---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- East Timorese mark 'freedom fighters' anniversary DILI, East Timor, Aug 20 (AFP) - The 24th anniversary of East Timor's main armed separatist group, Falintil, was marked Friday with flag raisings, weddings and baptism across the territory. In the capital, Dili, 800 civilians watched as a dozen East Timorese youths in traditional dress hoisted the flag of the pro-independence movement, the National Resistance Council of East Timor (CNRT), in front of a CNRT office in the Audian neighbourhood. The blue, white and green flag was hoisted in front of the same CNRT office which had been attacked by pro-Indonesian militias earlier this week. A bullet hole in one window pane on the second floor of the building remained a testimony of the attack, sandwiched between two pro-indepependence posters. The crowd then celebrated with music and dancing after the usual speech by local CNRT leaders. "I think up to 20,000 people will celebrate this day in the four Falintil cantonments across East Timor," said Father Filomeno Jacob from the margin of the festivities in Dili. Under an agreement between the CNRT and the pro-Indonesian camp, Falintil has agreed to canton their men in specified locations during the campaign and ballot day in an effort to curb violence. Jacob said he believed the largest celebration would be at the Waimori cantonment in central East Timor, where he said 8,000 to 9,000 people were expected to take part. Waimori is the cantonment of the troops under Falintil deputy commander Taur Matan Ruak. Besides the festivities,"we will also have (church) masses, baptism even weddings," Jacob said. He said that when the CNRT flag went up, he was thinking "of the memory of all the people who have given their lives for this moment." He added that such an event also raised a feeling of "a conjunction of the past, present and future." The official ampaign for the August 30 self-determination vote, organised by the United Nations, started last weekend. East Timorese will be given the chance to approve or reject an Indonesian autonomy offer. Jakarta has said it may let the former Portuguese colony go independent if the offer is rejected. Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 20 Aug 1999 jam 07:11:38 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
