E. Timor's former governor and family flee to Macau

E. Timor's former governor and family flee to Macau

JAKARTA (JP): Former Jakarta-appointed governor of East Timor
Mario Viegas Carrascalao and his family have fled to the
Portuguese territory of Macao, fearing for their lives if they
stayed in Indonesia, the Antara news agency reported on Friday.

"I'll go back only after a democratic government is formed in
Indonesia," Carrascalao said upon his arrival at the airport in
Macao, near Hong Kong, on Thursday night.

Mario Carrascalao, also a member of the Supreme Advisory
Council, said he decided to take refuge abroad after receiving
numerous death threats from unidentified persons.

Mario's brother, proindependence fighter Manuel Carrascalao,
is still in East Timor. Manuel's 18-year-old son, who was also
called Mario, was killed last Saturday in an attack by
prointegration forces.

Mario Carrascalao has criticized the government and the Armed
Forces for arming the East Timor militias believed to be
responsible for killing East Timorese supporting independence.

He revealed his family and relatives repeatedly received death
threats after he made comments about Jakarta's offer of a choice
between independence or autonomy for East Timor.

He said he was one of a number of East Timorese figures on a
prointegration militia hit-list.

Macao, an island adjacent to Hong Kong, has been for 442 years
under Portugal's administrative control, and is scheduled to be
returned to China on Dec. 19, 1999. (rms)