Preparations for ballot continue despite violence

Preparations for ballot continue despite violence

DILI, East Timor (JP): Preparations will continue for the
direct ballot which will determine East Timor's future despite
Thursday's violence, a representative of the United Nations said
on Friday.

United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) chief Ian Martin
said the ballot would go ahead as planned on Monday.

"We continue to make all the preparations necessary to open
polling stations throughout East Timor on Monday," Martin said,
adding, however, that security concerns remained in the
territory's western districts of Bobonaro, Covalima Ainaro and
Manufahi.

The western districts of East Timor are known to be
strongholds of prointegration militias.

More than 451,000 people have registered to participate in the
ballot to decide whether the territory will remain a part of
Indonesia with wide-ranging autonomy or become an independent
state.

UNAMET said earlier it would open some 850 polling stations
located in 200 polling centers throughout the province on Monday.

Proindependence leader Leandro Isaac of the National Council
of Timorese Resistance (CNRT) said on Friday the violence on
Thursday was instigated by prointegration militias, and was "a
clear testimony that the authorities are not willing to fulfill
their responsibility in accordance to the New York agreement
signed in May".

Under the agreement, the Indonesian police are responsible for
maintaining security in the province during the direct ballot.

The CNRT claimed at least four people were killed and nine
more wounded during Thursday's violence.

Prointegration leader Lopez da Cruz, however, said the
violence, which erupted during a proautonomy rally, was triggered
by proindependence supporters.

"Proindependence supporters pelted stones and fired shots at a
prointegration convoy in Bidau, East Dili, at 3:30 p.m.," Lopez
said.

He said the incident triggered a counterattack by the Aitarak
militia on the CNRT office in downtown Audian.

Lopez said two prointegration supporters, Virgilio Martins and
Apolinario Pinto, and two proindependence supporters were killed
in the violence. Six prointegration supporters were also injured
in the incident, he added.

As families buried their dead, more than 400 people from the
areas of Quintal Boot, Matadouro and Bemora in Audian fled to
Santo Yoseph high school in Balide, East Dili, on early Friday,
fearing further violence.

Meanwhile, witnesses said at least two people were killed and
nine houses set on fire in an attack by a prointegration militia
in Tapomemo village in Maliana, some 60 kilometers southwest of
Dili, on Friday morning.

A witness said dozens of Tapomemo villagers fled to the nearby
village of Pitgalag. However, authorities could not be
immediately contacted to confirm the report.

Separately, Reuters reported from Lisbon that a photographer
from United States-based Time magazine said on Friday he saw
Indonesian police shoot dead a 25-year-old unarmed protester
during Thursday's clashes.

The American photographer told Portugal's TSF radio that he
photographed the killing in the East Timor capital of Dili on
Thursday. He said the picture would be published by Time on
Monday.

"The police shot him and turned around and walked away," said
the photographer, who requested anonymity.

"The police were chasing a presumed supporter of independence
who wore an emblem in support of (East Timorese independence
leader) Xanana (Gusmao) on his hat. He (the youth) had obviously
been involved in the clashes.

"They (police) ran up right close to him, maybe within two
meters, and shot him in the back of the head. He died
immediately," the photographer said.

Martin said UNAMET could not confirm any police shootings on
Thursday.

From Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, it was reported that the
last day of campaigning by prointegration supporters went
smoothly.

In Yogyakarta, more complaints against UNAMET were raised.

A student from Gadjah Mada University, Zito Pinto Soares, 26,
said the UN body and the International Organization for Migration
did not allow more than 100 East Timorese from Yogyakarta and
Central Java to register for the direct ballot.

He said the Muslim East Timorese were not allowed to register
because they lacked church documents. "Doesn't UNAMET know there
are many Muslim East Timorese?" (33/byg/bay/amd/27/23)