Tension in East Timor

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/1050221

April 5 2007

The UN believes East Timor's upcoming presidential elections will be free and fair, despite an outbreak of violence in which the local electoral authority itself was threatened in Dili.

The National Electoral Commission (CNE) said a group of supporters from the major East Timor party, Fretilin, forcibly entered its offices carrying sticks and stones to complain about being attacked by supporters of a rival party.

"This is a big concern for the CNE because it put at risk the security of the commissioners and the officers themselves," said CNE chairman Faustino Cardoso Gomes.

No-one was injured in the incident, with UN police quickly removing four people who had entered the compound.

It was one of a spate of incidents in which more than 35 people have been injured during heavy campaigning in Dili by five of the eight candidates vying to replace independence fighter Xanana Gusmao as president in Monday's poll.

Gomes said the Democratic Party had complained their supporters were shot at yesterday, while Fretilin complained its sympathisers had metal darts aimed at them.

"Unfortunately there have been some incidents, violent incidents, that involved shooting with a gun, and shooting with a bow and arrows in some places," Gomes said.

The UN stated there were no gunshots fired except by police "to calm the situation", but confirmed two people had been injured by steel darts. Three UN vehicles were also damaged, and two UN police were injured during the unrest.

UN Special Representative Atul Khare said the four who entered the CNE offices "didn't create any danger" with the situation quickly contained by UN police.

He condemned the violence which has marred the election campaign, but said it was sporadic with just 15 of the 128 campaign events held over the past two weeks reporting violence.

Khare was confident the election would be free, fair and transparent, although he said it would not be possible "to prevent each and every incident".

"I'm confident that this will be a peaceful election," he said.

Calm after violence

Meanwhile, Australian Brigadier General Mal Rerden described the situation in Dili as calm, after a three-hour block of "low level violence" between supporters of rival political campaigns.

The Australian and New Zealand military force seized 30 traditional weapons and one pistol at a series of road blocks.

Rerden, the head of the international stabilisation force (ISF), also reiterated his call for East Timor's most wanted man, Alfredo Reinado, to surrender, saying he would not be able to vote in the poll.

"Alfredo Reinado is a fugitive. Fugitives don't enjoy the rights of other citizens," he said.

Reinado escaped an Australian-led attempt to capture him last month after troops surrounded his hideout in the town of Same. Several of his supporters were killed during the operation.

The rebel leader has been on the run since leading a mass escape from Dili's Becora prison last year, and earlier this year caused alarm when he stole police weapons from police posts.

Final preparations are underway for the election, with sensitive materials including ballot papers to be distributed across the mountainous and rugged country by helicopter, road, horse and porters.