Governor urges Dili people to remain calm
JAKARTA (JP): East Timorese Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares is urging local citizens to remain calm following an incident at the Becora Inpres market in East Dili.
"Be calm and don't be easily provoked by groundless rumors," Antara news agency reported the governor as saying on Sunday.
He explained that the incident was sparked by a misunderstanding between two traders, Mokhamad Sakir and Mario Vicente, who were involved in a quarrel on Saturday over the placement of their stalls.
Reports received by the governor said that Sakir was envious of the prosperous business run by Mario, whose stall is more strategically placed than his.
This jealousy led to a quarrel, which ended with Sakir stabbing Mario to death, Abilio said.
The incident sparked the anger of local residents, who wanted to take revenge.
"Sakir is now in the custody of security officers," Abilio said.
He advised the citizens to stay calm and not be easily provoked. "The incident will be settled in line with the existing regulations. The government is determined to thoroughly resolve the case," he said.
If local residents can be so easily agitated by rumors into staging demonstrations, it will only enable certain parties to use such situations to promote their own interests, he added.
Back to normal
In Jakarta yesterday, Brig. Gen. Syarwan Hamid, a spokesman for the Armed Forces, said conditions in Dili have returned to normal after the commotion on Saturday and Sunday.
After the death of Mario, a group of people protested, carrying various posters containing anti-integration slogans referring to the province's entry into Indonesia in 1976.
The protest went on into Sunday, with between 50 and 60 people getting out of hand and damaging houses, kiosks, shops and vehicles, he said.
"The situation returned to normal after noted local figures clarified the background of Saturday's incident to the demonstrators," he said.
Syarwan explained that in handling the incident, the security officers acted very carefully in order to prevent anyone from getting hurt.
"Police have since questioned a number of those involved in the incident," he said.
He expressed concern over the broadcasting of film footage of the incident by Cable News Network (CNN) International. According to Syarwan the news report did not accurately depict the situation.
"Through their camera techniques, they made close-up shots which made it look as if the demonstration was joined by a lot people. Actually there were only a handful of them," he said.
In Dili, Commander of the Udayana Military District Maj. Gen. Adang Ruchiatna also said yesterday the situation in the city was under control. (yac/hhr)