Three UN workers killed in Atambua

JAKARTA (JP): At least three United Nations humanitarian workers were killed in an apparent retaliatory attack in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday following the murder of ex- militia leader Olivio Moruk just days after he was named a suspect in last year's mayhem in East Timor.

The UN office in Jakarta said in a statement: "So far four UN humanitarian workers are unaccounted for and feared dead."

The killings occurred when several thousand people attacked the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Atambua following news of Olivio's death.

The three humanitarian workers who have been confirmed dead were reportedly stabbed and their bodies burned in front of the office. While the identities of the three have not been revealed, it is known their nationalities were Croatian, Ethiopian and Puerto Rican.

The UN only resumed work among East Timorese refugees in East Nusa Tenggara last week after an earlier attack which injured its staff members.

The UN office in Jakarta said that as of 8 p.m., 55 UN staff in Atambua were being evacuated to Dili, East Timor, while others were being relocated to the East Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Kupang and other parts of Indonesia.

The attack immediately drew condemnation from world leaders gathering in New York for the UN Millennium Summit.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the summit on Wednesday by asking attending leaders to pay a silent tribute to the slain UN workers.

Asking the delegates to stand and observe a minute of silence, Annan said he would take up the matter with Indonesia "at the highest level".

United States President Bill Clinton, who took the podium immediately after Annan, opened his address by saying he was "deeply saddened" by the news.

Suspect

The attack on the UNHCR office came in the wake of the murder of Olivio on Tuesday night by unknown assailants.

There was immediate specualtion surrounding the circumstances of his death. Olivio was among 19 suspects named by the Attorney General's Office last week for their alleged roles in the violence in East Timor last year.

Olivio, 45, was the commander of the Laksaur militia which operated in East Timor.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman questioned whether Olivio's murder was politically motivated. "I think it was too coincidental that Olivio was killed right after he was named a suspect," Marzuki told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday night.

"(The murder) will be fully investigated because it is clear there are indications this goes beyond a criminal act," he said.

Marzuki also said he had obtained "assurances" from Indonesian Military Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. that the other suspects in the case, particularly the two ex-militia members, would be "monitored" by security personnel.

"I've also instructed the provincial prosecutor's office (in East Nusa Tenggara) to provide extra police protection for the two remaining militia members," Marzuki said, referring to Martinus Bere and Izidio Manek.

When asked if he believed Olivio was killed by rogue military members to prevent him from testifying about the East Timor violence, Marzuki said: "We cannot speculate on that ... but the facts on the ground indicate that it is not difficult to draw that kind of conclusion."

On Wednesday night in Atambua, Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri met with UNHCR officials, police representatives and local administration officials. After the meeting, he said a joint team would be formed to investigate the death of UN workers and to secure the remaining staff in Kupang.

Discussing the death of Olivio, Kiki said the former militia leader was killed following an argument between ex-militia members and locals over a gambling issue.

Kiki said several thousand people earlier had gathered at the local council building to protest the murder. He said security personnel had foreseen the possibility of a conflict and had evacuated most UN workers, but the three murdered UN staff had returned to the building.

"We didn't anticipate anything like this," he said, adding that a battalion from the Army Strategic Reserves Command would arrive on Thursday to help secure the area.(lem/byg/prb)