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)