incidents cited by the 1988 Amnesty International Report include: EAST TIMOR: Aleixo Gutteres and Vincent des Sousa were reportedly tortured in late 1986 and early 198/

during interrogation in the capital of

Dili, in a house occupied by Indone

sian military intelligence (KOTIS).

Gutteres was reportedly suspected

of co-operating with Fretilin, which continued throughout the year to wage a guerilla war against the In donesian government and in support of independence for East Timor. He was tried and sentenced to seven

years’ imprisonment early in the year.

NEW CALEDONIA: Seventeen pro independence activists were sentenced to prison terms of between six months ana two years in April, after convic tion for stone-throwing. Their trial may have been politically motivated, arising from a violent clash in the east ern mining town of Thio in November 1986 between independence activists and supporters of French rule.

Stones were thrown, there were out breaks of arson and one person died from gunshot wounds. Thirty three independence activists were arrested while none of the supporters of French rule was charged.

The trial of seven self-confessed kil lers who took part in the so-called Hienghene massacre of 10 unarmed Kanaxs in December 1984 ended in October with their acquittal on grounds of ‘self-defence’.

PALAU: Voters passed an amend ment to the constitution in August that paved the way for a second vote in which the Compact of Free Associa tion with the United States was

approved. The amendment illegally

removed a provision requiring a 75 per cent majority to overturn an anti nuclear clause in the constitution, and was later rejected as unconstitutional by the Palau Supreme Court.

Roman Bedor, a lawyer who led moves to retain anti-nuclear provisions in the Constitution, was among several opponents of the constitutional changes who faced death threats. On September 7, his elderly father Bins Bedor was shot dead.

FIJI: Two military coups on May 14 and September 25 resulted in hun dreds of arrests among them trade

unionists, politicians ana journalists.

All were released after periods rang ing from a few hours to a week.

Arrests continued after the second coup, and some of those held were reportedly beaten, immersed in sew age and subjected to other cruel or

humiliating treatment.

IRIAN JAVA: In late January two young men, Paskalais Kawurim and

Anakletus Bitip, were reportedly

arrested and tortured by Indonesian soldiers in the village of Awayanka, Mindiptanah. They had failed to re port to local authorities after return ing from a refugee camp in Papua New Guinea and may have been sus pected of being supporters of OPM, the Free Papua Movement, which has been waging an armed struggle for an independent state in Irian Jaya since the mid-19605. Both men were held in military detention for two months without charge, then released.

TAHITI: After the rioting in Octo ber of unemployed Tahitians in the

capital of Papeete, a French judge

ordered the arrest of Felix “Rara ’ Col ombel, president of the Dockwqrkers Union, on charges of ‘complicity in violence and destruction of property’.

The riot was triggered off by the break-up of a dockers strike.

Other trade unionists were arrested; Colombel was released after two weeks in detention. D