Dili students protest coercion<\/p>\n
DILI, East Timor (JP): Hundreds of students on Friday demanded
\nan end to intimidation, abductions and killings in order that
\nEast Timorese will feel free to choose between accepting or
\nrejecting the government's offer of special autonomy on Aug. 8.<\/p>\n
The fourth consecutive day of protesting was undisturbed, but
\nin broad daylight in downtown Dili, shots were heard. Residents
\nsaid a man had been beaten up and taken away by militias in a
\nvehicle.<\/p>\n
Students danced in the streets on Thursday after learning that
\nIndonesia and Portugal at the United Nations headquarters in New
\nYork had signed an agreement giving East Timorese their first
\nchance to determine their future.<\/p>\n
A separate memorandum to the agreement also mentions \"laying
\ndown of arms by all armed groups\" before the ballot, the
\nredeployment of Indonesian military forces and free campaigning.<\/p>\n
At Friday's rally in front of East Timor University, student
\nCadeia da Costa described the \"forced\" dispersal of regional
\nbranches of the proindependence organization National Council for
\nan Independent East Timor (CNRT).<\/p>\n
Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus has said 10 of 13
\nregional CNRT branches have dispersed voluntarily.<\/p>\n
\"We will prove later in the direct ballot whether it is true
\nthat all East Timorese want wide-ranging autonomy... We will not
\nbe forced... by the dispersal of CNRT branches,\" da Costa said.<\/p>\n
In Dili there were no signs of disarmament on Friday. Military
\ncommander Col. Suratman said on April 28 that disarming the
\nprointegration militia would happen \"in the next week or two\".<\/p>\n
He said disarming the groups would be a simple matter, because
\nhe had a list of all their names. He said he was more concerned
\nabout the ability of the proindependence Falintil militia's
\nresponse to the April 21 peace pact between the conflicting
\nparties.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, it was reported from United Nations headquarters
\nthat the UN Security Council had welcomed the agreements.<\/p>\n
AFP quoted council president Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon as
\nsaying that the 15 members also backed UN chief Kofi Annan's
\ndecision to dispatch UN staff to East Timor as soon as possible
\nto assist with preparations for the ballot.<\/p>\n
Britain presented to the council members a UN draft resolution
\nendorsing the East Timor agreement. The resolution could be
\nadopted on Friday, Dangue Rewaka said.<\/p>\n
The draft resolution \"stresses the responsibility of the
\ngovernment of Indonesia to ensure the safety and security of
\nUnited Nations and other international staff and observers\".<\/p>\n
Reuters reported that the council resolution expresses \"grave
\nconcern at the security situation in East Timor\" where anti-
\nindependence militias have been active since President B.J.
\nHabibie announced in January his government's willingness to
\nreverse the integration if the East Timorese rejected autonomy.<\/p>\n
The agency said the issue of security was stressed by Annan in
\na written report to the Security Council on Thursday containing
\nthe texts of the accords.<\/p>\n
He said he had emphasized to the parties the main elements
\nthat would need to be in place \"to enable me to determine that
\nthe necessary security conditions exist for the start of the
\noperational phases of the consultation process.\"<\/p>\n
He said these included \"the bringing of armed civilian groups
\nunder strict control and the prompt arrest and prosecution of
\nthose who incite or threaten to use violence.\"<\/p>\n
Antara on Friday reported from New York that the United States
\nwelcomed the May 5 agreement on the ballot as \"a very important
\nstep to achieve a peaceful solution to the issue of East Timor\",
\nDeputy Spokesman at the U.S. State Department, James B. Foley,
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
AFP reported from Tokyo that the UN has asked Japan to send a
\ncivilian police force to help monitor the ballot.<\/p>\n
\"It is true that the United Nations headquarters has sounded
\nout Japan on the possibility of sending a civilian police force
\n(to East Timor),\" Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said,
\nadding that a response would be discussed with other ministries.<\/p>\n
Also on Friday AFP reported from East Timor's Liquica regency
\nthat more than 1,000 refugees have flooded into Liquica town and
\nwere camping out in tents and under trees.<\/p>\n
One woman living in a tent with her children said she was
\nfleeing terror in the countryside. No further details were
\nprovided. Liquica was the site of an alleged slaughter in early
\nApril in which at least 25 died.<\/p>\n
At Dili Police Headquarters, a CNRT executive, Leandro Isac,
\nwho is among dozens sheltered there, said on Friday he looked
\nforward to immediately returning home to publicize the New York
\nagreement and the April 21 peace pact.<\/p>\n
Leandro was among proindependence leaders whose homes were
\nattacked by militias on April 17.<\/p>\n
Rector of East Timor University, Theo T. Balella, said mass
\nprayers for peace were planned for Saturday. Prayers would also
\nbe held for the safety of two students abducted last month during
\nfield studies in Suai, Covalima regency. (33\/anr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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