Lee Kuan
Yew on East Timor: 'Look the other way'
Straits Times Singapore
October 20, 1999
A Straits Times report (Oct 20) quoted Mr Lee Kuan Yew on East Timor problem.
At A dinner for business leaders, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew was asked whether Japan and regional countries could have played a bigger role in the East Timor peacekeeping efforts.
"To be fair, East Timor is not a Southeast Asian problem. It would not have been a problem if it was left to Southeast Asia and Japan.
"It was a problem created by Portugal, the European Union and human rights groups in America and Australia...
"The problem started, not because of Asean, but because these other countries said: 'Look, the East Timorese are unhappy'.
"But there are many unhappy minorities living very uncomfortable lives in Asean. You know that, I know that. We look the other way.
"To go in and intervene would have the whole Asean solidarity breaking up."