Four killed in attacks by armed gang in E. Timor

Four killed in attacks by armed gang in E. Timor

Jose Belo, Associated Press, Dili

Screaming "We are coming back for you!" a gang armed with
automatic rifles raided two villages in newly independent East
Timor, killing four people and injuring eight, eyewitnesses said
on Sunday.

The fighting on late Saturday and on early Sunday in the
villages of Tiarelelo and Laubonu - located about 60 kilometers
(37.28 miles) southwest of the capital - prompted President
Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri to fly there on
Sunday afternoon to meet with residents.

Witnesses said they believed the 11 assailants belonged to
pro-Indonesia militias, which wrought devastation in East Timor
when the half island voted for independence in a 1999 referendum.
If their assertion proves true, the attack would be the most
serious of its kind by militiamen since the country became
independent in May.

Nearly 2,000 civilians in East Timor were believed killed in
1999 and 250,000 forced to flee their homes when Indonesian
troops and their militia proxies launched a campaign of terror
before and after the referendum.

East Timor gained full independence after a period of
transitional rule by the United Nations following Indonesia's
brutal 24-year occupation. Militia leaders have been put on trial
in Indonesia and East Timor, and militias have not posed a
serious threat since independence.

But last month, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta
suggested that pro-Jakarta militiamen were behind a one-day riot
that left two dead and dozens of buildings destroyed in Dili.
Among the buildings burnt down was the residence of Alkatiri.

On Sunday, Alkatiri suggested militias have became active in
the country, though he stopped short of blaming them for the
attack on the two villages.

"I believe that pro-Indonesia militias are still active," he
said. "They are not trying to invade the country like in 1975 but
they are trying to destabilize it."

Villagers said they had no doubt that the 11 men were pro-
Jakarta militiamen. They said they recognized the men from the
fighting back in 1999 and said some wore Indonesian military
uniforms.

Villagers said the men - all armed with automatic rifles -
stormed into Tiarelelo, shooting indiscriminately and robbing
villagers of money and food. A 17-year-old man was killed and
three children were injured, witnesses said.

The gang then moved to the nearby village of Laubonu, where
they killed the village head and his son, witnesses said. A
third, unidentified villager was also killed, they said.

Villagers told Gusmao that the gang had been active since
November in the area. They said the same gang robbed a nearby
village and kidnapped six people from another village. Only one
of the six has been released, they said.

"It is sad that so many people were killed," Gusmao said. "But
the killings will also serve to wake up the United Nations. Until
now, the United Nations hasn't trusted the information that has
come from the people. We have to stop these problems and bring
these people to justice."

Gusmao, who was joined by UN security officials, vowed to beef
up security in the area and investigate the killings.

A United Nations spokesman could not be reached for comment.