The East Timorese have voted for independence. Twenty-four years after the Indonesian military invaded the former Portuguese territory and forcibly annexed it to their state, the people of the province have been given the opportunity to choose their own destiny. Despite intimidation and what appears to have been a systematic and massive campaign of violence, they have chosen independence. President B.J. Habibie has called upon the Indonesian people to respect the results. His plea must be backed up by action: The Indonesian government must do whatever it can to ensure that peace and stability return to the province. It promises to be a difficult assignment, one that will require help from the rest of the world.
Since the government announced earlier this year that it would hold a referendum on the province's future, proindependence and pro-Indonesian groups have clashed. By all appearances, the pro-Indonesian forces enjoyed the support of the Indonesian establishment. Security forces ignored violence occurring in their presence when the perpetrators were the anti-independence militias. Yet their efforts to destabilize the province and delay or cancel the election failed. Registration was slowed, but it eventually went ahead.
Despite this atmosphere of fear, 98.6 percent of registered voters turned out last week to cast their ballots. The results are clear: Seventy-eight percent voted for independence, 22 percent for autonomy as a part of Indonesia. The margin of the vote makes protests about its fairness untenable.