Fretilin ambush kills four in East Timor

DILI, East Timor (JP): Four people were killed and 24 injured, five critically, when suspected Fretilin separatist rebels ambushed a truck of police and soldiers in Baucau on Saturday, the military said yesterday.

Maj. Gen. A. Rivai, Udayana military chief who oversees security in East Timor, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, said 13 sustained burns, five were critically injured and six slightly injured, Antara reported.

Rivai said the incident happened in Quelikai, 130 kilometers east of Dili, when about 10 people in army-like uniforms stopped a truck that carried 26 police officers and two soldiers.

Thinking that the people who stopped the truck were fellow soldiers, the driver stopped. To their surprise, the strangers lobbed a grenade and fired at the truck.

Fire quickly engulfed the Hino truck after a drum of reserve fuel on board caught fire, Rivai said.

"The truck exploded and several people were shot dead when they tried to escape," he said.

The police officers and soldiers were on their way to Baucau from Quelikai, where they supervised the May 29 general election.

It was the latest of a flurry of attacks on police and civilian targets by suspected separatist rebels in the former Portuguese colony.

On the eve of the May 29 election, about 15 armed rebels attacked a police station in western Dili. Five of the aggressors were shot dead and three others were captured, according to police.

Rivai said that Saturday's attack happened due to a "technical error" in personnel transportation.

"The standard procedure is that a group of soldiers and police officers who have completed their duty in overseeing the election should be escorted by at least two vehicles so that they can protect each other in case of attack," he said.

Everything would be done to track down the attackers, he said, adding that no rifle had been seized by the rebels during the incident. He acknowledged that one gun was damaged.

"I think this is a disaster due to a technical mistake in the field."

Those with serious injuries were flown to Jakarta, and those with slight injuries were treated at a local hospital, Rivai said.

According to Rivai, the attackers fled to a nearby village when members of the Armed Forces chased them Saturday. He could not confirm if any of the rebels had been killed or wounded in the chase.

The military chief said that separatist rebels had been unsuccessful in their attempt to disrupt the general election.

Despite the recent series of attacks on military and civilian targets, the election in the youngest province proceeded smoothly as expected. (05/33)