Editorials
Wednesday, September 1, 1999East Timor plebiscite
results are threatenedTHE plebiscite Monday on the future political status of East Timor produced a heavy turnout of voters and was relatively peaceful. But a resurgence of activity by anti-independence militiamen raised fears that the little island territory in eastern Indonesia might be plunged into chaos.The issue: The people of East Timor have voted in a plebiscite on their future political status.
The situation is highly volatile. Hundreds of armed militiamen returned to the streets, menacing villages and parts of the capital, Dili, raising fears that they might launch a new campaign of terror. They were blocking roads and stopping separatists from boarding planes and ferries leaving the capital.
Officials of the United Nations, which supervised the plebiscite, the United States, neighboring Australia and other governments are observing developments closely, preparing to respond if needed.
The U.N. refugee agency said it was talking to Australian officials about setting up a base in the city of Darwin "in case some major aid operation is needed in East Timor."
Although the plebiscite votes have yet to be counted, it is widely assumed that the option of independence was favored by a large majority. Pre-election attempts by gangs of pro-Jakarta militia to intimidate voters apparently failed.
The United Nations estimated that 98.6 percent of East Timor's 438,000 registered voters participated in Monday's ballot. Another 13,000 voted overseas. The ballot gave Timorese the choice between remaining part of Indonesia as an autonomous region or independence.
The dispute goes back to 1975, when Portugal's dictatorship was overthrown and the new democratic government withdrew from the colony. Indonesia sent troops in to occupy the territory, fearing it could become another Cuba.
But many Timorese never accepted Indonesian rule. The decades since have been marked by a series of revolts that were harshly suppressed.
Under President Suharto, Indonesia refused to relinquish control of East Timor. But after Suharto was forced from power last year his successor, B.J. Habibie, agreed to let the Timorese vote on their future status.
The Indonesian army appears to be backing the militia in its attempts to intimidate supporters of independence. The army is said to fear that secession would encourage separatists in other parts of the archipelago and lead to dismemberment of the nation. Another separatist movement is gaining momentum in Aceh in northern Sumatra.
Indonesia held national elections earlier this year and seems on a path of democratic reform after decades of authoritarian rule. East Timor is a major test of the strength of the reform effort. It would be a disaster if the results of the plebiscite were nullified by force. The government must try to assert its authority over the military and ensure that the voters' wishes are respected.
California’s new
gun-control lawsWHILE Congress appears stymied on gun control legislation, California has taken bold steps to strengthen its gun laws in response to recent shooting incidents. Gov. Gray Davis has signed into law measures that limit handgun purchases, ban cheap handguns and set minimum standards for gun quality and safety to cut down on accidental shootings. California's actions should increase pressure for tougher federal standards.
The new California law limits individual handgun purchases to one a month and bans the sale of cheap handguns that commonly are used in crimes.
Handguns sold in California, where 80 percent of the nation's handguns are manufactured, must be tested for safety. An additional precaution requires that all guns sold after 2001 be equipped with child-safety locks. The law follows California's enactment last month of the nation's toughest ban on assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition clips.
Wilson also ordered all state law-enforcement agencies to destroy confiscated and other out-of-service revolvers.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that at least 1,100 former police weapons were among the 193,203 firearms used in crimes and traced last year by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The gun that Buford Furrow Jr. allegedly used to kill a postal worker after spraying gunfire on a Jewish community center was traced to the police department in Cosmopolis, Wash.
Congress took its August recess without addressing differences between a Senate bill that includes various gun-control provisions and a House bill that contains none. As the school year begins with memories of the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colo., public pressure is mounting for stronger gun control restrictions nationwide.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
