DILI UPDATE: FIGHTING IN DILI INCREASES, PRESIDENT ASSUMES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000263 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS; USPACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD; JOINT STAFF FOR J5 E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/25/2016 TAGS: ASEC PGOV MARR PHUM CASC TT SUBJECT: DILI UPDATE: FIGHTING IN DILI INCREASES, PRESIDENT ASSUMES CONTROL OF SECURITY FORCES DILI 00000263 001.2 OF 003 CLASSIFIED BY: Grover Joseph Rees, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Dili, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) CLASSIFIED BY: Sean Stein, TDY Poloff, Embassy Dili, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) Summary: -- President Assumes Control of the Military (on Paper) -- FDTL Soldiers Shoot Unarmed Police and UN Personnel -- Violence in the Capital Worsens -- Casualty Information -- Military Reportedly Arming Civilians -- Status of Amcits -- Special Police Unit Requests Embassy Assistance -- Internally Displaced Persons -- The First Australian Military Forces Arrive End summary. President Assumes Control of the Security Forces -------------- --- ¶2. (S) At approximately 4:00 pm the president announced that he had assumed control of the security forces in accordance with his constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and in response to the "deteriorating national security situation". Having assumed control of the military (FDTL),the President is expected to order that FDTL return immediately to their bases. However, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta told Ambassador Rees that he is concerned about whether General Taur Matan Ruak will go along with the President's assumption of control over the security forces. Earlier today, before the President's announcement, the General reportedly declined to meet with the President because he "didn't want to get involved in politics" and wanted to focus on "securing the city". Nevertheless, Ramos-Horta said he believes General Matan Ruak is fundamentally a good person --- unlike some of his subordinates --- and that it is important to persuade him to work with rather than against the President. Gusmao, Ramos-Horta, and possibly Catholic Bishop Alberto Ricardo DaSilva will be making overtures to Matan Ruak in the coming hours. ¶3. (SBU) One immediate effect of the President's declaration is that the President and Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta, rather than Prime Minister Alkatiri, will represent the Government of East Timor in discussions with the Government of Australia (GOA) about the terms of the impending military intervention. According to a senior advisor to Ramos-Horta and to preliminary reports from Australian sources in Dili, the GOA representatives understand this new development and are happy with it. ¶4. (C) Both Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta and Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) Sukehiro Hasegawa told Ambassador Rees today that they had spoken to Prime Minister Alkatiri and that he does not oppose the President's assumption of control over the security forces. According to Ramos-Horta, Alkatiri said he had tried and failed to control the deteriorating security situation and that now the President could try. ¶5. (C) Both Ramos-Horta and President Gusmao's Chief of Staff, Agio Pereira, told Ambassador that within the next day or two, as soon as the Australian defense forces have secured the capital, the President plans to dismiss the Alkatiri government and appoint Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta as interim Prime Minister until a new round of elections can be held. FDTL Soldiers Shoot Unarmed Police and UN Personnel -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Several dozen police (PNTL) and a handful of UN police officers (UNPOL) were trapped in the National Police Headquarters today after the building was attacked by the military (FDTL). Military sources claim that they attacked the DILI 00000263 002.2 OF 003 building because snipers there had been shooting at a nearby FDTL logistics base, a claim denied by an UNPOL who was on the police compound. It is more likely that the attack on police headquarters was in retaliation for incidents during the last 48 hours in which some PNTL members fought on the opposite side from FDTL in various engagements, possibly including an incident earlier today in which PNTL reportedly fired on FDTL in the Comoro area. The UN negotiated with General Matan Ruak for safe passage for the trapped PNTL officers. After receiving the General's assurances that the PNTL officers could depart provided they were unarmed, the UN dispatched additional UNPOL to the building to disarm the PNTL and escort them out of the building. As the group marched out of the building and down the street, one police officer reportedly became frightened and began to run when he saw the line of soldiers with weapons drawn. As he did, the FDTL opened fire, killing at least three and injuring many others, including two UNPOLs, one from Portugal and one from the Philippines. Eyewitnesses report that before the soldiers opened fire, the Chief UNPOL had repeatedly told them that the PNTL were unarmed and that they were under UN escort. ¶7. (C) Three of the injured police officers were taken to the U.S. Embassy by an UNPOL. Embassy personnel provided first aid outside of the embassy compound and sent the men to the UN compound. The national hospital staff were reportedly refusing to treat injured police officers because they feared fighting will break out with the soldiers already being treated or with their families. However, a hospital source later stated that the hospital was taking all patients. Violence in the Capital Worsens -------------- ¶8. (C) Battles between police and military were reported in many parts of the city throughout the day and there were numerous reports that mobs of easterners or westerners had formed to intimidate and attack people from the opposite region. A number of houses were burned, including that of the Deputy Police Commissioner, who is credibly reported as having joined the dissident forces. In another case a family of four reportedly died after their home was set ablaze. There was considerably more fighting today than in previous days. At least one Embassy FSN had her home burned, reportedly because her family is from the east. Casualty Information -------------- ¶9. (U) According to currently available information, there are three confirmed dead at the UN compound and three confirmed dead at the national hospital. An unknown number of injured are still being treated at the UN compound while the hospital reports 29 wounded. In addition, seven dead are confirmed to still be in Tibar as a result of yesterday's hostilities, including at least two community members apparently caught in the crossfire. Several bodies are in the ocean and community members have attempted to retrieve them but have come under fire when doing so and have abandoned the effort. We expect casualty numbers from both today's and yesterday's fighting to increase as more information becomes available. Military Reportedly Arming Civilians -------------- ¶10. (C) There were numerous reports that some members of the military may have given weapons to easterners who are known to be sympathetic to their cause, including radical veteran leaders "L7" and "L4" and some of their followers, in order to augment FDTL forces. This mirrors credible allegations that the Minister of the Interior may have also been arming civilians from the western parts of the country. Late this afternoon the Embassy received a report that the L7 followers gathering in the east had dispersed after calls from General Ruak and the Prime Minister requesting them to refrain from getting involved. However, one Embassy employee reported that several men in her DILI 00000263 003.2 OF 003 neighborhood who are from the eastern districts, including her cousin, had been given automatic weapons by L4. Status of Amcits -------------- ¶11. (SBU) There are currently estimated to be 102 American citizens in country. A handful departed on today's Merpati flight. Embassy helped escort five Amcits to the airport today. Embassy has sent several warden messages via SMS and email addresses to inform Amcits of areas experiencing violent incidents. Mid-day on May 25, Embassy advised Amcits to stand fast since clashes were becoming increasingly sporadic and unpredictable. Embassy has also continued to telephone and email Amcits to ask them about their security situation and plans for the future. ¶12. (SBU) One Amcit in Aileu reported that at least eight Amcits resided there. He stated that Aileu remained quite despite some barricades being set up and some men in uniform passing through. Another Amcit in the Villa Verde section of Dili reported that one of his employees, a Korean national, was hit by a stray bullet in the neck while outside his workplace. An Amcit nurse working and residing in the Tibar area stated that she will remain there for the time being. Embassy has recommended to one Amcit residing in the exclave of Oecussi to stand fast there since it is has so far remained calm and not experienced the turmoil affecting Dili and its environs. One of the two international schools in Dili officially closed today until further notice and the remaining American staff member at the school will depart tomorrow. Several Amcits have reservations on outbound flights over the next few days. Embassy will continue to monitor the status of Amcits. Internally Displaced Persons -------------- ¶13. (U) The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Dili has increased significantly in recent days and a large number of new IDPs were observed running into camps during the hostilities within Dili today. Many camps are severely overcrowded. NGOs working in the camps report that many IDPs are so traumatized and terrified that they refuse to move to nearby sites with more space and better facilities if they believe that they offer less protection. Heavy rains overnight led to severe flooding in some camps, and there were reports of individuals trying to smuggle weapons and to raise ethnic tensions in at least one IDP center. Fighting reportedly came very close to one IDP center, whereupon a large number of the center's population fled. Australian Advance Forces Arrive -------------- ¶14. (U) The Australian Frigate Adelaide arrived in the late afternoon in what Australian defense representatives in Dili described as "a show of force". Many Timorese lined the beach to watch the ship, and word of its arrival quickly spread through Dili. In addition, a small Australian advance force --- evidently smaller than the 150-member advance force that had been anticipated --- have arrived and have begun efforts to secure the airport. Discussions are underway between a senior Australian defense official, accompanied by diplomats including the Australian Ambassador to East Timor, and President Gusmao and Foreign Minister Ramos Horta about the terms of the Australian intervention. REES