'Tiras' trial stalled

DILI, East Timor: The trial of four men accused of assaulting a reporter had to be adjourned yesterday because none of the five prosecutor's witnesses turned up, Antara reported.

Prosecutor Bambang Riyanto could not explain the absence of his witnesses.

The four men -- Jose Antonis Soares (23), Jaime de Jesus Ribeiro Verdial (16), Americo Serao (20) and Jacob Fernandes (20) -- are charged with assaulting Gaudensius Mau, the local correspondent for the Tiras Magazine, in November.

A fifth man, Liban Cavin Soares, is being tried separately on the same charges.

Earlier reports said that eight men had assaulted Mau after mistaking him for an intelligence officer. As a result of the beating, the reporter was hospitalized for 11 days. (13)