25 dead in latest Dili violence<\/p>\n
DILI, East Timor (JP): Twenty-five people were killed and
\ndozens were injured on Sunday when a building on the grounds of
\nthe Dili diocese was set on fire. The diocese was sheltering
\n5,000 people during the attack by armed men identified as
\nprointegration militia.<\/p>\n
The Dili General Hospital told Antara that the victims died of
\ngunshot and knife wounds. A source told The Jakarta Post that 14
\nbodies from the diocese were brought to the army's Wira Husada
\nhospital. More were feared dead at the Dili port, where crowds of
\npeople scuffled to board a ship.<\/p>\n
Ministers held a closed door meeting here amid the shooting
\nand arson.<\/p>\n
Police could not be reached for comment as reports of more
\narson came in late Sunday. The exodus continues as dozens of
\nhomes in Santa Cruz, Becora, Comoro were set ablaze. Staff of the
\nUnited Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) remained in their
\ncompound as shots were fired nearby. Sources said attempted arson
\nalso targeted the Mahkota Hotel and the vacated office of the
\nonly newspaper, Suara Timor Timur.<\/p>\n
The home of an activist, Aniceto Gutteres, who heads the Hak
\nFoundation, was also set on fire, and the office was also
\nattacked at night, he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Residents, including thousands of refugees, were gripped with
\nterror as armed men roamed the city firing shots, even at refugee
\nshelters.<\/p>\n
At night, frightened children among thousands sheltered at the
\nDili Seminary became silent every time shots were heard. Lights
\nwere switched off and repeated calls to the police by priests
\nthere were not responded to.<\/p>\n
\"There are no police,\" a refugee said amid sounds of gunshots.<\/p>\n
\"The men are not using homemade guns, these are all real fire
\narms. I was shot at twice...We fear this (shooting and burning)
\nwill continue until morning,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Antara said the fire at the diocese, right across from the
\nmain Mahkota Hotel, started with a brawl between prointegration
\nand proindependence forces. Prointegrationists then chased after
\ntheir rivals onto the grounds of the diocese.<\/p>\n
Apart from one building next to the office of Bishop Carlos
\nFilipe Ximenes Belo, fire was also seen in the garage. Three
\nvehicles were rushed out, but were pelted at, the news agency
\nreported. Firefighters were not seen.<\/p>\n
The International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) said as
\nof Sunday 25,000 civilians fled their homes and took shelter at
\nseven main locations. More journalists left on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The ICRC alone hosted 2,000 people.<\/p>\n
Thousands more have swamped the seaport and airport. Others
\nare fleeing by land to neighboring East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
Amandio, a secretary of Bishop Belo, said it was hard to
\nconfirm the number dead \"because some of the bodies have been
\nabandoned at the troubled sites\". He said the militias had also
\nbesieged a refugee shelter at the church in Suai.<\/p>\n
A resident in Delta Comoro, west of Dili, said virtually all
\nhouses in his area, where migrants and government officials
\nlived, were vacated.<\/p>\n
\"Even military officers have moved to the military guest house
\ndowntown for security reasons,\" said the anxious Javanese
\nmigrant. He added that 10 houses were set on fire nearby on
\nSaturday night and that he planned to leave with several other
\nmigrants for Atambua in East Nusa Tenggara on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
Belo had urged on Saturday the deployment of the United
\nNations peacekeeping force.<\/p>\n
The ICRC said it was still trying to assist displaced people
\nin Dili, where \"an atmosphere of siege prevails\" after the
\nballot. \"The ICRC has very limited information about the
\nhumanitarian situation outside Dili,\" its statement said.<\/p>\n
At the airport, Minister of Defense and Security\/Indonesian
\nMilitary Commander Gen. Wiranto said \"special measures were
\nneeded\" given the \"emotional situation\" in which civilians were
\nusing arms.<\/p>\n
\"For this purpose new forces are needed,\" he said without
\nelaborating, as quoted by Antara. He was accompanied by
\nCoordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security Feisal
\nTanjung, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of
\nJustice\/State Secretary Muladi, National Police chief Gen.
\nRoesmanhadi and UNAMET chief Ian Martin.<\/p>\n
The meeting, which lasted six hours until 4 p.m., agreed to
\nrespect the results of the Aug. 30 ballot, the news agency said.<\/p>\n
\"The most important thing is how to continue disarmament ...,\"
\nWiranto said, amid reports that there were no signs to this
\neffect from militias of either side.<\/p>\n
Gen. Roesmanhadi blamed \"unorganized groups\" for the violence
\nfollowing the announcement of the ballot results on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"We have to prevent armed contact between groups. There are
\norganized and unorganized groups,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The agency quoted a proindependence Falintil militia leader,
\nJose \"Mauhudu\" da Costa, as saying there was \"no way that I, from
\nFalintil, will give up arms if those groups are beyond the
\ncontrol of the PPI (prointegration militia) command, the police,
\nthe military ...\"<\/p>\n
Deputy commander of prointegration militia, Eurico Guterres,
\nhas said they had \"no hard feelings\" over the ballot results, but
\nthat \"the UN would have to be responsible over any possible bad
\nsituation\".<\/p>\n
Some 300 people arrived in Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday aboard
\nthree Hercules aircraft. I Ketut Sunartha of the Bali branch of
\nstate-run PT Telkom, said they were ready to evacuate some 60
\nemployees from East Timor when necessary. In Maumere, East Nusa
\nTenggara, up to 30,000 refugees from East Timor were expected on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
At least 12 ships, five airplanes and 12 buses have been
\nprovided to pick up the refugees from East Timor.<\/p>\n
The East Nusa Tenggara administration has allocated some Rp 1
\nbillion to provide the refugees with shelter, food and medicine.
\n(33\/das\/anr\/yac\/edt\/50\/ylt)<\/p>",
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