Four suspected rebels held for burning a Dili market

Four suspected rebels held for burning a Dili market

DILI, East Timor (JP): Four of six suspected separatist rebels
have been arrested for allegedly setting fire to hundreds of
kiosks at the Old Mercado Market here Saturday afternoon.

East Timor Police Chief Col. Jusuf Mucharam told The Jakarta
Post yesterday a manhunt had been mounted on the other two
escaped rebels. He called on the public to help the authorities
track the two down.

The fire gutted 190 of 322 kiosks, according to Siti Rochani
of the C.V. Maubura Indah developer. The Suara Pembaruan daily
put the number of kiosks that were gutted at 500, causing a
financial loss of about Rp 5 billion (US$2.027 million). No
casualties were reported.

An eyewitness said police fired warning shots at the escaping
rebels, causing panic among kiosk owners struggling to salvage
their goods.

Jusuf said the four people captured had admitted to pouring
gasoline on a semi-permanent kiosk at the eastern part of the
market before setting it on fire. The blaze spread quickly and
engulfed the market, making it difficult for the firefighters,
who arrived an hour later, to contain it.

East Timor Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares and Dili Mayor
Mates Maia called on the police to investigate the incident and
the suspected rebels' involvement.

The market, built in 1910, was left over from the Portuguese
colonial era in the province. It had been burned four times, once
during the Portuguese colony and three other times after East
Timor integrated into Indonesia in 1976.

Police

In a related development Saturday, eight East Timor District
Police Chiefs quit their positions and were simultaneously sent
back to school.

"The eight police chiefs have performed very well. They have
passed the entrance test at the National Police Leadership School
and will immediately join the classes," Jusuf Mucharam was quoted
by Antara as saying after leading the police chiefs' transfer-of-
duty ceremony.

The police chiefs were Maj. Yohanes Wardoyo of Lautem, Maj.
Taufik Nur Hidayat of Baucau, Maj. Setyohadi of Manatuto and Maj.
Y. Gotti of Aileu.

Also sent to school were Maj. Endang E. Bagus of Ainaro, Maj.
Wiguna of Ermera, Lt. Col. Wiliam Lameng of Manufahi and Maj.
Ricardo Hutauruk.

Eight other middle-level police officers have been assigned to
replace the outgoing district police chiefs. "The replacements
are the best graduates of the National Police Leadership School,"
Jusuf said.

Lt. Col. Bambang Purnomosidi of the National Police
Headquarters replaces Yohanes Wardoyo, Lt. Col. Setyanto of the
North Sumatra Police replaces Taufik Nur Hidayat, Maj. Suro
Jauhari of the Jakarta Police replaces Setyohadi and Lt. Col.
Akhmad Hidayat Tampubolon replaces Y. Gotti.

Lt. Kartono V. of the National Police Headquarters replaces
Endang E. Bagus, Lt. Col. Rudiard N.L. Tampubolon also of the
National Police Headquarters replaces Wiguna, Lt. Col. Bambang
Sunarno of the West Java Police replaces Wiliam Lameng and Lt.
Col. Dewa Bagus Sukarya of the National Police Headquarters
replaces Ricardo Hutauruk.

Also Saturday, Jusuf disclosed that 17 civilians, including
children, have been allegedly shot to death by members of the
East Timor separatist movement during the May-June period.

He said that 10 of the victims were residents of the Los Palos
regency, two were from Baucau regency, another two from Liquisa
and the remaining three were from the regencies of Viqueque,
Ermera and Ainaro, respectively.

The police chief said security officers have so far caught 120
separatist members, who had conducted a series of armed ambushes
and attacks in several East Timor regions. Included in the list
were 26 separatist members who had attacked a company of the
police's elite force, the Mobile Brigade, at Bairro Pite village,
West Dili subdistrict, last Wednesday. (33/05/imn)