25 dead in latest Dili violence

DILI, East Timor (JP): Twenty-five people were killed and dozens were injured on Sunday when a building on the grounds of the Dili diocese was set on fire. The diocese was sheltering 5,000 people during the attack by armed men identified as prointegration militia.

The Dili General Hospital told Antara that the victims died of gunshot and knife wounds. A source told The Jakarta Post that 14 bodies from the diocese were brought to the army's Wira Husada hospital. More were feared dead at the Dili port, where crowds of people scuffled to board a ship.

Ministers held a closed door meeting here amid the shooting and arson.

Police could not be reached for comment as reports of more arson came in late Sunday. The exodus continues as dozens of homes in Santa Cruz, Becora, Comoro were set ablaze. Staff of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) remained in their compound as shots were fired nearby. Sources said attempted arson also targeted the Mahkota Hotel and the vacated office of the only newspaper, Suara Timor Timur.

The home of an activist, Aniceto Gutteres, who heads the Hak Foundation, was also set on fire, and the office was also attacked at night, he told the Post.

Residents, including thousands of refugees, were gripped with terror as armed men roamed the city firing shots, even at refugee shelters.

At night, frightened children among thousands sheltered at the Dili Seminary became silent every time shots were heard. Lights were switched off and repeated calls to the police by priests there were not responded to.

"There are no police," a refugee said amid sounds of gunshots.

"The men are not using homemade guns, these are all real fire arms. I was shot at twice...We fear this (shooting and burning) will continue until morning," he said.

Antara said the fire at the diocese, right across from the main Mahkota Hotel, started with a brawl between prointegration and proindependence forces. Prointegrationists then chased after their rivals onto the grounds of the diocese.

Apart from one building next to the office of Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, fire was also seen in the garage. Three vehicles were rushed out, but were pelted at, the news agency reported. Firefighters were not seen.

The International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) said as of Sunday 25,000 civilians fled their homes and took shelter at seven main locations. More journalists left on Sunday.

The ICRC alone hosted 2,000 people.

Thousands more have swamped the seaport and airport. Others are fleeing by land to neighboring East Nusa Tenggara.

Amandio, a secretary of Bishop Belo, said it was hard to confirm the number dead "because some of the bodies have been abandoned at the troubled sites". He said the militias had also besieged a refugee shelter at the church in Suai.

A resident in Delta Comoro, west of Dili, said virtually all houses in his area, where migrants and government officials lived, were vacated.

"Even military officers have moved to the military guest house downtown for security reasons," said the anxious Javanese migrant. He added that 10 houses were set on fire nearby on Saturday night and that he planned to leave with several other migrants for Atambua in East Nusa Tenggara on Monday morning.

Belo had urged on Saturday the deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping force.

The ICRC said it was still trying to assist displaced people in Dili, where "an atmosphere of siege prevails" after the ballot. "The ICRC has very limited information about the humanitarian situation outside Dili," its statement said.

At the airport, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Wiranto said "special measures were needed" given the "emotional situation" in which civilians were using arms.

"For this purpose new forces are needed," he said without elaborating, as quoted by Antara. He was accompanied by Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security Feisal Tanjung, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas, Minister of Justice/State Secretary Muladi, National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi and UNAMET chief Ian Martin.

The meeting, which lasted six hours until 4 p.m., agreed to respect the results of the Aug. 30 ballot, the news agency said.

"The most important thing is how to continue disarmament ...," Wiranto said, amid reports that there were no signs to this effect from militias of either side.

Gen. Roesmanhadi blamed "unorganized groups" for the violence following the announcement of the ballot results on Saturday.

"We have to prevent armed contact between groups. There are organized and unorganized groups," he said.

The agency quoted a proindependence Falintil militia leader, Jose "Mauhudu" da Costa, as saying there was "no way that I, from Falintil, will give up arms if those groups are beyond the control of the PPI (prointegration militia) command, the police, the military ..."

Deputy commander of prointegration militia, Eurico Guterres, has said they had "no hard feelings" over the ballot results, but that "the UN would have to be responsible over any possible bad situation".

Some 300 people arrived in Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday aboard three Hercules aircraft. I Ketut Sunartha of the Bali branch of state-run PT Telkom, said they were ready to evacuate some 60 employees from East Timor when necessary. In Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara, up to 30,000 refugees from East Timor were expected on Monday.

At least 12 ships, five airplanes and 12 buses have been provided to pick up the refugees from East Timor.

The East Nusa Tenggara administration has allocated some Rp 1 billion to provide the refugees with shelter, food and medicine. (33/das/anr/yac/edt/50/ylt)