EAST TIMOR SITREP FOR MAY 29, 2006

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 DILI 000274

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/MTS; USPACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD; JOINT STAFF FOR J5

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - CLASSIFICATION CHANGED
FROM CONFIDENTIAL TO SECRET

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/30/2016
TAGS: ASEC PGOV MARR PHUM CASC TT
SUBJECT: EAST TIMOR SITREP FOR MAY 29, 2006

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CLASSIFIED BY: Grover Joseph Rees, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy
Dili, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



1. (U) Summary:
PRIME MINISTER MAY ENDORSE PRESIDENT'S ASSUMPTION OF SECURITY
POWERS
MINISTERS OF INTERIOR AND DEFENSE WILL BE REPLACED TOMORROW
ALKATIRI REFUSES TO RESIGN, BUT MAY SOON BE DISMISSED
VIOLENCE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN, LOOTING CONTINUES
FDTL WITHDRAWS FROM DILI HQ
ADF SUCCESSFULLY RESPONDS TO VIOLENCE REPORTS
SCU FILES COMPROMISED
VISIT TO POLICE CHIEF IN HIDING
LOCAL MEDIA STRUGGLING TO PUBLISH
IDP UPDATE
AMCIT UPDATE
End summary.

PRIME MINISTER MAY ENDORSE PRESIDENT'S ASSUMPTION OF SECURITY
POWERS


2. (C) Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and President Xanana Gusmao
agreed yesterday to hold meetings today of the Council of State
and the Superior Council for Defense and Security to address the
current political and security crises. The President has asked
the Council of State to issue a "declaration of crisis" that
will give the President direct authority over defense and
security, including control of the armed forces (FDTL) and
police service (PNTL) for the duration of the crisis. (Note: A
"declaration of crisis" is provided for in the Organic Law for
FDTL.) The Council of State meeting began at 10 a.m. today (May
29) and as of 9 p.m. the meeting was still underway, but the
Council had reportedly agreed to the declaration requested by
the President and was in the process of debating proposed
personnel changes in senior security positions. See paragraph

4. The Superior Council for Defense and Security meeting has
been postponed until tomorrow.


3. (S) Alkatiri and Gusmao met last night at the President's
home in advance of the meetings. According to two senior GOET
officials were present in the meeting, Gusmao emphasized to
Alkatiri that he must agree during the Council of State meeting
to the President's assumption of authority over the security
forces. When Alkatiri resisted, Gusmao reportedly said that if
the Prime Minister would not agree to the proposed declaration
he would immediately exercise his constitutional authority to
dismiss the Prime Minister. Alkatiri then grudgingly agreed to
endorse the President's proposed declaration.

MINISTERS OF DEFENSE AND INTERIOR WILL BE REPLACED TOMORROW


4. (S) According to senior officials who are familiar with the
agenda for the Council of State meeting, it will also result in
the dismissal of the two senior Cabinet Ministers responsible
for defense and security. Minister of Defense Roque Rodrigues
will either resign or be dismissed no later than tomorrow and
will be replaced by Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, who will
continue to hold the Foreign Affairs portfolio as well as
Defense. Minister of the Interior Rogerio Lobato will also
resign or be dismissed and will probably be replaced by current
Vice Minister of the Interior Alcino Barris, whom the President
regards as a reliable supporter. (Barris is currently in refuge
at the President's house.) However, Prime Minister Alkatiri is
reportedly arguing that Lobato should be replaced not by Barris
but by Minister of State Administration Ana Pessoa, who is
Alkatiri's closest ally in the Cabinet.

ALKATIRI REFUSES TO RESIGN, BUT MAY SOON BE DISMISSED


5. (S) Embassy has received reports that several members of the

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Council of State asked for Alkatiri's resignation but that he
refused. Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta told Ambassador Rees that
he himself made a similar request last night, telling the Prime
Minister that"there is a virtually unanimous consensus in the
country that you should resign" but that Alkatiri "refuses to
go." A crowd of several hundred people gathered this morning
outside the President's Palace where the Council of State
meeting was taking place to demand Alkatiri's immediate
resignation, but Gusmao appealed to them to tone down their
rhetoric. Nevertheless, both Ramos-Horta and the President's
Chief of Staff, Agio Pereira, told Ambassador today that the
dismissals of Rodrigues and Lobato "will probably not satisfy
the people" and that the President will therefore probably
dismiss Alkatiri as soon as the security situation has
stabilized.

VIOLENCE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN, LOOTING CONTINUES


6. (SBU) Yesterday's mob activity continued into the night with
an unknown additional number of buildings burned and continued
reports of gunfire heard in some neighborhoods. The U.S. Marine
Corps Fleet Anti-Terrorist Security (FAST) team protecting the
Embassy compound reported about 50 shots heard between 1:00 and
6:00 am in the area behind the compound. Overall, there has
been a significant reduction in violence compared with previous
days. The hospital reported that only two persons were admitted
with injuries related to the ongoing violence: one resulting
from a fall and one laceration. Sporadic looting continued as
many buildings have been left empty and unguarded.

FDTL WITHDRAWS FROM DILI HQ


7. (U) FDTL appears to have completed its withdrawal from the
Military Police headquarters in Caicoli, as well as from the
nearby FDTL logistics center. The MP headquarters was
thoroughly looted during the day and anti-FDTL / pro-Loromonu
(western East Timor) graffiti was painted on the outside wall of
the main office building. Emboffs observed looters on the
grounds of the logistics center making off with FDTL trucks and
siphoning diesel fuel from the generators. FDTL personnel
remain in their headquarters in Tasitolu, just to the west of
Dili. There were continued reports through last night of FDTL
participation in Australian Defense Force (ADF) enforcement
actions, but ADF representatives have denied that FDTL has
participated in any ADF operations. The proposed participation
of unarmed PNTL "community police officers" in ADF patrols,
which had been scheduled to begin today, has reportedly been
postponed at least until tomorrow.

AUSTRALIAN FORCES SUCCESSFULLY RESPOND TO VIOLENCE REPORTS


8. (SBU) Yesterday evening a local Embassy staff member residing
in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp reported to
Emboffs that his camp was being threatened by a mob. Emboffs
notified the Australian Defense Force (ADF),and ADF personnel
appeared at the site shortly thereafter and dispersed the mob.
While continuing to patrol the camp, the ADF troops requested
that the Embassy staff member provide translation services. The
staff member reported that camp inhabitants were very happy with
the ADF presence and that the mood in the camp relaxed
considerably. He has been asked to continue to serve as an ad
hoc translator for the ADF whenever they return to the Becora
area.

UN DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO SHOOTING OF PNTL AND UNPOL


9. (U) UNOTIL today issued a press release calling for a "full
investigation and accountability for the shooting of unarmed
PNTL/UNPOL officers." The release quotes SRSG Hasegawa as
saying, "We consider this incident to be a most serious and
reprehensible breach of a tripartite agreement between UNOTIL,
PNTL and F-FDTL, and a serious crime in which F-FDTL soldiers
shot at disarmed PNTL personnel who were marching peacefully
under UN protection and under a UN flag carried by UNOTIL's
Chief Military Training Advisor."

SCU FILES COMPROMISED

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10. (U) After hearing reports that the office of the General
Prosecutor had been looted and burned, Emboffs visited the site
to check on the files from the Serious Crimes Unit (SCU),which
conducted the investigations into crimes against humanity
committed in 1999. There were no staff on hand and the
facilities had been extensively looted. Even as Emboffs visited
the site, looters continued to haul away computer equipment.
The SCU file facility was open and many of the file cabinets had
been pried open. Most of the files appeared to be in place, but
it was not possible to determine whether any were missing.


11. (SBU) Emboffs requested both the UN and the ADF provide
security to ensure no further compromise or destruction.
Shortly after Emboffs called, UN personnel arrived to provide
security for the files. Emboffs also contacted Longhinhos
Monteiro, the Prosecutor General, to notify him. He said he had
requested security for the files from the UN two days ago but
had received no response. Fortunately, he said, he assigned a
member of his staff to consult with ADF about the weapons stored
as evidence from 1999 and ADF subsequently secured the weapons.
At about 8:00am, he said, looters managed to open the SCU file
storage area but abandoned it after ascertaining that it
contained only documents. (Note: The UN has a complete copy of
all the SCU files.)

VISIT TO POLICE CHIEF IN HIDING


12. (C) Emboffs today visited National Police Commissioner Paulo
Martins at a remote location in the hills outside of Dili, not
far from the President's residence. Martins has not been seen
in public for over a week. The police hierarchy, which
disintegrated during the last week as a result of a systematic
campaign of violent attacks by FDTL on PNTL members and
facilities, is being reestablished under Alcino Barris, the Vice
Minister of Interior. Emboffs' interview with Commissioner
Martins will be discussed at greater length in Septel.

LOCAL MEDIA STRUGGLING TO PUBLISH


13. (U) East Timor's principal news media, consisting of three
daily newspapers and the national radio and television station
(RTTL),have been struggling to maintain their operations in
recent days. Mob activity in the vicinity of news media
offices, including some direct threats against the organizations
themselves, has been a major problem. In addition, many staff
are either too scared to come to work or have left Dili for the
relative safety of the districts. Of the three papers, two have
not printed for several days, and the third finally suspended
printing yesterday after its staff abandoned its office
compound. The papers' editors reported this morning that they
were attempting to return to a normal printing schedule
tomorrow, but were uncertain whether they could do so at current
staffing levels.


14. (U) The national radio and television station, RTTL, so far
has missed only last night's broadcast and also continues to
serve as the single satellite uplink source in Dili for
international media on the ground. However, RTTL officials
report ongoing threats to their staff and have appealed to the
diplomatic community, Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta, and the ADF
for a permanent security presence to be established.
Ramos-Horta has personally gone to the compound to show his
support.

IDP UPDATE


15. (U) The Inter-Agency Humanitarian Assistance Group met today
to review the internally displaced persons (IDP) situation in
Dili. The Group is officially headed by the Government, but
UNICEF appears to be the de facto coordinator at present. The
international agencies and local and international NGOs that
comprise the Group today were able to conduct an assessment of
the IDP situation. They found that the current number of Dili
IDPs has reached 65,000 at about 35 different sites and that
food, water, and sanitation issues are the most urgent. The
Group is preparing an appeal for food and supplies to meet

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critical needs. Meanwhile some aid is starting to reach the
camps as the Government has resumed food deliveries and other
organizations have been able to deliver some water and supplies.
However, all assessments and deliveries by NGOs are being done
only when UN security is available for escort.


AMCIT UPDATE


16. (C) Embassy' s current estimate of American citizens
remaining in East Timor is 69. We believe up to a dozen of
these may have departed well before the current crisis without
informing the Embassy. An estimated 44 of these are in Dili,
nine in Aileu, and one each in Maliana, Baucau, Tibar, and
Oecusse. In addition, the Amcit wife and child of an opposition
party leader are in Suai (pleas e protect). We are continuing
to work with those Amcits who have expressed a desire to depart
and to encourage the remainder to do so.
REES