Relatives accept corporal's death

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)