No UN peacekeepers to East Timor: Alatas

JAKARTA (JP): Foreign minister Ali Alatas dismissed on Tuesday the possibility of the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force in East Timor, despite reports of attacks on UN posts and UN staff in the province.

The minister said the government would continue to strive for a conducive climate for the ballot scheduled for Aug. 22.

"According to the tripartite agreement in New York on May 5, the UN will never send a peacekeeping force to East Timor, except for a number of liaison police advisers," Alatas said at a break during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission for foreign affairs, defense and security.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) reported last week attacks and threats on its posts in Maliana and Viqueque. The government said the attack in Maliana which injured one UN electoral officer was a brawl between proindependence and prointegration supporters.

A humanitarian mission visiting refugees in Liquica with UNAMET staff was attacked on Sunday by local militia, leaving three injured and six missing.

However, Antara reported on Tuesday the six had returned safely. Coordinator of the Dili humanitarian mission, Jose Luis de Olivera, said at the nongovernmental Human Rights and Justice (Hak) Foundation in Dili the six had sought safety in the Sare village at the time of the attack, and returned to Dili by public transport.

A UNAMET official said on Monday that given the lack of guaranteed security ahead of the August direct ballot, the United Nations might send a peacekeeping force.

Ueki Yasuhiro, a UNAMET spokesman, said on Tuesday in Dili that the head of the mission, Ian Martin, had left for Jakarta to meet Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto and Alatas to discuss security concerns and the recent violence involving UNAMET.

The meetings may take place on Wednesday, officials at the ministries said.

Alatas denied allegations on Tuesday that UNAMET was being discriminative and leaning toward proindependence groups, adding there were only "certain staff members" who frequently acted out of line. However, he did not elaborate.

In a statement made available to The Jakarta Post, the prointegration Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice (FPDK) said among other things that UNAMET had violated the May 5 agreement as it had no right to conduct a humanitarian mission.

Activists in the humanitarian mission said it was already coordinated with police apart from UNAMET, which had its own humanitarian mission.

FPDK also cited a survivor, Ronaldo Comea Martins, who said his shot wounds came from inside a vehicle of the mission.

Meanwhile, the chief of police advisors for the UN-sponsored direct ballot, Brig. Gen. Rezaqul Haider arrived on Tuesday in Dili from Darwin, Antara reported, along with 15 other officers. They comprised officers from Malaysia, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and Bangladesh.

After a day's rest they would be spread to UN posts in the province's 13 regencies, according to UNAMET.

A demonstration by 300 proindependence activists was held in front of the UN office in Dili on Tuesday, which urged the UN not to be cowed by the latest violence, Reuters reported.

Chairman of the Hak Foundation Aniceto Gutteres also refuted suggestions on Tuesday that nongovernmental organizations were leaning to proindependence groups in their humanitarian mission.

"Every week we receive reports of deaths because of shortages in medical and food supplies," Aniceto said.

The mission to Liquica was aimed to help 4,200 refugees in Sare and 3,500 in Faulara village. In Sare, 15 have died of starvation and 70 have perished in Faulara, he said. (rms/33)