VZCZCXRO7854
OO RUEHCHI RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0263/01 1451511
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O P 251511Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2573
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0445
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0505
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0429
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0283
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0297
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0368
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0169
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 1896

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