13 fall victim in 'ninja' scare

13 fall victim in 'ninja' scare

DILI, East Timor: Local Police Chief Col. Andreas Sugianto
said yesterday 13 people have fallen victim in the "ninja" scare
that has gripped the town over the past week.

He declined to specify how many of the victims were killed or
injured but he said that four of them were members of the Armed
Forces (ABRI).

Dili has been gripped with fear at news that gangs of
unidentified masked men have been roaming the town streets at
night, terrorizing pro-independence activists, burning houses and
vandalizing vehicles.

Military authorities have denied any connection with the so-
called "ninjas", saying that the vandalism is part of rivalry
between groups with opposing opinions on the integration of East
Timor into Indonesia.

Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo said yesterday he has been
overwhelmed by complaints from residents about increasing numbers
of irregularities that they fear will lead to human right abuses
in the former Portuguese territory. (yac)