DILI SITREP MAY 22

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000246

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SUBJECT: DILI SITREP MAY 22


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LIFE IN DILI: BECORA MARKET MARRED BY COMMUNAL VIOLENCE


1. (SBU) The situation was more tense than in recent days as
rumors and exaggerations circulated widely. An outbreak of
communal violence in Becora (Dili's easternmost suburb),where
gangs of eastern and western youth armed with slingshots,
knives, and machetes clashed intermittently throughout the day,
significantly raised the level of tension in Dili. Police from
the Dili district task force, rapid response unit, and police
reserve unit were deployed to the area but had difficulty
subduing the violence because, according to one police commander
at the scene, his men faced the dilemma of either firing on the
youth-something they were unwilling to do-or trying to scare
them with warning shots. A lack of proper protective equipment
also contributed to the difficulties: police officers complained
that were unable to take up positions on street corners because
each time they did they were pelted with rocks from slingshots.
In the end, the youth were disbursed by a combination of heavy
rain, darkness, and a heavy police presence. Two bamboo
shelters and another structure-probably a small kiosk-were
burned during the clashes. Police arrested three local youth
involved in the clashes. FDTL members detained a fourth
individual who had attacked their vehicle with rocks as they
were passing through the area. He had been armed with a spear
and had painted his face black. Despite the problems in Becora,
markets and shops in the rest of the capital remained open.

IDP UPDATE


2. (U) Refugees were seen returning to Dili throughout the
weekend and today. Camps in Liquica, a town located east of
Dili, which had housed large numbers of refugees, appear to have
been closed. One effect of the return of refugees to Dili has
been an increase in the number of people in Dili's camps.
According to representatives of NGOs working in these camps,
many IDPs are using them as halfway houses as they contemplate
their return home. NGO representatives also reported that
outside individuals had attempted to incite east-west tensions
in some of the Dili camps.

STAFFING


3. (U) New ODC representative, Major Ron Sargent, arrived in
Dili on May 21. TDY A/RSO Mario Reta is scheduled to depart on
May 23, while DCM Seiji Shiratori is scheduled to arrive that
day.

INFLAMATORY PRESS CONFERENCE BY REINADO


4. (C) EmbOffs met with Foreign Minister Ramos Horta several
times over the weekend to discuss possible actions to resolve
the impasse between the government and the dissident military
groups. On behalf of himself and the President, Foreign
Minister Horta asked EmbOffs to convey his plan for dialogue to
Major Reinado and to ask that he refrain from making any
inflammatory statements prior to the dialogue. According to the
plan, GOET leaders, Major Reinado, Majors Tilman and Tara, Lt.
Salsinha, senior FDTL officers, and the Bishop of Dili will meet
in a seminary near Dili to begin talks aimed at deescalating the
situation. EmbOffs relayed this message to Reinado and were
reassured that while he did plan to give a press conference
today, he would refrain from making incendiary statements and
would convey that dialogue between all sides is crucial.


5. (C) During the press conference this morning, however,
Reinado reneged on these promises and made several comments
aimed at inciting fear among Dili residents and bolstering his
position vis-`-vis the Government. Speaking in Aileu,
surrounded by all major print and broadcast media outlets,
Reinado began by affirming the need for dialogue among the GOET,
petitioners, dissident military, and the Church. However, he
then repeatedly stated that he could not attest that Dili is
currently safe and advised people to flee if they feel unsafe.
In a complete departure from his previously cautious
relationship with the petitioners, the increasingly egotistical
Reinado asserted that he now also led that group and would serve
as the spokesperson for both dissident military groups.

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Additionally, Reinado stated he is certain that there are large
numbers of weapons missing from FDTL armories and that both
civilians and military officers have been heavily armed.


6. (C) EmbOffs, who obtained a readout of the press conference
from an FSN on the scene, discussed it with the Foreign
Minister. Horta replied that if Reinado's statements were as
inflammatory as reported, he would exclude Reinado from the
dialogue and seek to drive a wedge between him and the other
groups. He also said that such statements would make it much
more difficult to ensure FDTL participation in the dialogues.
Horta was optimistic that Reinado's statements would not
contribute to the tensions in Dili and said that General Taur
Matan Ruak had told him the previous day that he had written a
letter to Prime Minister Alkatiri recommending that an
independent commission be established to inventory and account
for all of FDTL's weapons. TMR, said Horta, had emphasized that
every weapon locker would be open to the investigators because
FDTL had nothing to hide. Local media broadcasts of the
Reinado's press conference were heavily edited and focused on
Reinado's commitment to dialogue and working with the president
and foreign minister.

OFFICIAL DEATH COUNT FROM APRIL 28 RIOTS NOW AT 6

7. (U) The official count of deaths resulting from the violence
of April 28 has been revised to include an additional victim who
died at Dili District Hospital over the weekend.

REES
STEIN