Fretilin leader arrested

Fretilin leader arrested

DILI, East Timor: The military yesterday announced it has
arrested one of the top commanders of Fretilin, the armed
separatist movement.

Antara reported that Pascoal Ximenes Pereira, alias "Nixon",
known as the Fretilin's political assistant chief, was arrested
during a military raid in Bobo Suko village in the Manfahi
regency east of here.

He was caught by a local security unit at dawn on Nov. 24, the
chief of the East Timor military command, Col. Mahidin Simbolon,
told reporters yesterday.

Pascoal was caught asleep in a shed which he was using as his
hideout, Antara said, adding that during the raid, one Fretilin
member was shot dead while another fled. (emb)