---------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---------------------------------------------------------- South China Morning Post, 14 October 1999 No Evidence of Mass Murder: UN The United Nations said yesterday it had uncovered no evidence to support allegations that pro-Jakarta militia engaged in mass murder in East Timor. But another humanitarian crisis is looming, with about 400,000 people - half the territory's population - hiding in the rugged mountains where food and water are scarce, UN officials and aid workers warn. "We have heard horrendous stories for which so far there is not a shred of evidence," said Michel Barton, spokesman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance in Dili. "There have been murders. There have been terrible things that have happened here. "But we don't believe that people in their thousands have been killed and their bodies buried or thrown in the sea. If this had been the case, we would have found evidence of this by now." Pro-Jakarta militias rampaged through East Timor last month, destroying virtually every city, town and village after the population voted overwhelmingly in favour of independence in a UN- supervised referendum on August 30. Mr Barton said the UN was concerned about the fate of an estimated 400,000 hiding in jungles and bush around the harsh territory. "The arithmetic is very difficult to understand . . . but any way you cut it we're missing about 400,000 people who we believe are in the hills," he said. "We're perplexed . . . very concerned. If these people stay up in the mountains as the rainy season approaches, we're going to be facing a time when it's going to be extremely difficult for us to supply them at all." A further 260,000 fled the eastern half of Timor island altogether and are sheltering in neighbouring areas of Indonesia, mainly West Timor. About 890,000 people lived in East Timor before the militia rampage. With heavy seasonal rains imminent, getting refugees down from the hills and back to towns and villages along roads where they can be reached is a matter of extreme urgency. Jakarta yesterday stood by its charge that a UN-mandated multinational force sent to East Timor to restore peace had strayed into neighbouring West Timor and started a fire-fight with Indonesian security forces in which an Indonesian policeman was killed. Meanwhile, the commander of the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) yesterday welcomed initiatives by Indonesian military chief General Wiranto to defuse tensions along the badly marked border. "The commander of Interfet is open to any suggestions from General Wiranto. He respects General Wiranto. He certainly respects solutions and options that he has presented," Interfet spokesman Colonel Mark Kelly said. During a visit on Tuesday to Indonesian-ruled West Timor, General Wiranto said he had ordered his troops to disarm pro-Jakarta East Timorese militiamen who had poured over the border into West Timor ahead of the arrival of the Interfet troops on September 20. East Timorese resistance leader Xanana Gusmao will visit Canberra today for talks with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 19 Oct 1999 jam 08:35:08 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
