UNAMET pulls seven personel from Viqueque

UNAMET pulls seven personel from Viqueque

JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations Assistance Mission in East
Timor (UNAMET) temporarily pulled seven of its 13 personnel from
Viqueque following a death threat from an armed prointegration
militia group, its spokesman said on Thursday.

The UNAMET acting spokesman, Hiro Ueki, said the 20 strong-
militia demonstrated in front of the UN mission post on Wednesday
afternoon, and shouted threatening remarks at the personnel.

"A group of militia men with some weapons surrounded the
house, threatening UNAMET should go home or they would be
killed," Ueki told The Jakarta Post.

Ueki, who is temporarily replacing spokesman David Wimhurst
during his absence, said UNAMET decided to transfer the seven
volunteers to Dili, but retained six personnel, including three
police advisors.

"Today the situation was calm. We will continue to assess the
situation tomorrow, and will decide later whether we can send
them back to Viqueque," Ueki said.

The attack in Viqueque, 171 kilometers east of Dili, was the
second incident after a UNAMET post in the Bobonaro district town
of Maliana on Tuesday was ransacked, injuring at least seven
people including one UN personnel. Police were still questioning
10 suspects in the Maliana incident.

East Timor Police spokesman Capt. Widodo D.S. said the
demonstration in Viqueque, led by Regerio da Silva Amaral and
Filomeno Soares Sarmento, was peaceful, and merely aimed to
demand UNAMET remain neutral and fair, as its presence in the
province tended to take sides with the anti-integration group,
Antara reported. The UN has dismissed such allegations.

"Since the arrival of UNAMET's presence in Viqueque, the
security condition has turned around from a conducive condition
to an insecure one," Widodo quoted the demonstration leader as
saying.

A journalist at Suara Timor Timur (STT) reported on his return
from Viqueque that the protesters demanded a thorough
investigation on the murder of three friends in Lacluta district
last month, and another missing in Uimaro subdistrict in
Viqueque. Neither UNAMET or the UN civilian police are authorized
to investigate crimes.

"During the demonstration, the power supply and telephone
lines were paralyzed," Germano de Sousa told the Post.

From Canberra, AP reported Prime Minister John Howard as
saying on Thursday he would write to President B.J. Habibie to
protest the attack in Maliana.

He also revealed for the first time his personal misgivings
about sending unarmed Australian personnel to East Timor.

"We agonized before the police went, about whether they were
armed or not," the prime minister said.

East Timor deputy police chief Col. Muafi Sahudji confirmed on
Thursday that 400 Falintil soldiers, the armed wing of the
proindependence Council for East Timor Resistance (CNRT), signed
a peace agreement with rivals in Suai city of Covalima regency on
Wednesday. East Timor Military commander Col. Tono Suratman was
present at the ceremony.

Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI)
chief Gen. Wiranto said on Wednesday at least 1,000 Falintil
soldiers would soon leave the jungle to follow in the steps of
their 220 colleagues.

"Police are ready to accommodate and guarantee the security of
Falintil members who agree to leave the mountains, including the
400 people," East Timor deputy police chief Col. Muafi Saudji
said.

In Dili, about 60 youths from the Renetil and Impetu
proindependence groups rallied against the government decision to
ban self-exiled Jose Ramos Horta to visit his homeland after an
absence of 23 years.

"All East Timorese have the right to come," he said, as quoted
by AFP.

In a written report to a Cabinet meeting, Minister of Foreign
Ali Alatas insisted on Wednesday Horta would not be allowed to
visit the territory for the sake of his own safety. Alatas said
last month the government might consider permission as long as
Horta did not campaign there.

Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, arrived in
Jakarta on Saturday to attend peace talks which concluded on
Wednesday. He said he accepted the ban, which also applied to all
East Timorese coming to the talks from overseas.

In front of the hotel where the meeting was held, a
prointegration group issued on Wednesday a death threat against
Horta if he tried to return home.

"He will be killed as soon as he arrives in East Timor by the
Aitarak or the Besi Merah Putih (armed militia group)," group
leader Joao Angelo de Sousa said.(33/prb)