27-02-2003 12:24:00. Notícia nº SIR-4722241

East Timor: Leaders to meet Monday on inquiries into December riots

Dili, Feb. 27 (Lusa) - East Timor's president, parliament speaker and prime minister will meet Monday to analyze inquiries into the deadly riots in Dili last December, a government official told Lusa Thursday.

Nearly three months after the Dec. 4 clashes in which two people were killed and homes and businesses burned and looted, the results of four inquiries ordered into the violence have yet to made public.

Some sources told Lusa repeated delays in disclosing results of the inquiries appeared due to "political pressures", given the alleged involvement of prominent personalities in the violence.

A police official told Lusa that Attorney General Longuinhos Monteiro, had informed authorities that he had received telephoned threats because of the investigations.

The four inquiries were ordered by the government, parliament and police officials.

Dili's "Correio de Timor" newspaper quoted Monteiro earlier this week as saying he had yet to receive any request for arrest warrants as a result of the inquiries.

In the wake of the rioting and clashes with police, "more than 100" people had been detained, primarily on suspicions of looting or other crimes committed on Dec. 4, but all had since been released except for "10 or 15", a police official said.

ASP/SAS Lusa

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