Subject: Militias disarm but UN officials still fear
violence
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 10:45:05 +0000
From: "East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign" <etisc@indigo.ie>
Organization: ETISCSource: The Irish Times
Friday, August 20, 1999
Militias disarm but UN officials still fear violence
From David Shanks, in Dili
Anti-independence militias handed over weapons - including five old bolt-action Mausers
and home-made rifles - in the capital of East Timor yesterday.
There were words of "reconciliation" by a militia leader at a ceremony
attended by several hundred of his followers in black T-shirts. But the UN is still
worried that campaigning for East Timor's "popular consultation" on auto nomy/
independence on August 30th will be marked by an escalation of attacks on pro-independence
supporters.
Mr Eurico Guterres, the leader of the Aitarak militia, said to cheers that the 230 guns
were going into "my warehouse", meaning Indonesian police custody. This and
three other such handovers have involved only a tiny proportion of the guns in militia
hands, it is believed, but the UN hope is that the symbolic ceremonies will increase
pressure on Indonesian police to disarm people carrying weapons openly in the streets.
It is in the region closest to West Timor that most militia violence has taken place.
It is there also that the vote is expected to be closest.
In Suai, "displaced people" were attacked yesterday. Further violence is
feared against hundreds there who have been driven from their homes and land to discourage
them from registering to vote. The intention now is to intimidate them from casting their
votes.
In Dili flags line the streets but seem to be all Indonesian, with two red and white
bands.
In Maliana on Wednesday at least seven students were injured and two houses burned down
after a militia attack on the offices of pro-independence youth and student groups, it was
reported.
Mr Ian Martin, head of the UN assistance mission for East Timor (UNAMET), said the
security situation was still very unsatisfactory and that the UN Secretary General would
have to take this into account in his interpretation of the voting.
With no hint so far of a further postponement of the vote, Mr Martin said he still
expected the authorities to take "strong action" to put proper security into
effect.
In Bobonaro, near Maliana, an agreement was reached which on paper allowed "some
activity" by the pro-independence umbrella group CNRT. A quarter of the campaigning
time was allowed to CNRT and three-quarters to the other side.
But Mr Martin clung to the belief that the policy of Jakarta was to ensure that the
ballot was completed peacefully.
Yesterday saw the arrival in Dili of Mr Pat Byrne of the Irish embassy in Canberra,
with the ambassador to Jakarta from Finland, holder of the EU Presidency. Mr Byrne is in
town in advance of a visit by the EU special envoy on East Timor, the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Mr Andrews.
East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign Suite 16, Dame House 24-26 Dame Street Dublin 2
Telephone 00 353 1 671 9207/ 677 0253 /623 3148 Mobile 087 286 0122 Fax 00 353 1 671 9207
Timorese Community in Ireland 00 353 1 453 1462 web http://indigo.ie/~etisc/ Offices in:
Dublin Belfast Laois Galway Claremorris
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