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)