Subject: Belo seeks proper burial for Saturday's
dead
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 10:23:39 -0400
From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL)Media Indonesia, 19 April 1999 Summary
Bishop Belo has expressed his amazement at the inability of the security forces to
control the disturbances in Timor. 'After hearing about disturbances, we are told that the
security forces don't have enough personnel or facilities.'
He was amazed that political disputes were always resulting in people being killed. 'Is
this because of political intrigue within the elite or are there other causes that we know
nothing about,' he said.
Bishop Belo went to Wira Husama Hospital to pray over the bodies of twelve victims and
to visit six gravely wounded victims.
He then had a meeting with two senior army officers, Lt General Zacky Anwar [former
longtime intelligence officer in Timor and more recently chief of the army's intelligence
agency, BIA], and Mayor-General Kiki Syahnakri [a former military commander in Timor] who
are on a working visit to Timor, along with the military commander Colonel Tono Suratman.
'I asked them for guarantees for the safety of the population of Timor who are facing
terror and intimidation,' said Belo.
He also asked for the families of the dead to be allowed to take the bodies home for
burial.
There were further clashes in Hera village, East Dili, as a result of which one person
was killed. The chief of police Timbul Silaen said one person had died but other source
that the death toll was seven.
TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey
CR7 8HW, UK Phone: 0181 771-2904 Fax: 0181 653-0322 email: tapol@gn.apc.org Internet:
www.gn.apc.org/tapol Campaigning to expose human rights violations in Indonesia, East
Timor, West Papua and Aceh
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