Probably the American support for Indonesia has stemmed from its identity as a capitalist ally in the region. the occupation of ET, in fact, is only one of amny crimes committed by Suharto and his allies. The General has occupied East Timor in defiance of the UN, killing an estimated 1/3 of the population through famine and murder; that alone makes him one of the century's top experts in genocide. But he has also
annexed West New Guinea in a most undemocratic fashion, turning the country over to be ravaged by mining companies which take away the country's copper, poison the land and the people and do nothing for the people or their development. He has killed or interned in prison camps over a million people, mostly communists, liberals, dissidents, Chinese, or animists (the latter, on the theory that animism = an 'unorthodox' religion = atheism = communism = dangerous.) The Communist Party has long been illegal, as was any party other than the ruling Golkar. He has pushed indigenous people off their land in Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea to make way for Javanese migranst, in order to modernize the islands and reduce Java's overpopulation. He has made it illegal to practice a religion otehr than orthodox Islam, Christianity, one partcular variety of Hinduism, or Buddhism; in fact, 'monotheism' is the official faith and to belive in more than one god, or in none, is illegal.
Now I fully acknowledge that the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has often been repressive, went overboard with reprisals after the war, imprisoned many innocent people after the war, killed many innocent people during teh war, and in general betrayed the hopes of teh Vietnamese to a large extent. But whatever the mistakes and the wrongs they have committed, I think it is evident that Indonesia, not Vietnam,
has been the most evil government in the region (with teh exception of Pol Pot's DK). Vietnam did not kill a million civilians in peacetime, as did Indonesia; it did not annex two of its neighbors and attempt to annex a third (the occupation of Cambodia was necessary to overthrow a genocidal despot); it allows freedom of religion to a greater extent than does Indonesia, at least legally. So why has US policy traditionally favored Indonesia over its socialist neighbor? You tell me.
THE UN, in contrats, has refused to recognize ET as a part of Indonesia, doing the right thing in this case. Of course, teh tables are turned in he case of tibet, where it is teh US that to its credit refuses to accept China's invasion. Which just goes to show that it's silly either to say that teh US is always good or always evil.
-NJ
None.
