Vaudine England, Jakarta – Reports of the Liquica massacre in East Timor are beginning to overshadow resistance leader Xanana Gusmao's controversial statements earlier this week – which is just as well for the resistance leader's diplomatic standing.
Few international observers dispute Gusmao's claim that aggression – by the Indonesian army or its paramilitary groups – is continuing in East Timor.
But many were shocked at his apparent reversion from reconciliation leader to guerilla fighter when he issued a call to arms on Monday.
The Co-ordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, General Feisal Tanjung, said Gusmao had gone overboard and hinted at the possibility of returning him to prison.
"If necessary, we'll move him to Nusa Kambangan," a high-level security prison on a small island off the southern coast of central Java, he said.
Western diplomats said if Gusmao hoped to secure a United Nations presence in East Timor by such tactics, he was making a fundamental error.
The Indonesian Government would have to agree to a UN force arriving in Dili, and by resorting to aggressive language Gusmao was seen to be relinquishing the moral high ground to Jakarta's benefit. "I think the Indonesians were laughing at the beginning of the week – but that was before Liquica," said one source.
Confirmation of the atrocity will strengthen concern about East Timor, helped also by Gusmao's clarification of his statement. "I did not say that we were ready for a war, but I call on the people to prepare themselves – do not die like an animal," he said on Wednesday.
A Western diplomatic source said: "We are all welcoming his clarification, and that will lead to warmer reactions from Western capitals. But at the same time, you reap what you sow."
The source said Gusmao's enemies, the pro-integrationist forces on the ground in East Timor, had now called for mass mobilisations of their own supporters, raising the prospect of more conflict.
The Indonesian Government is thought to be pleased at any excuse for further delays of the UN-brokered negotiations for a peaceful solution for East Timor in New York.
Jakarta is still working on its proposal for comprehensive autonomy for East Timor, concerned partly about how much money is involved and partly about setting any precedent for other parts of Indonesia.
"Xanana has given the opportunity to others now to stall or skew the talks in New York," said an international analyst.