Relatives accept corporal's death

DILI, East Timor: Mourning relatives of Army chief corporal Alfredo Siga dos Santos said they regarded his death as an "accident", Antara reported yesterday.

Alfredo was killed by a mob inside Dili's main cathedral on Christmas Eve. He was on Christmas leave and was in the crowd greeting the return of Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo from Oslo after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize.

"His relatives accept that this sad affair was an accident. They don't want to prolong the issue," Captain Triyoga, a spokesman for the Wiradharma military command, said.

Triyoga said that Alfredo was a chief corporal and not First Corporal as had been earlier reported. There had also been reports that his relatives had planned to ask the National Commission on Human Rights, which has an office here, to investigate the incident.

Alfredo was buried at the Hero's Cemetery Thursday.

Six people have been detained for questioning in connection with his death. (emb)