U.S. ship brings aid to E. Timor; RI invites aid groups to return
U.S. ship brings aid to E. Timor; RI invites aid groups to return
DILI, East Timor (AP): A U.S. warship arrived in Dili Saturday
to take part in an ongoing American humanitarian mission in East
Timor as an Indonesian general invited foreign aid workers to
return to the violence-wracked western half of the island.
The 25 marines and 200 sailors on board the ship, the USS
O'Brien, will spend two days in the devastated city repairing a
school and hosting boy scouts, said Cmdr. Stephen Beckvonpeccoz.
The humanitarian mission is the U.S. Navy's fifth to the
territory since its people overwhelmingly voted in a U.N.-
supervised ballot to break free from Indonesian rule 13 months
ago.
Last month, four warships, including guided missile carrier
USS Bunker Hill and amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa, conducted
operations in East Timor waters for three days.
The flotilla arrived a week after anti-independence militiamen
killed three U.N. refugee workers in the West Timor town of
Atambua. Militia gangs, which are backed by some sections of the
Indonesian military, fled across the border when international
troops ended their orgy of violence and destruction in East Timor
after last year's referendum
The presence of the Bunker Hill fueled speculation that
Washington was sending a warning to Jakarta to clamp down on the
militias, which have been using the Indonesian province of West
Timor as a springboard for armed incursions into East Timor.
On Saturday, West Timor's military commander Maj. Gen. Kiki
Syahnakri said he had invited international relief organizations
to return to the province.
Aid workers helping the estimated 130,000 East Timorese
refugees in the area fled the territory after the Atambua
slayings. They have demanded security guarantees before
continuing their work.
"The situation there is even safer than before the Atambua
incident," he was quoted as saying by Indonesia's online news
service Satunet.com.
Beckvonpeccoz said security levels would remain normal during
O'Brien's visit to East Timor.
"It's always prudent to be concerned about threats in the area
so we will have some marines to provide security for people at
the sites, but they will not be patrolling the city," said
Beckvonpeccoz. "It's not like the USS Tarawa (visit) with 2,000
marines. This is just one destroyer."
He also denied speculation that the U.S. was thinking of
setting up a military base in East Timor.