Indonesia Troops Kill
Several In E.Timor
07:25 a.m. Apr 17, 1999 Eastern
By Supriyatin
DILI, East Timor (Reuters) -
Several people died Saturday
when Indonesian troops opened
fire on a house sheltering dozens of
East Timorese, a prominent
pro-independence activist said.
Earlier, a pro-Jakarta militia leader
told a rally that the territory should
be cleansed of pro-independence
groups. Militiamen went on a
rampage after the rally, burning
cars and houses, witnesses said.
Leading pro-independence activist
Manuel Carascalao told Reuters
his son and several others were
killed when his house was
attacked.
''My son was killed in the attack
on my house and I believe that
there are several others who were
killed in the incident,'' he told
Reuters by telephone.
''I don't know where my son is,
but all I know is that he has been
killed by the (Indonesian) troops,''
Carascalao added.
He said at the time of the attack
there were around 100 people in
the house, most of whom had fled
there in search of safety.
Police and military in the area were
not immediately available for
comment.
Saturday's unrest started with a
rally of some 1,000 pro-Jakarta
militiamen brandishing rifles and
machetes in front of the
Jakarta-appointed governor's
house in Dili.
Militia commander Eurico
Gutteress told his followers to
clear the territory of groups who
were in favor of independence,
using violence if necessary.
''Starting today I command all
pro-integration militias to conduct
a cleansing of all those who
betrayed integration,'' he told his
followers.
''Capture and kill if you need,'' he
said.
Many of the militiamen wore
headbands in red and white -- the
colors of the Indonesian flag.
''We must fight to keep the
integration of East Timor into the
Republic of Indonesia,'' militia
commander Joao Da Silva Tavares
told the crowd outside the
governor's waterfront office.
The militiamen also set ablaze
several shops in the Becora region,
on the outskirts of Dili, church
officials said.
Indonesian loyalists have stepped
up their campaign of attacks and
public rallies as Indonesia and
Portugal discuss an East Timor
ballot on whether the former
Portuguese colony wants
independence or more autonomy
within Indonesia.
Guerrillas fighting for independence
have also stepped up their
activities, with several attacks in
the past few days after months of
silence.
At least three people died Friday
in fighting between guerrillas and
Indonesian troops in Manatuto
district, 175 km (110 miles), west
of Dili.
Detained guerrilla leader Xanana
Gusmao has called on his
supporters to take up arms in the
face of increasing action by the
pro-Jakarta militias.
But his call has also sparked fears
that United Nations-brokered
efforts by Jakarta and Lisbon to
thrash out a peaceful solution to
the East Timor problem could fail.
Foreign ministers from the two
countries are due to meet in New
York next week. They are
expected to strike an agreement on
holding a vote to give East
Timorese a choice between
autonomy or independence.
Indonesia invaded East Timor in
1975 and annexed it the following
year in a move not recognized by
the United Nations.
More than 200,000 East Timorese
-- about a quarter of the
population -- have died of fighting,
starvation and disease.
Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. |
