INDONESIA: FALANTIL ARMY IN ACTION

(21 Nov 1994) Portuguese/Nat
The authorities in East Timor on Monday expelled four Western journalists who had been covering unrest in the province.
Officials accused the four of failing to have proper work permits.
The unrest has been sparked by demonstrators calling for independence from Indonesia.
APTV has exclusive pictures of rebel soldiers in East Timor, who say they are prepared to die for their cause:
The FALANTIL army, or the National Army for the Liberation of East Timor, is secretly training in the dense jungles of East Timor.
Ongoing pro-independence rallies and the recent APEC summit in Indonesia have brought the plight of the island to the world's attention. However while U.S. President Clinton did discuss human rights issues with Indonesian President Suharto, no promises were made.
The people of East Timor are bitterly divided over Indonesian rule of their territory. Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 and claimed it the following year. Most of the island's 700-thousand people are Roman Catholics, and resent being ruled by Muslim Indonesia.
Konis Santana, the commander of FALANTIL, knows that his fighters are heavily outnumbered by the Indonesian army. But since the Dili massacre three years ago when three-hundred protestors were killed, he says his men are willing to fight to the end.
SOUNDBITE Portuguese:
"We are going to show world that the situation is really dramatic. The political situation in East Timor is asphyxiating. Our nation cannot breathe the air of liberty. Violation of human rights is a daily practice. the assassins are still at work. We will show the world that three years after the killings, the same authors are still at work".
SUPERCAPTION:
Konis Santana, Commander of Falintil.
According to Santana, the FALANTIL army has about two-thousand troops. He expects that battalions of East Timorese currently in the Indonesian army would support their cause and join the FALANTIL.

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