---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, September 27, 1999 Interfet; Aussie Soldiers, Falintil Hand-In-Hand Combatting Aitarak Fighters Atambua, W Timor, Sept 26 (ANTARA)- Members of the UN-approved International Force for East Timor (Interfet) along with Falintil, the anti-autonomy camp, have reportedly ambushed and captured four of 16 Aitarak (pro-autonomy) fighters in a two-hour encounter last Thursday, a pro-integrationist said. The Interfet members, especially the Australians, operated side- by-side with the Falintil members in a joint operation to combat pro-autonomy loyalists, Aitarak chief Domingos Pereira said here Sunday. The Interfet and Falintil members ambushed the pro-integration fighters (PPI) as they were escorting refugees from the East Timor capital of Dili to the border area of Belu regency in East Nusa Tenggara province (West Timor), he said. The Australia-led Interfet and Falintil members opened fire at the pro-autonomy fighters in the village before capturing them. The arrested Aitarak (one of the strong armed wing of the pro- autonomy faction) fighters are Thomas, Fernando, Domingos and Antoni. They were arrested along with Atambua residents who assisted the refugees to escape riot-hit Dili. They are Nico Lobi, Thobias, Balasius and Endi Fun. He said the Aitarak foghters tried to avoid direct armed contact with the Interfet and Falintil members but Thursday's encounter was too sudden and therefore unavoidable. The captured fighters, he said, were tied and kicked brutally by the Falintil and Interfet troops, including six Australian soldiers who launched the raid by using a UNAMET car. "One thing which is so clear is that the Interfet is not neutral. The pro-independence loyalists have become their spies," Pereira said. (F.ANTARA team/NN-03/10:11/INT-NG/22:07/ri2/22:49/TB06) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 30 Sep 1999 jam 09:15:58 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
