Asia Times: Top donor Tokyo is told to lean on Jakarta



	September 08, 1999	atimes.com

Japan

Top donor Tokyo is told to lean on Jakarta
By Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO - Traditionally reticent Japan should be using its clout as one of Indonesia's top donors to force Jakarta to halt the bloodbath in East Timor, frustrated Japanese activists say.

The anarchy in East Timor, where hundreds of deaths have been reported in the past week and tens of thousands are fleeing violence, is no occasion for Tokyo to stand on the usual diplomatic ceremony.

Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi has condemned the violence and called on all parties to respect the outcome of the UN-sponsored referendum of August 30. But human rights groups say they want Japan to take a leading role in pressuring Indonesia.

''Japan, even more than the United States, can do much more to bring peace to East Timor because of its close economic relations with Indonesia,'' argued Kiyokazu Yoshioka of the Pacific Asia Resources Center, a non-governmental organization that monitors Japanese aid in Asia. ''Japan must put aside its economic interests and work much harder for peace by taking definite steps toward pressuring Jakarta to observe human rights in East Timor.''

So far, Australia and New Zealand have been the countries most vocal in criticizing Indonesia's inability, or unwillingness, to stop pro-Jakarta militias from terrorizing the East Timorese. They have expressed support for quick intervention in the form of peacekeeping troops if needed, and back the use by countries of foreign aid money and the international bail-out package for Indonesia as pressure to get Jakarta to act.

Supporters of East Timor independence want Tokyo to officially single out the Indonesian military's role in arming and abetting the militia, restrict Japan's aid contributions, and force the government of President B J Habibie to do much more than give verbal promises.

After China, Indonesia is the second biggest recipient of Japanese aid. Japan is also the largest investor in Indonesia, accounting for 15 percent of total investments, and has large exposure to Indonesian banks.

Professor Kei Nemoto of Tokyo Gaiko university explains that East Timor represents a complex diplomatic situation for Japan, which has maintained close ties with Indonesia during the past decades. ''Extremely close economic links with Indonesia, based on the nation's huge supply of natural gas, petroleum and other natural resources that are exported to Japan, make it very difficult for Japanese politicians to take a stance on the issue,'' he said.

Indeed, experts contend Japan is now in a quandary about how it should react to the volatile situation in East Timor. ''The challenge presented by East Timor is all the more obvious when you consider how Japan reacted to the Asian financial crisis by providing huge amounts of aid,'' argues Nemoto. ''But when it comes to protecting human rights, Japan's leadership is hardly to be seen.''

Experts add that Japan's diplomatic dithering reflects its weakness in maintaining ties with opposition political leaders and civic movements in other nations. Said Professor Kenichi Goto, an expert on Indonesia at Waseda University, ''The tendency has always been to rely only on official governments when it comes to conducting Japan's diplomacy. This narrow definition is different from countries such as the United States, which maintains a more mature approach.''

(Inter Press Service)

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©1999 Asia Times Online Co., Ltd.