DILI SITREP MAY 22

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DILI 000246 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS; USPACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD; JOINT STAFF FOR J5 E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM ASEC MARR KDEM TT SUBJECT: DILI SITREP MAY 22 DILI 00000246 001.2 OF 002 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. DILI 00000246 002.2 OF 002 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