CNRT-flag raising draws thousands of Dili residents
CNRT-flag raising draws thousands of Dili residents
DILI, East Timor (JP): Thousands of East Timorese flowed onto
the streets here Sunday to watch the opening of a new
headquarters for the pro-independence force and the first public
raising of the free East Timor flag.
In a ceremony that mixed military solemnity with singing and
dancing, the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT)
raised its blue, green and white flag outside a seafront bungalow
that will serve as its new base.
"I thank you all for keeping a peaceful campaign. It is up to
you to maintain a secure, peaceful condition," Jeff Fischer,
representative of the UN Mission for East Timor (UNAMET), said in
a brief opening statement on Sunday.
A day earlier, the pro-integration force held their campaign
in the lead up to the Aug. 30 self-determination vote on whether
the people of the former Portuguese colony will accept an
Indonesian offer of autonomy under the Indonesian flag or opt for
an independent state.
Manuel Carrascalao, a CNRT official, said the enthusiastic
greeting of the pro-independence supporters reflected "what the
people want" from the landmark referendum.
The opening of the CNRT office was the first public event by
independence supporters since the two-week campaign opened on
Saturday.
Saturday's pro-autonomy campaign began with prointegration
leaders' warning that the territory could turn into a war zone if
people voted for independence.
However, at the Saturday's gathering UN officials hailed the
good behavior of the anti-independence crowd, describing it as a
promising start to the campaign. Many had feared it could be
marred by violence between the rival factions.
In a recorded speech broadcast at Sunday's event, jailed
independence leader Jose Alexander "Xanana" Gusmao urged
supporters to show respect for other East Timorese who want
autonomy within Indonesia.
"For the past 24 years our enemy have not been the East
Timorese people who want integration with Indonesia. Our main
enemy has been the Indonesian military," said Xanana, who is
still under house arrest in Central Jakarta.
Xanana, speaking in the local Tetun language, said Indonesia's
armed forces and particularly their top commanders, bore
responsibility for atrocities committed in the province.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that seven men accused of taking part
in a militia attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in East Timor
have been sentenced to jail for four months.
"The accused were ordered to serve their sentences with no
time off," David Wimhurst, spokesman of UNAMET, was quoted by the
news agency as saying.
He did not elaborate on when the sentences were handed down.
Two UNAMET military liaison officers and other UN staff were
accompanying an aid convoy back to Dili on July 4 when it was
attacked in the town of Liquica by militiamen with guns and
machetes. One driver for an East Timorese aid organization was
seriously wounded. (33/edt)
DILI, East Timor (JP): Thousands of East Timorese flowed onto
the streets here Sunday to watch the opening of a new
headquarters for the pro-independence force and the first public
raising of the free East Timor flag.
In a ceremony that mixed military solemnity with singing and
dancing, the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT)
raised its blue, green and white flag outside a seafront bungalow
that will serve as its new base.
"I thank you all for keeping a peaceful campaign. It is up to
you to maintain a secure, peaceful condition," Jeff Fischer,
representative of the UN Mission for East Timor (UNAMET), said in
a brief opening statement on Sunday.
A day earlier, the pro-integration force held their campaign
in the lead up to the Aug. 30 self-determination vote on whether
the people of the former Portuguese colony will accept an
Indonesian offer of autonomy under the Indonesian flag or opt for
an independent state.
Manuel Carrascalao, a CNRT official, said the enthusiastic
greeting of the pro-independence supporters reflected "what the
people want" from the landmark referendum.
The opening of the CNRT office was the first public event by
independence supporters since the two-week campaign opened on
Saturday.
Saturday's pro-autonomy campaign began with prointegration
leaders' warning that the territory could turn into a war zone if
people voted for independence.
However, at the Saturday's gathering UN officials hailed the
good behavior of the anti-independence crowd, describing it as a
promising start to the campaign. Many had feared it could be
marred by violence between the rival factions.
In a recorded speech broadcast at Sunday's event, jailed
independence leader Jose Alexander "Xanana" Gusmao urged
supporters to show respect for other East Timorese who want
autonomy within Indonesia.
"For the past 24 years our enemy have not been the East
Timorese people who want integration with Indonesia. Our main
enemy has been the Indonesian military," said Xanana, who is
still under house arrest in Central Jakarta.
Xanana, speaking in the local Tetun language, said Indonesia's
armed forces and particularly their top commanders, bore
responsibility for atrocities committed in the province.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that seven men accused of taking part
in a militia attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in East Timor
have been sentenced to jail for four months.
"The accused were ordered to serve their sentences with no
time off," David Wimhurst, spokesman of UNAMET, was quoted by the
news agency as saying.
He did not elaborate on when the sentences were handed down.
Two UNAMET military liaison officers and other UN staff were
accompanying an aid convoy back to Dili on July 4 when it was
attacked in the town of Liquica by militiamen with guns and
machetes. One driver for an East Timorese aid organization was
seriously wounded. (33/edt)