Respected Dili Bishop appeals for calm

Respected Dili Bishop appeals for calm

DILI, East Timor (JP): The Roman Catholic leader in East
Timor, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, has appealed to all
parties in Dili, from the security and government apparatus to
the young people, to work together to restore peace.

The Dili Bishop issued a pastoral letter in connection with
the three days of rioting which paralyzed the city early this
week. The letter was signed on Monday, the second day of rioting,
but only became known publicly yesterday.

Life in the city was returning to normal, and schools and
offices were starting to open on Wednesday. But tension still
prevailed, seen in the heavy presence of security officers on
Dili streets.

The riot was sparked by the killing of an East Timorese by a
man of Bugis (South Sulawesi) origins at the Becora market on
Saturday night, apparently over of a trivial argument. The
incident angered many East Timorese, who took to the streets and
went on the rampage, attacking shops belonging to Bugis and non-
East Timorese people.

The riot later took a political turn with many young people
venting their anger at the government and expressing their
opposition to Indonesia's integration of East Timor.

In his letter, the bishop appealed to all parties not to let
the situation drag on and to work hand in hand to restore peace
and order.

He urged the authorities to pay attention to the fate of the
poor people in East Timor and to ensure that justice would be
carried out in accordance with the law in the Becora market
murder case.

Bishop Belo, a highly respected figure in the predominantly
Catholic province of East Timor, also sought to use his influence
on its young people.

In his letter, he said the young people should take part in
creating a peaceful atmosphere, and work harder for a better
future. He beseeched the young people not to take the law into
their own hands.

Meanwhile, the deputy speaker of the East Timor Legislative
Assembly, Maria L.C. Quintau, denounced the rioters who claimed
to speak on behalf of all East Timorese in launching their
violent actions.

"They were claiming to speak on behalf of East Timorese
although they were serving their own personal interests," Quintau
was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying.

Misled

She said the youths had been misled by propaganda spread by
the armed separatist movement Fretilin from overseas who are the
least concerned about the welfare of the East Timorese.

Some of the rioters carried the Fretilin flag and also
pictures of Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao, the former Fretilin
commander who is now serving a 17-year jail term in Jakarta.

Quintau said that morally, Fretilin and Xanana are
responsible for the violence in the streets, having given the
youths empty promises.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, a group of East Timorese studying in
Bandung gathered at the National Commission on Human Rights
yesterday to complain about pressure and intimidation from the
security apparatus in the West Java city.

Nelson, the spokesman for the Association of East Timor
Students (Impettu), told the commission's secretary general that
three of their members in Bandung were pressured by the
authorities to make a statement regarding the action by 29 East
Timorese at the American Embassy.

Impettu is not a political organization and its members have
no desire to be dragged into politics, said Nelson, who is
heading a delegation of eight representatives of Impettu Bandung.

The association in Bandung has around 220 members.

The association's sole concern, he added, is promoting the
education of East Timorese students.

"We leave East Timor politics to East Timor representatives
in the government. Impettu Bandung has no authority to make
political statements," he added.

Yesterday, there were no signs that the 29 young East
Timorese who have occupied the American embassy parking lot since
Saturday, were giving up their by now lost cause of a meeting
with U.S. President Bill Clinton or Secretary of State Warren
Christopher. Both men left in the early hours yesterday after the
APEC meetings and followed by a one-day state visit.

The Armed Forces have also rejected their other demand --
the release of Xanana. The government has repeatedly given its
assurances that the protesters do not face retribution if they
leave the embassy compound.

The youths have so far not responded to the offer of asylum
from the Portuguese government. (yac/imn/emb/yns)