Prointegration civilian militia rally in E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of prointegration civilian militia members rallied in the East Timor town of Maliana on Thursday, claiming they were ready to die for Indonesia's sovereignty over the province, while the government announced here it had asked the United Nations (UN) to delay next week's negotiations with Portugal.

The leader of prointegration Halilintar (Lightning) group, Joao da Silva Tavares, said at least 13 militia groups were ready to meet the offer of war issued recently by jailed East Timorese separatist leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao.

"If Xanana is no longer able to seek a reconciliation through peaceful means and if he wants a war, then we are ready to face him," Tavares said.

Xanana and Tavares warmly embraced each other last month in Jakarta after discussing peaceful solutions to the East Timor problem, including possible independence for the tiny territory.

Xanana, who chairs the National Resistance Council for an Independent East Timor (CNRT), threatened on Tuesday to order war against pro-Indonesian groups. He later softened his stance through his lawyer Johnson Panjaitan.

"Xanana was probably stressed out (when he made the declaration). However, if Xanana really wants a war it means he is against the Indonesian people," said Tavares in Maliana, 140 kilometers west of the East Timor capital Dili.

In Jakarta, Panjaitan played down Xanana's threat, saying his client's statement was influenced by the spiraling violence in the territory.

"The statement was issued by the CNRT leader as a reaction against an intensifying war climate there, especially during the last two months," the lawyer said in a statement.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Gen. (ret) Feisal Tanjung said the government would take severe measures as a result of Xanana's threat. He said Xanana might be sent to the notorious maximum security prison on Nusa Kambangan island, Central Java.

On Thursday, Minister of Justice Muladi sought a reason behind Xanana's threat, saying that as a convict he was in an unstable psychological condition.

"To gauge the seriousness of his call to arms, he should be approached for a more thorough investigation," he said.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo urged the Armed Forces (ABRI) and all conflicting parties to work together in finding an amiable solution to prevent the deaths of more innocent people as had happened on Monday in Liquica.

The bishop alleged on Wednesday that at least 25 proindependence residents were massacred by pro-Indonesian militia near a Catholic church in the regency, which is 28 kilometers west of Dili.

ABRI spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif said there were only five casualties.

"At least up until this evening Pak Tono (East Timor Military Commander Col. Tono Suratman) did not deny the bishop's claim," a journalist from Suara Timor Timur said on Thursday.

Catholic priest Rafael dos Santos who witnessed the Liquica incident, confirmed seven people were murdered. But he spoke of other witnesses' reports that there were other victims, whose bodies were taken away in trucks to unknown destinations.

"I myself saw seven dead people. However, when we went out to report the incident to a nearby military command a more brutal and sadistic butchering occurred again."

Separately, Director of Foreign Information at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sulaiman Abdulmanan, said his ministry had officially informed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the government was not able to finish its autonomy proposal draft for East Timor and had asked for a week's postponement.

The draft is expected to be discussed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his Portuguese counterpart Jaime Gama in New York under the auspices of Annan on April 20 and April 21.

"It is for technical reasons. We need more time to prepare it properly," Sulaiman said on Thursday. (33/prb)