UPDATE ON DILI SECURITY SITUATION: RETURN TO NORMAL IS SLOW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000200

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR TT
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DILI SECURITY SITUATION: RETURN TO NORMAL IS SLOW
AND UNCERTAIN

REF: DILI 194

DILI 00000200 001.2 OF 002



1. Dili remains abnormally quiet following Friday's rioting and
the security operations in response. It appears that the armed
forces (FDTL) have relinquished law enforcement responsibilities
to the national police (PNTL),but they remain involved in
patrolling. Currently, there are five confirmed deaths and
around 60 confirmed injured. Rumors that FDTL killed an
additional 30 to 60 people people continue to circulate,
although these rumors are as yet unsubstantiated. Both the UN
Human Rights Unite and the Provedor's (ombudsmen) office were
yesterday granted access to detainees, all of whom were
reportedly released today. Although there have been no
significant disturbances or security operations in over 24
hours, many Dili residents remain tense. The number of people
taking refuge in facilities in the city appears to have fallen,
but some people departed the city during the day, primarily due
to uncertainty and generalized fears rather than to specific
threats. End summary.

Dili remains abnormally quiet
--------------


2. Although normal activity continues in many areas of Dili, the
city overall is far less populated and busy than normal. There
has been a moderate increase in the number of commercial
establishments open for business, and street markets in
relatively unaffected areas are operating normally though at
noticeably lower volume. However, the two major markets remain
closed. Taibesi market in the southeast of the city is almost
all rubble (resulting from separate incidents earlier last week)
with no commercial activity. Comoro market in western Dili is
intact, but only a few desultory vendors are open for business.
There were some signs of people going about their normal daily
business in Tasitolu, where the majority of the rioting damage
took place, but all the usual roadside stalls remain empty.

FDTL out of the law enforcement business?
--------------


3. According to FDTL leadership, the police have been fully in
charge of law enforcement since yesterday afternoon. The FDTL
has set up five observation posts in the city's outskirts manned
with soldiers ready to intervene "if needed". In addition,
military personnel (said to be military police) are carrying out
joint patrols with the PNTL, but the Government's position is
that such patrols are normal military police activities and that
the military police function will be limited to law enforcement
with respect to members of the military. Embassy personnel
observed during the day that the FDTL indeed no longer seemed to
be carrying out any routine policing functions. However, there
was an overnight report from an Embassy employee with a relative
among the dismissed soldiers that active-duty FDTL came to his
home several times during the evening and harassed and
threatened his family. Another Embassy employee who has never
been an FDTL member reports that four FDTL members went to his
home on two separate occasions during the last 48 hours looking
for him. While these activities may or may not have been
officially sanctioned, the continued harassment of dismissed
soldiers' families --- and apparently of other citizens as well
--- is among the factors causing continued fear and tension
among the population of Dili.

Updated casualty information
--------------


4. The information on casualties available from the National
Hospital remains unchanged from yesterday: doctors at the
hospital report approximately 60 injuries, 15 from gunshots,
with two dead and one in critical condition. A clinic located
much nearer to the problem areas than the hospital reported
that, contrary to expectations, they had not seen any patients
resulting from the weekend violence. Meanwhile, the Government
has updated its official number of deaths to a total of five and
an Embassy source confirmed that there are five bodies in the
morgue.


5. The rumor that many more people --- perhaps 30 to 60 --- had
been killed in Tasitolu during the military operations there
Friday night and Saturday morning (see reftel) has persisted.
However, so far it has not been substantiated. Reliable Embassy
sources who have been speaking to people from Tasitolu stated
that they have not been able to substantiate the rumors. Both

DILI 00000200 002.2 OF 002


the UN Human Rights Unit and the Provedor's office today sent
teams to investigate these rumors in Tasitolu, and especially to
interview members of the community who might have witnessed such
extrajudicial killings. So far, neither have reported finding
any supporting evidence. However, a source in the Human Rights
Unit noted that they when they spoke to detainees last night, it
was in crowded conditions where the detainees may have felt
unable to speak freely. Those who believe the rumor emphasize
that FDTL refused to allow President Gusmao access to the FDTL
compound in Tasitolu when he arrived unannounced on Saturday.


6. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric John and Ambassador
Rees met today with Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak, Commander
of the FDTL, who has resumed command after returning on Saturday
from an overseas trip. General Matan Ruak said it is uncertain
how many people have been killed, stating that the number might
be seven or eight rather than five, but said he was confident
that FDTL had not killed large numbers of people and secretly
buried the bodies. He said the Government has appointed a
commission, including highly respected Minister of Labor Arsenio
Bano, to investigate these allegations. Matan Ruak also pointed
out that on previous occasions when the Government had sought to
involve FDTL in law enforcement activities he had declined to do
so, although he would not say whether he would have refused the
Prime Minister's order to activate the FDTL if he had been in
Dili on Friday. Matan Ruak implicitly acknowledged that
activation of FDTL without the consent of the President might
have violated East Timor's Constitution, but he suggested that
the city might have been destroyed if FDTL had not been
activated after the police had proved unwilling or unable to put
down the riot.

Detainees reportedly released
--------------


7. The UN Human Rights Unit and the Provedor's office both
reported that they had last night been able to access detainees
arrested during the weekend, including members of the group of
dismissed soldiers. The latest information from the Human
Rights Unit obtained at end of day was that a total of 115
individuals had been detained since Friday afternoon. Of those,
18 were dismissed soldiers / petitioners. The Human Rights Unit
was able to conduct complete interviews with approximately 75
detainees yesterday, including some of the dismissed soldiers,
and planned to continue with the rest today. However, almost
all the detained ex-soldiers, and perhaps other detainees as
well, were reportedly released today, either by the courts or at
the prosecutor's discretion. We do not yet have information on
whether charges will be pressed against any of them. The only
ones remaining apparently are 13 of the dismissed soldiers who
are not in formal police custody but reportedly preferred to
remain at the detention facility until they could arrange
transport out of Dili.

Thousands of displaced persons still in Dili and environs
-------------- --------------


8. The internal displacement situation remains fluid and hard to
quantify, but it appears that there are likely at least 10,000
within Dili overall. The largest gathering of displaced persons
within Dili is still at the Catholic Church's Don Bosco compound
in the Comoro area on the western end of the city. Earlier in
the day, an international doctor visiting the compound reported
that many people were beginning to depart, apparently to return
to their homes. However, when Emboff spoke to the priest in
charge late in the afternoon, he reported that about 5,000
people remained and that he expected that many more might return
as night fell. Additionally, the FDTL (armed forces) sites are
said to be hosting a combined number of about 1,200. Beyond
these sites, there are several other areas where groups of
dozens or hundreds of people have taken refuge.


9. Beyond those that have taken refuge within Dili, it is clear
that a large number have left the city, although numbers are
difficult to estimate. In addition, Embassy staff observed that
people were continuing to pack and leave throughout the day. In
explaining why they were leaving now when things seemed to be
calming down, several departing residents stated that although
they had no specific threat information, they are concerned
about the continued state of uncertainty and have yet to receive
sufficient information to increase their confidence in the
situation.
REES