FED: Australians to visit East Timor massacre site

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-1999
FED: Australians to visit East Timor massacre site

CANBERRA, April 9 AAP - Australian diplomats will visit the scene of the massacre in East
Timor in which as many as 52 people are said to have been murdered by pro-Indonesian militia
members, Ambassador to Indonesia John McCarthy said today.

Mr McCarthy said General Wiranto, head of the Indonesian armed forces ABRI, had personally
granted permission for Australian officials to visit the town of Liquisa, 30 km west of the
East Timor capital Dili.

That follows reports that members of militias loyal to Jakarta massacred people in a church
in the town on Tuesday. Pro-independence forces said 45 people died in the attack, while human
rights group Yayasan Hak put the toll at 52. East Timor's spiritual leader, Bishop Carlos
Belo, has said 25 people died.

Mr McCarthy said General Wiranto put the death toll at five but was keen to have
independent observers assess what really happened.

"The Red Cross are also going in there and they will probably carry out an investigation in
their own way," he told ABC Radio.

"The point is there is a lot of tension there. There are conflicting stories. Sure there is
some evidence that ABRI was involved. There are denials of that as well."

Mr McCarthy said he had heard stories indicating ABRI soldiers were not as active as they
might have been in curtailing the actions of the militia members.

But there were also stories that Indonesian soldiers were directly involved, he said.

Mr McCarthy said General Wiranto denied any direct involvement by ABRI.

"But he accepted that there are conflicting accounts and that is why he was willing and in
fact sought to encourage an investigation which had a major element of independence, in fact
total independence for the Red Cross," he said.

Mr McCarthy said there was great concern that Indonesian soldiers on East Timor might be
taking matters into their own hands.

"There have been a number of suggestions, that ABRI denied, that ABRI have encouraged some
of the militias to take the actions they have taken or at least have stood back and let these
things occur. ABRI deny that," he said.

"Quite clearly we need to look at it thoroughly and that is what we are trying to do."

AAP mb/mfh

KEYWORD: INDON TIMOR MCCARTHY

1999 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.