Jakarta, 17 July 1976
O.JA7855 CONFIDENTIAL IMMEDIATE
East Timor
Tjan (CSIS) and the State Secretariat have just told us that President Soeharto signed the bill integrating East Timor with Indonesia during a ceremony held this morning 17th July. In the Indonesian view the formal and legal integration of East Timor is thus complete.
- During the ceremony President Suharto presented to the East Timor delegation a duplicate of the Indonesian flag first raised by Soekamo and Hatta on 17 August 1945. This flag will be raised in Dili on 17 August in commemoration of Indonesian independence.
- In Indonesian and PGET eyes East Timor is now a province of Indonesia under acting Governor Araujo until he is formally installed which is expected shortly.
- Continuing support for FRETILIN will in future be regarded as an attempt to undermine Indonesian unity (Roque Rodrigues[’] activities in Australia which are being given wide coverage on Radio Australia will be seen in this light).
- Indonesia will want humanitarian aid for East Timor to be channelled through the Indonesian Red Cross in future rather than through the ICRC.
- There are of course other implications for Australia/Indonesian relations and we shall report further on this on Monday.
[NAA: A10463, 801/13/11/1, xxiv]