Indonesia blasted over Dili violence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Condemnation came hard and fast on Friday over
\nthe violence between pro-Jakarta and proindependence militias in
\nEast Timor on Thursday which killed at least four people, with
\nforeign countries reminding Indonesia of its responsibility to
\nmaintain security ahead of the self-determination ballot on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Violence, however, again took place on Friday. Antara quoted
\nEast Timor Police Chief Capt. Widodo D.S. as saying that two
\npeople were killed and four were seriously injured in two
\nseparate clashes in the capital of Dili and in Maliana, Bobonaro
\nregency, some 138 km west of Dili.<\/p>\n
In addition, 11 houses were damaged and eight cars set ablaze.<\/p>\n
Widodo said the violence in Bobonaro erupted when a group of
\nunidentified people pelted stones at a motorcade of
\nprointegration supporters in Memo village. The prointegration
\ncrowd retaliated, he said, leading to the burning of houses and
\nkilling of two people.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, chief of the United Nations Mission in East Timor
\n(UNAMET) Ian Martin told a media conference in Dili that UN
\nsecretary-general Kofi Annan was \"appalled by the violence\" and
\ncalled on all parties to stop the violence.<\/p>\n
Annan called for cooperation between groups to ensure that the
\nballot on the troubled territory's future will go ahead in
\nconditions of peace and security on Monday.<\/p>\n
The UN said Indonesian authorities should take immediate steps
\nto prevent further violence, to investigate the violence and to
\nbring those responsible to justice.<\/p>\n
\"It is crucial that, even at this late stage, concrete and
\neffective steps be taken by Indonesia to control the militias
\nwho, it is increasingly clear, are intent on disrupting the
\npopular consultation,\" Martin quoted Annan as saying.<\/p>\n
Martin said the major problem during the popular consultation
\n\"has been the failure to take effective action to check militia
\nviolence.\"<\/p>\n
From Sydney, AFP reported that Australian Foreign Minister
\nAlexander Downer urged Indonesia to take action to maintain law
\nand order in the territory.<\/p>\n
\"The behavior of a bunch of thugs on the streets of Dili or in
\nother towns of East Timor should not stop the people of East
\nTimor from being able to exercise democratically their own wishes
\nand to determine their own future,\" Downer said.<\/p>\n
He said the Australian government was deeply concerned about
\nThursday's rampage by the pro-Indonesia militia in Dili, which
\nleft at least four people dead.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government, Military and police have full
\nresponsibility for law and order in East Timor and they must
\nexercise their responsibility to ensure the ballot takes place,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister John Howard said he would phone Indonesian
\nPresident B.J. Habibie over the weekend to make a final plea for
\na free and fair ballot in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The news agency also reported from Tokyo that Japan has called
\non Indonesia to ensure security in East Timor ahead of the
\nballot.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi made the appeal in a letter to
\nPresident Habibie on Thursday to express his concern over violent
\nclashes between pro and antiindependence supporters in East
\nTimor, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Friday.<\/p>\n
\"We very much deplore the acts. They are unhelpful for a
\nsmooth operation of the referendum or reconciliation among
\nparties concerned,\" the foreign minister said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has the responsibility of
\nmaintaining security in East Timor, he said. \"We strongly hope
\nthat the Indonesian government shows to the international
\ncommunity in a tangible form that it is making sincere efforts.\"<\/p>\n
Komura said he had been assured by Indonesian Defense and
\nSecurity Minister Wiranto when he visited Jakarta last month that
\nthe Indonesian Military would be committed to maintaining
\nsecurity in East Timor.<\/p>\n
The foreign minister quoted Wiranto as telling him that
\nmaintaining security in East Timor was a \"matter of honor\" for
\nboth the Military and the Indonesian people.<\/p>\n
Reuters quoted the London-based Amnesty International as
\nsaying on Thursday the human rights situation in East Timor was
\ndeteriorating and the chance of a free and fair ballot there was
\nbecoming more remote.<\/p>\n
Amnesty said: \"With each killing and 'disappearance', the
\nprospect of a free and fair ballot is becoming more remote.\"<\/p>\n
\"The human rights situation has deteriorated markedly over the
\npast fortnight as the Aug. 30 ballot approaches,\" the pressure
\ngroup said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\"The responsibility for the deterioration in the security
\nsituation lies with the Indonesian authorities which, despite
\nrepeated assurances, have failed to take the measures necessary
\nto provide a secure environment for the popular consultation
\nprocess,\" it said.<\/p>\n
From New York, Antara quoted political observer Donald K.
\nEmmerson as expressing his confidence that the popular vote would
\nnot lead to Indonesia's disintegration.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is not Yugoslavia and Habibie is not Slobodan
\nMilosevic,\" said the expert on Southeast Asia from University of
\nWisconsin, Madison.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the news agency also reported from Lisbon that
\nIndonesia and Portugal, under the coordination of the UN
\nsecretary general's special envoy for East Timor, will form an
\nexpert group for the transition period in the territory --
\nwhatever is the outcome of Monday's autonomy ballot.<\/p>\n
\"The (formation of this) expert group was agreed upon during
\nthe (ongoing) senior official meetings, in an effort to
\nanticipate the post-ballot period in East Timor,\" senior
\nIndonesian envoy, Nugroho Wisnumurti, said in Lisbon Friday.<\/p>\n
Nugroho, who leads the Indonesian delegation to the second
\npart of the senior official meetings, said the expert group will
\nsupport the task of some 25 East Timorese leaders grouped in the
\nEast Timor Consultative Commission.<\/p>\n
The formation of the commission was agreed upon during the
\nfirst part of the meetings held in Jakarta last Aug 12-13.<\/p>\n
\"The details of the formation of the expert group will be
\nfurther discussed during the next meetings,\" he said.
\n(33\/amd\/bay\/byg)<\/p>",
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