Dili students protest coercion

DILI, East Timor (JP): Hundreds of students on Friday demanded an end to intimidation, abductions and killings in order that East Timorese will feel free to choose between accepting or rejecting the government's offer of special autonomy on Aug. 8.

The fourth consecutive day of protesting was undisturbed, but in broad daylight in downtown Dili, shots were heard. Residents said a man had been beaten up and taken away by militias in a vehicle.

Students danced in the streets on Thursday after learning that Indonesia and Portugal at the United Nations headquarters in New York had signed an agreement giving East Timorese their first chance to determine their future.

A separate memorandum to the agreement also mentions "laying down of arms by all armed groups" before the ballot, the redeployment of Indonesian military forces and free campaigning.

At Friday's rally in front of East Timor University, student Cadeia da Costa described the "forced" dispersal of regional branches of the proindependence organization National Council for an Independent East Timor (CNRT).

Minister of Information Muhammad Yunus has said 10 of 13 regional CNRT branches have dispersed voluntarily.

"We will prove later in the direct ballot whether it is true that all East Timorese want wide-ranging autonomy... We will not be forced... by the dispersal of CNRT branches," da Costa said.

In Dili there were no signs of disarmament on Friday. Military commander Col. Suratman said on April 28 that disarming the prointegration militia would happen "in the next week or two".

He said disarming the groups would be a simple matter, because he had a list of all their names. He said he was more concerned about the ability of the proindependence Falintil militia's response to the April 21 peace pact between the conflicting parties.

On Thursday, it was reported from United Nations headquarters that the UN Security Council had welcomed the agreements.

AFP quoted council president Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon as saying that the 15 members also backed UN chief Kofi Annan's decision to dispatch UN staff to East Timor as soon as possible to assist with preparations for the ballot.

Britain presented to the council members a UN draft resolution endorsing the East Timor agreement. The resolution could be adopted on Friday, Dangue Rewaka said.

The draft resolution "stresses the responsibility of the government of Indonesia to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and other international staff and observers".

Reuters reported that the council resolution expresses "grave concern at the security situation in East Timor" where anti- independence militias have been active since President B.J. Habibie announced in January his government's willingness to reverse the integration if the East Timorese rejected autonomy.

The agency said the issue of security was stressed by Annan in a written report to the Security Council on Thursday containing the texts of the accords.

He said he had emphasized to the parties the main elements that would need to be in place "to enable me to determine that the necessary security conditions exist for the start of the operational phases of the consultation process."

He said these included "the bringing of armed civilian groups under strict control and the prompt arrest and prosecution of those who incite or threaten to use violence."

Antara on Friday reported from New York that the United States welcomed the May 5 agreement on the ballot as "a very important step to achieve a peaceful solution to the issue of East Timor", Deputy Spokesman at the U.S. State Department, James B. Foley, said.

AFP reported from Tokyo that the UN has asked Japan to send a civilian police force to help monitor the ballot.

"It is true that the United Nations headquarters has sounded out Japan on the possibility of sending a civilian police force (to East Timor)," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka said, adding that a response would be discussed with other ministries.

Also on Friday AFP reported from East Timor's Liquica regency that more than 1,000 refugees have flooded into Liquica town and were camping out in tents and under trees.

One woman living in a tent with her children said she was fleeing terror in the countryside. No further details were provided. Liquica was the site of an alleged slaughter in early April in which at least 25 died.

At Dili Police Headquarters, a CNRT executive, Leandro Isac, who is among dozens sheltered there, said on Friday he looked forward to immediately returning home to publicize the New York agreement and the April 21 peace pact.

Leandro was among proindependence leaders whose homes were attacked by militias on April 17.

Rector of East Timor University, Theo T. Balella, said mass prayers for peace were planned for Saturday. Prayers would also be held for the safety of two students abducted last month during field studies in Suai, Covalima regency. (33/anr)