INSIDE AN INDONESIAN PRISON WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 004948 USCINCPAC FOR FPA AMB TEARE ROME PLEASE PASS TO VATICAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 8/20/07 TAGS: PHUM PREL ID SUBJECT: INSIDE AN INDONESIAN PRISON WITH FRETILIN LEADER XANANA GUSMAO REF: JAKARTA 4875 ¶1. CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS EDMUND MCWILLIAMS, REASON, 1.5 (B) AND (D). ¶2. (C) SUMMARY: A WESTERN DIPLOMAT WAS ABLE TO ENTER CIPINANG PRISON, CLAIMING TO BE A RELATIVE OF A PRISONER, AND MET BRIEFLY WITH A NUMBER OF PROMINENT DISSIDENTS AND OTHER PRISONERS. THE DIPLOMAT NOTED THAT THE PRISONERS APPEAR TO BE USING THEIR TIME TOGETHER TO SHARE POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES, NOT UNLIKE THE POLITICAL CROSS-POLLINATION THAT TOOK PLACE IN SOME OF THE LESS HARSH CAMPS IN THE SOVIET GULAG OR IN SOUTH AFRICA'S ROBBEN ISLAND. FRETILIN LEADER XANANA GUSMAO, A LEADING FIGURE WITHIN THE PRISONER COMMUNITY, TOLD THE DIPLOMAT THAT HIS VISION OF A FUTURE FOR EAST TIMOR INVOLVED A PERIOD OF AUTONOMY FOLLOWED BY A VOTE BY EAST TIMORESE ABOUT THEIR FUTURE. END SUMMARY ¶3. (C) A WESTERN DIPLOMAT, POSING AS A RELATIVE OF A PRISONER IN JAKARTA'S CIPINANG PRISON, USED THE OCCASION OF NATIONAL DAY VISITS AUGUST 17 TO ENTER THE PRISON. THE DIPLOMAT SOUGHT A MEETING WITH "WILSON," ONE OF THE POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PRD) WHO WAS RECENTLY CONVICTED AND SENTENCED ON DISSENT CHARGES. WITH MEETINGS BETWEEN PRISONERS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS TAKING PLACE IN A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE WITHIN A COURTYARD IN THE PRISON, THE DIPLOMAT WAS ABLE TO MEET AND SPEAK BRIEFLY WITH XANANA GUSMAO, IMPRISONED LEADER OF THE FRETILIN RESISTANCE FORCES OF EAST TIMOR. ¶4. (C) GUSMAO APPEARED IN GOOD HEALTH AND GOOD SPIRITS. GUSMAO HAS EMERGED AS A LEADER AMONG MANY PROMINENT POLITICAL DISSIDENTS WHO ARE INTERNED AT CIPINANG PRISON. HE RECENTLY ORGANIZED A SOCCER MATCH BETWEEN A TEAM OF POLITICAL DISSIDENTS AND COMMON CRIMINALS (THE DISSIDENTS WON). ACCORDING TO ACCOUNTS GIVEN TO THE DIPLOMAT, THE DISSIDENTS SPEAK JOKINGLY OF THE CIPINANG "PARLIAMENT" OR "UNIVERSITY," ALLUDING TO THE BROAD POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS WHICH TAKE PLACE AMONG THE PRISONERS. THE DIPLOMAT NOTED THAT STUDENTS VISIT SOME PRISONERS, SUCH AS IMPRISONED DISSIDENT SRI BINTANG PAMUNGKAS, TO LISTEN TO HIS INFORMAL LECTURES. ¶5. (C) GUSMAO, WHO IS LEARNING ENGLISH, AND OTHER PRISONERS ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE BOOKS, PERIODICALS AND NEWSPAPERS AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SMUGGLE OUT LETTERS AND EVEN ARTICLES WITHOUT MUCH TROUBLE. THE PRISONERS DEPEND HEAVILY ON FOOD SENT BY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES INASMUCH AS PRISON FOOD IS SAID TO BE OF VERY POOR QUALITY. ¶6. (C) GUSMAO INDICATED TO THE DIPLOMAT THAT WHILE HE WOULD WELCOME A CHANCE TO RETURN HOME TO EAST TIMOR, HE IS OPPOSED TO THE NOTION THAT HE MIGHT BE RELEASED AND GO INTO EXILE. GUSMAO REFUSED REQUESTS BY THE DIPLOMAT AND BY JOURNALISTS (ALSO PRESENT ON NATIONAL DAY) TO PROVIDE ANY READOUT ON HIS JULY 16 DINNER WITH NELSON MANDELA. HE ALSO CLAIMED TO HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE UN SPONSORED EAST TIMOR DIALOGUE BETWEEN LISBON AND JAKARTA BUT EXPRESSED SOME HOPE FOR PROGRESS THROUGH THAT MECHANISM. ¶7. (C) GUSMAO DID SHARE HIS VIEWS WITH THE DIPLOMAT REGARDING A SOLUTION FOR EAST TIMOR. HE SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THE SHAPE OF A FINAL SOLUTION WOULD INVOLVE SOME FORM OF AUTONOMY FOR FOUR TO FIVE YEARS AND THEN A VOTE BY THE PEOPLE OF EAST TIMOR ON THEIR FUTURE. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: THE INTERACTION AMONG THE NON-CRIMINAL PRISONERS IS REMINISCENT OF ACCOUNTS OF LIFE IN SOME OF THE LESS HARSH PRISONS IN THE SOVIET GULAG OR ON ROBBEN ISLAND IN SOUTH AFRICA WHERE PRESIDENT MANDELA SPENT MUCH OF HIS LIFE. AS IN CIPINANG THOSE CAMPS SAW A RICH CROSS POLLINATION OF POLITICAL IDEAS AND STRATEGIES AMONG PRISONERS. WE NOTE AS WELL, THAT SEVERAL OF THE PRISONERS EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT BEING MIXED WITH HARDENED CRIMINAL PRISONERS WHO OFTEN FUNCTIONED AS SPIES FOR THE PRISON ADMINISTRATION. TYPICALLY, ONE CRIMINAL IS PLACED WITH THREE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN FOUR-PERSON CELLS. XANANA REPORTEDLY HAS A PRIVATE CELL. HARVEY