Government to send 1,200 more police to East Timor

JAKARTA (JP): The government said on Wednesday it would send 1,200 police reinforcements to East Timor in response to a recent spate of attacks against personnel of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET).

The decision was announced as the mission's representative Ian Martin conveyed serious concerns over security in the province to Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto.

Speaking after talks between Martin and Wiranto, Brig. Gen. Sudradjat, deputy spokesman of TNI, said the reinforcements would be dispatched to coincide with the withdrawal of an equal number of combat troops from the troubled territory.

He said the measure was meant "to maintain security... for all parties including the United Nations" ahead of the August popular consultation. The personnel will augment 460 Mobile Brigade members plus 3,900 local police.

Under the tripartite agreement between Indonesia, Portugal and the UN in New York on May 5, no peacekeeping forces will be sent to the territory and security is the responsibility of the Indonesian Police.

Martin discussed with Wiranto the attacks against his staff.

"I came to Jakarta in order to express at the highest level the very serious concerns of the United Nations regarding the security situation in East Timor," Martin said after the meeting.

Martin told a later media briefing that the situation would have to improve before voter registration could start as planned on July 13. His comments indicated there could be another delay ordered by the UN secretary-general.

On Tuesday last week, a number of armed prointegration group members attacked a UNAMET post in Maliana, leaving a staff member injured. On Sunday, a convoy of UNAMET personnel and local activists was attacked by members of the Besi Merah Putih militia after it handed over humanitarian aid to local refugees in Liquica.

A witness said on Monday the attack was in response to shots fired from a car in the UNAMET convoy. Martin denied that a member of his staff shot first at the attackers.

Martin said he appealed to Wiranto to take action against the parties responsible and to ensure that prointegration militia would no longer be able to operate "brutally".

"What is important for us is that we see real changes on the ground. I now want to go back to East Timor and see that those are really reflected in reality."

Martin denied UNAMET was favoring proindependence groups but promised to investigate allegations that some staff members behaved inappropriately.

Martin met with National Police chief Gen. Roesmanhadi earlier on Wednesday, national police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar M. Sianipar said. They agreed to set operational procedures for both police and the UN officials.

"The police chief also pledged to investigate the (attacks) and asked that the UN mission maintain contact with our local officers for their own safety," he said.

UN special envoy Francesc Vandrell said that a decision to delay the vote would not hinge only on the safety of UNAMET staff, but also on whether the situation permitted East Timorese to vote without fear.

First, he said, "you need a level playing field, and second the paramilitary or any other armed group should not be seen in public".

Martin said the militia continued to operate in towns like Liquica and Maliana, where many of the attacks have taken place, "with impunity.

"That requires a change of message from the (Indonesian) security forces as a whole," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, a pro-Jakarta faction threatened to boycott consultation because of the alleged UN bias toward proindependence supporters.

"We may ask our supporters not to take part in the ballot," Basilio Dias Araujo of the Unity, Democracy and Justice Forum said. "The UN has been caught up in the proindependence struggle."

From the East Timor capital of Dili, Dino Patti Djalal of the Task Force for the Implementation of the Popular Consultation in East Timor reported a "peace contact" initiated by Falintil, the armed wing of the proindependence force, in Famalai village in Manatuto.

Dino said there were rumors that the Falintil wanted to disarm. A 25-member delegation, including Dino's group, several military officers, four journalists and the Manatuto Police chief went uphill and were met by about 150 fully armed Falintil men. One of Falintil's commanders, Eli Soho Rai Bot, greeted the delegation.

"They did not want to surrender their weapons but stated their willingness to support the peacemaking process, and promised not to initiate attacks as long as the TNI did not initiate any ..." Dino said.

"It is the formalizing of a cease-fire," he said of the one- hour meeting.

Meanwhile, a soldier's wife was allegedly abducted by pro- independence fighters in Baucau, some 180 kilometers of the provincial capital of Dili, on Tuesday.

East Timor police spokesman Capt. Widodo said Wednesday that private Julio Pereira's wife, Marlinda Amaral, 32, was abducted by about 20 members of Falintil, when she was searching for her two lost horses with her two children.

Her children escaped and reported the incident to Julio.

Local authorities said that Marlinda's whereabouts was still not known. (rms/byg/emf/33)