Armed men patrol streets in Dili

Armed men patrol streets in Dili

DILI, East Timor (JP): Tension returned to East Timor on
Tuesday, one day after the peaceful vote on the territory's
future, while reconciliation talks between proindependence and
prointegration factions remained uncertain.

A group of people armed with homemade guns was seen stopping
motorists heading to the western outskirts of the capital of Dili
on Tuesday. A similar scene was reported in Manatuto, some 60
kilometers east of here.

Priest Domingus da Cunha told The Jakarta Post by phone that
between 60 and 100 militiamen affiliated with the Mahadomi
proautonomy group prevented motorists from leaving Manatuto.
"They carried rifles and sharp weapons, searching vehicles and
ordering motorists to stop."

"They aimed a pistol at (priest) Fransisco Dinheiro (who was
leaving for Dili) and ordered him to return to town, while his
driver was taken to a police station," Da Cunha said.

The leader of the Aitarak prointegration group, Eurico
Gueterres, on Monday demanded that no political leaders leave the
province and that they be held accountable for years of conflict
in the former Portuguese colony.

The spokesman for the Government Task Force for the Popular
Consultation, Dino Patti Djalal, said he was unaware of the
militia activity, but expressed his disapproval of the reported
actions.

"The government guarantees people's freedom of movement.
People are free to go wherever they want to travel," he said,
adding he would raise the matter with the government.

Separately, provincial police spokesman Capt. Widodo D.S. said
the militia movement was "understandable and conducted under
police supervision".

"They just want everybody to remain in East Timor so they can
share the burden of finding a settlement to their internal
matters. But we have persuaded them not to act (excessively),"
Widodo said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET)
reported a convoy of 17 vehicles carrying 150 people, including
50 local UNAMET staff members, from Gleno, Ermera, was stopped.

UNAMET spokesman David Wimhurst said the incident "was
supposed to be resolved" after local police intervened later in
the day.

Widodo said the incident followed the overnight murder of
local UNAMET staff member Joao Lopes Gomes in Atsabe, also in
Ermera.

He quoted witnesses as saying that Gomes, who was a
proindependence supporter, was stabbed from behind by a group of
people who accused him of failing to remain impartial.

Widodo said a group of proautonomy supporters asked the UNAMET
staff to remain in town following the stabbing.

"After police intervention, eight UNAMET international staff
members were let go, but tension heightened after they insisted
they would only leave with the local staff," Widodo said.

Some 30 members of the National Police's elite Mobile Brigade
are guarding the house rented by the UNAMET staff pending an
evacuation, he said.

Wimhurst said in addition to the murder of Gomes, there were
unconfirmed reports of two deaths in Atsabe. He said a team of
investigators was dispatched to the area on Tuesday.

Wimhurst also confirmed on Tuesday that many of the 4,000
local UNAMET staff members had received death threats.

However, he said that "like all East Timorese, the protection
of these people is the responsibility of the Indonesian police".

Earlier in the day, police unearthed the body of proautonomy
supporter Placido Ximenes, 40, who was killed in an incident in
Becora on the eve of Monday's vote. A deep slash wound was found
on Placido's neck.

Reconciliation

The planned establishment of the 25-member Consultative
Commission, which was to facilitate a reconciliation between
proindependence and pro-Jakarta supporters, did not materialize
as scheduled on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, UNAMET announced on Tuesday that 432,287 people, or
98.6 percent of total registered voters in the province, took
part in Monday's direct ballot.

The chief of the UN Electoral Assistance Division, Carina
Perelli, said the huge turnout showed that "neither fear nor
intimidation can stop people when they want to have their voices
heard".

Wimhurst said: "The massive turnout is absolute proof that the
campaign of intimidation, violence and threats... was a complete
failure." (amd/byg)