Bahasa Indonesia Headlines ­ Wednesday 30 May 2001

1. Three dead, 25 injured in grenade blast 
2. PKF and TNI support peace at border 
3. National Council to summon NCBA to clarify coffee prices

1. Three Dead, 25 Injured In Grenade Blast (Suara Timor Lorosae, Front Page headline)

Three civilians have been reported dead and 25 others injured when a grenade exploded at a border town near Balibo.

The explosion occurred at 11:14 yesterday morning in an area seven kilometres west of Balibo ­ the main base for the Australian PKF. The blast occurred in an area jointly patrolled by the Indonesian Armed Forces and United Nations peace-keeping forces.

The dead have been identified as East Timorese, but it is not known whether they were from Indonesia-controlled West Timor or Timor Lorosae.

“UN Peacekeepers and Civpol stationed at the border have confirmed that three locals were killed and 25 others injured,” said Captain Jeff Squire, PKF spokesperson.

Captain Jeff Squire was accompanied by Thai Captain Wattuchai, when they met the press last night.

“After checking our maps of the area, it is quite clear the grenade explosion occurred outside the area of jurisdiction of the UN in East Timor. That means the incident happened in Indonesia-controlled territory,” said Captain Wattuchai.

Captain Squire added no Australian PKF were injured.

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2. PKF and TNI Support Peace At Border (Timor Post, Front Page second lead)

PKF and Indonesia’s military (TNI), stationed at the border are cooperating with one another through the Tactical Control Working Group (TCWG).

The TCWG meets once every two weeks and meetings are held between PKF and TNI commanders.

This was made known in a press release issued by the PKF Spokesperson Captain Jeff Squire.

PKF Commander for sector West Brigadier Ken Gillespie said the TCWG was a good medium to discuss coordination on border security issues between West and East Timor.

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3. National Council To Summon NCBA To Clarify Coffee Prices (Timor Post, Front Page Third Lead)

The National Council is due to call the National Co-operative Business Association (NCBA) to clarify matters with regard to coffee prices. National Council members are also keen to receive more information on the tense relations between the NCBA and local coffee farmers.

The decision to summon the NCBA was made after NC President Manuel Viegas Carrascalao met a delegation of coffee farmers.

“We hope Pak Manuel will be able to resolve our problems with the NCBA. He promised to call the NCBA before the National Council to clarify matters,” said Jose da Costa Domingos, a member of the Coffee Farmers Forum.

This season Timor Lorosae’s biggest coffee buyer, the NCBA will pay between US$46 million and US$57.6 million to farmers for what is expected to be a bumper crop of 10,000 tonnes of exportable green beans. But farmers say the price of about 19c a kilogram, or about 23¢ if delivered to the nearest processing centre, is too low.

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