Kofi Annan disturbed by East Timor violence reports
Kofi Annan disturbed by East Timor violence reports
JAKARTA (JP): United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is
very disturbed by reports of violence in East Timor as they could
hamper efforts towards a peaceful solution in the troubled
province, Antara reported on Friday from New York.
"Annan has continuously called for calm and peace in East
Timor, particularly while the current political process is
developing in a positive way," UN spokesman Manuel de Almeida e
Silva told the agency at the UN headquarters.
On Wednesday, two East Timorese civilians were shot dead, and
one soldier stabbed to death during a clash in the East Timor
capital of Dili.
On Friday, hundreds of East Timorese youths marched in a
funeral procession through the streets of Dili for the two
civilians, an East Timor University student Joaquim de Jesus, 21,
and a high school student, Fransisco da Conceicao Hornay, 23.
Antara reported the youths carried the bodies of Joaquim and
Fransisco. Joaquim was taken to Santa Cruz cemetery while
Fransisco was taken to his hometown in Lautem regency.
The bodies had been kept at the Dili headquarters of East
Timor's proindependence party, CNRT, since Wednesday's shooting.
First Private Mario da Costa, 41, was buried at the Seroja
Hero Cemetery in a military burial on Friday.
His shooting was triggered by the capture of an intelligence
officer by a group of proindependence youths, who were planning
to take him to CNRT's headquarters.
Meanwhile, AFP reported that eight Australians working at the
Australian Aid office in Dili left on Friday, reportedly because
of threats made against them by the anti-independence militia.
An Australian embassy spokesman told the news agency that "a
group of Australian citizens, including one tourist, had decided
to take temporary leave", from their jobs and holiday in Dili,
and had traveled to neighboring West Timor by road.
On Thursday two pro-Indonesian East Timorese militia leaders
sent a blunt warning to visiting Australian Foreign Minister
Alexander Downer, threatening the lives of Australian diplomats
and journalists.
"It is better to sacrifice an Australian diplomat or
journalist to save the lives of 850,000 East Timorese," warned
the fax, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post.
"Therefore the 13,000 to 15,000 members of the prointegration
paramilitary group willingly looks forward to meeting and facing
any Australian hypocrites, deceivers and political mercenaries
including the proindependence Australian peacekeeping force --
day and night," it said.
Tensions have risen in East Timor since the government of
President B.J. Habibie announced on Jan. 27 that it would
recommend granting independence to the province after 23 years of
rule, if the province rejects an offer of broad autonomy.
In a separate development, the United Nations office in
Jakarta denied a media report which said a special UN force would
arrive in the former Portuguese colony to disarm civilians --
both pro and anti-integration.
The UN statement said the story, carried by the daily Kompas,
was "inaccurate and misleading", and that any such disarmament
steps would only be decided on in tripartite talks between the
United Nations, Jakarta and Lisbon.
The tripartite talks are expected to resume in New York on
March 9 to finalize the autonomy offer for the former Portuguese
colony.
Meanwhile, head of the Dili office of state-owned shipping
company PT Pelni, Ringu, told Antara on Friday that ships leaving
for Bali, Surabaya and Jakarta are fully booked until next month.
Hundreds of migrants have fled East Timor in the past weeks,
fearing escalating tension between the proindependence and
prointegration supporters in the troubled province. (byg)