VZCZCXRO2666
OO RUEHCHI RUEHNH RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0300/01 1591925
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O P 081925Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2655
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0508
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0579
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON PRIORITY 0499
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0347
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0360
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0438
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0232
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 1980

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 DILI 000300 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS 
NSC FOR HOLLY MORROW 
USUN FOR GORDON OLSON AND RICHARD MCCURRY 
USPACOM FOR JOC AND POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  6/7/2016 
TAGS: PGOV MOPS ASEC PHUM UN KPKO CASC PO MY AS TT
SUBJECT: EAST TIMOR SITREP FOR JUNE 8, 2006 
 
REF: A) DILI 299; B) DILI 293 
 
DILI 00000300  001.2 OF 006 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Grover Joseph Rees, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy 
Dili, Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
 
 
¶1.      (SBU) Summary 
-       GNR restricted to barracks after confrontation with 
Australian forces; 
-       Provisional cooperation agreement reached between JTF and 
Portuguese forces; 
-       Armed group claims Alkatiri gave them weapons to kill 
opponents; 
-       Foreign Defense Attaches invited to participate in FDTL 
weapons inventory; 
-       Fretilin Party office in Ermera reportedly burned; 
-       New Minister of the Interior stood up by PNTL commanders 
from the East; 
-       EmbOff meetings with demonstration organizers in Maliana; 
-       Western border districts remain quiet and isolated; 
-       Dili and district courts begin to function with minimal 
staffing; 
-       UNHCR working with GOET and local NGOs to improve 
conditions in IDP camps; 
-       Security. 
        End Summary. 
 
GNR restricted to barracks after confrontation with Australian 
forces 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------------------------ 
¶2.      (C) On Wednesday afternoon, Portuguese paramilitary police 
(GNR) officers arrested three youth who were fighting and 
threatening to burn homes in one of Dili's violence-prone 
suburbs.  The GNR transported these detainees to a temporary 
detention center staffed by Australian soldiers.  Citing 
concerns that the GNR had not respected the procedure jointly 
developed by the GOET and the JTF on arrests and detentions, the 
Australian soldiers refused to accept the detainees.  When GNR 
officers insisted that the agreement between the GOET and the 
GOP accorded them such a status, the Australian soldiers 
reportedly attempted to disarm the GNR officers.  The GNR 
resisted and returned to their headquarters, detaining the youth 
in their compound until they were transferred to a Timorese jail 
24 hours later. According to a Portuguese Embassy source, news 
of this incident reached Lisbon quickly and the GNR commanders 
in Dili received instructions that all GNR officers were to 
remain in their barracks until further notice. 
 
Provisional cooperation agreement reached between JTF and 
Portuguese forces 
 
¶3.      (C)  Despite this emotionally charged incident --- or 
perhaps in part because of it --- the Portuguese GNR now appear 
willing to cooperate more closely with the JTF forces. 
President Gusmao, Prime Minister Alkatiri, and Foreign/Defense 
Minister Ramos-Horta met this morning, in part to discuss the 
confrontation between the two international forces.  (A report 
on this meeting will follow septel.)  Minister Ramos-Horta then 
held a meeting attended by the Defense Attaches and Ambassadors 
of the four countries contributing troops to the peacekeeping 
effort.  The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss an 
arrangement for co-operation between the Joint Task Force (JTF) 
and GNR commanders.  The Portuguese DCM reported that a 
provisional agreement had been signed but was pending approval 
from Lisbon.  Portuguese and Australian sources have reported 
that the agreement establishes a two-step cooperation plan. 
Initially, the GNR will be given exclusive patrol in the Comoro 
area of the city, with possible deployment to other areas in the 
city during daylight hours under an arrangement to be determined 
between the GNR and JTF. (Note: In the end, the acceptance of a 
specific geographical sector rather than a city-wide mandate was 
the result of a direct GOET request to GNR rather than 
 
DILI 00000300  002.2 OF 006 
 
 
negotiations between GNR and JTF; nevertheless, the result was 
the arrangement that had been proposed by JTF.)  Upon the 
establishment of an international police force in the coming 
weeks, the GNR would become the rapid response force for riots 
and other large-scale civil disturbances.  In the agreement, the 
GNR accepted the need to abide by the JTF procedures for arrests 
and detentions that have been meticulously drafted to comply 
with Timorese law.  The GNR will become fully operational 
tomorrow when the bulk of its weapons and vehicles arrive from 
Portugal. 
 
¶4.      (C) During a lengthy discussion of the incident with 
EmbOff, the Portuguese DCM made explicitly clear to EmbOff that 
Portuguese forces would never be under the command of the JTF 
and that the new agreement would only enhance communication and 
cooperation.  Interestingly, the Portuguese diplomat stated 
repeatedly that the Australians are merely a "visiting [not 
occupying] force" and must respect the autonomy of foreign 
troops not under their command.  She reiterated that the GNR was 
here at the explicit request of the GOET and answered only to 
the President and Prime Minister.  She concluded by stating that 
Australia has been a good neighbor to East Timor, but that 
Australians must understand the "special role" Portugal plays in 
the newly independent country.  She cited what she described as 
an outpouring of popular support for the GNR upon their very 
public arrival in East Timor and characterized them as 
"saviors". 
 
Armed group says Alkatiri gave them guns to kill opponents 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
¶5.      (C) The Australian television network ABC today reported 
on a journalist's meeting with a group of 30 men who claimed 
they had been recruited by Alkatiri and former Minister of the 
Interior Rogerio Lobato to intimidate and kill political 
opponents in the lead-up to the 2007 elections.  The men said 
they had met with Alkatiri personally and had been told to kill 
the ex-FDTL "petitioners" as well as opposition leaders and 
"anyone who breaks the Fretilin rules."  The leader of the group 
was an ex-Falintil fighter called  "Railos" who had relayed a 
similar story to Emboffs during a visit to Liquica last weekend. 
 Railos told Emboffs that a representative of Lobato came to him 
with 18 long-barreled weapons and an assignment to use them to 
eliminate political opponents as necessary.  He said that he had 
then taken the weapons to the President and relayed the story. 
He showed Emboffs a pistol he was carrying with him that he said 
was given to him by police at the President's house when he 
delivered the 18 weapons.  According to the ABC account, 
however, the men have not yet turned their weapons over to the 
President but say they are willing to do so.  The television 
story says the men are also seeking protection from 
international forces.  Emboffs are investigating this and 
similar reports and will report further as details become 
available. 
 
 
Foreign Defense Attaches invited to participate in FDTL Weapons 
inventory 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶6.      (SBU) In fulfilment of one of the responsibilities of he 
Ministry of Defense under President Gusmao's new national 
security plan, Minister Ramos-Horta will conduct an inventory 
tomorrow of FDTL weapons in military installations in Baucau, 
Metinaro, Hera, and Tasitolu. Ramos-Horta will be accompanied by 
senior FDTL officers, UN officials, and the defense attaches 
from foreign embassies.  The weapons inventory will be compared 
with a written inventory recently delivered to the President by 
Brigadier General Tuar Matan Ruak. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Assuming that the written inventory provided by 
General Matan Ruak is a complete and accurate list of all the 
weapons formerly possessed by FDTL, the physical inventory 
should reveal how many FDTL weapons are still at large.  The 
 
DILI 00000300  003.2 OF 006 
 
 
probable possessors of such weapons fall into two categories. 
The first category consists of small groups of FDTL dissidents 
led by Majors Reinado, Tara, and Tilman, who fled to the western 
districts with their military weapons during early May.  The 
second group consists of a substantially larger number of 
civilians from the eastern part of the country --- FDTL leaders 
have reportedly begun referring to them as "reservists" --- to 
whom these leaders gave weapons during the fighting in Dili in 
late May.  The President's security plan charges FDTL and the 
Ministry of Defense with recovering all weapons that were given 
to what the plan calls "the so-called reservists."  Embassy has 
received reports that some of those who were given FDTL weapons, 
including the erratic ex-guerrilla "L4", have been asked to 
return them, but there are credible reports that many of the 
"reservists" are still in Dili and still in possession of the 
weapons.  Tomorrow's inventory should be at least a first step 
toward assess the scope of this problem. 
 
¶8.      (C) An advisor to Defense Minister Ramos-Horta, Janelle 
Saffin, told Emboff today that she had been present at the 
Minister's recent meetings with dissident members and ex-members 
of FDTL.  Contrary to reports received by the Embassy from UN 
sources that these dissidents would not engage in dialogue with 
GOET leaders until Prime Minister Alkatiri resigns or is 
dismissed, Ms. Saffin was adamant that, while their agreement to 
participate in a dialogue with the President and "other" GOET 
officials was vague, all sides had indeed agreed to talks in the 
near future.  Once the FDTL inventory has been completed, 
Ramos-Horta will again approach the various dissident leaders in 
an attempt to establish a timetable for dialogue. 
 
New Minister of the Interior stood up by PNTL commanders from 
the East 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------------------ 
 
¶9.      (C) Minister of the Interior Alcino Barris called today 
for a meeting in Dili of all 13 national police (PNTL) district 
commanders to assess the current state of PNTL activities in the 
districts.  Reports from the UN and PNTL indicate that initially 
all 13 commanders agreed to attend.  In the end, however, only 
the commanders from the ten "Loromonu" (western) districts 
attended.  When the Minister attempted to contact the commanders 
from Baucau, Viqueque and Lautem districts, their phones were 
reportedly switched off.  It was also reported that Deputy 
Police Commissioner for Administration Lino Saldanha, who 
defected two weeks ago during the fighting between FDTL and PNTL 
and is staying at the FDTL compound in Metinaro, declined to 
attend the meeting. 
 
EmbOff Meetings with demonstration organizers in Maliana 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
 
¶10.     (SBU) EmbOff and USDR today traveled to Maliana, in 
Bobonaro district near East Timor's western border, to follow up 
on the demonstrations that took place in Dili on June 6 
involving approximately 1500 people from Bobonaro and other 
western areas.  District police reported that the demonstrators 
had kept them informed of their planned departure from Bobonaro 
and coordinated with them concerning security arrangements.  The 
police reported that the demonstrators from Maliana, which 
contributed the largest number, had been organized by a 
newly-formed commission made up of political party leaders and 
ex-Falintil fighers.  The leader of the Maliana commission is a 
former FDTL soldier known as "Deker" who was dismissed over a 
year ago and has since affiliated himself with the Democratic 
Party (PD), East Timor's largest opposition party. 
 
¶11.     (SBU) Poloff and USDR then arranged a meeting with Deker, 
who was accompanied by approximately 15 members of the 
commission.  Deker explained that the group included leaders of 
various political parties, including Fretilin; former Falintil 
fighters; and community leaders.  He also said the commission 
was receiving advice from the Church in Maliana.  Two Timorese 
 
DILI 00000300  004.2 OF 006 
 
 
leaders of a community forum organized by the National 
Democratic Institute (NDI) who reside in Maliana were also there 
as members of the commission.  Deker described the June 6 
demonstration as "just the first step" in their campaign.  They 
are currently waiting for the President's response to the 
petition they presented to him during the demonstration.  If 
their demands (including the resignation or dismissal of the 
Prime Minister) are not met soon, they plan to organize much 
larger demonstrations  They characterized June 6 as just a 
testing of the waters.  When asked whether their movement was 
limited to the western districts, they emphasized that they are 
focused on national unity and are in communication with several 
political party leaders from the East.  However, all the 
districts they mentioned in which there are commissions such as 
theirs are in the West. 
 
Western border district remains quiet and isolated 
       --------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶12.     (SBU) District police in Maliana appeared to be operating 
normally during an unannounced visit by Emboffs today.  However, 
they reported that their usual logistical problems, including 
insufficient vehicles to carry out regular police work, have 
been exacerbated by the current lack of logistical support from 
Dili.  Emboffs also spoke to border police (BPU) both in Maliana 
and at a nearby border post who shared similar complaints 
regarding lack of support from Dili over the last two weeks. 
They are particularly hard hit as they are dependent on food 
supplies being delivered to their remote posts.  Nonetheless, 
the BPU also appeared to be operating as usual.  They reported 
that the border with Indonesia remains closed by order of the 
Indonesian government, and that the border has been mostly quiet 
in recent weeks. 
 
¶13.     (SBU) Life in the town of Maliana as a whole also appeared 
to be normal.  Stores and restaurants were open and the market 
was lively.  Electricity is intermittent, which is the norm for 
Maliana.  Government services such as the police, schools, 
hospital, and sanitation are operating normally but all other 
government offices are reported to be closed.  There are 
concerns that between the lack of goods coming from Dili and the 
closed border with Indonesia, Maliana and the entire border area 
will soon face serious hardship.  Prices for basic commodities 
have already risen significantly. 
 
Fretilin Party Office in Ermera reportedly burned 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶14.     (U) According to an announcement by a prominent Fretilin 
leader in Dili, the Fretilin Party headquarters for Ermera 
District in the town of Gleno was looted and burned by youth 
gangs today. The announcement was made by Francisco "Lu'Olo" 
Guterres, President of the National Parliament and also 
President of Fretilin.  Assuming Lu'Olo's account is accurate, 
this incident represents only the second major act of violence 
outside of the capital since incidents civil unrest began more 
than a month ago.  The other incident outside Dili, an attack on 
a government building that resulted in the death of a police 
officer, was also in Gleno.  Foreign media reports stated that 
gunfire was heard in the streets of Gleno.  In a subsequent 
phone conversation with Lieutenant Gastao Salsinha, the 
Gleno-based leader of the petitioners, EmbOff was assured that 
no such attack had taken place.  UN sources also report that the 
Fretilin district leader's house may have been stoned, but they 
could not confirm that any buildings had been burned or any 
gunshots fired. Further developments will be reported septel. 
 
Dili and district courts begin to function with minimal staffing 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
--------------- 
 
¶15.     (C) EmbOff met today with a UN-funded international judge 
and with President of the Court of Appeals Claudio Ximenes to 
discuss the current state of the Timorese judicial system.  Both 
interlocutors reported that after several weeks in which no 
 
DILI 00000300  005.2 OF 006 
 
 
cases were heard, the courts were beginning to use the newly 
sworn-in Timorese judges (see Ref B) and the three remaining 
international judges to conduct 72-hour hearings for recently 
arrestees and to resume cases still on the court docket.  The 
Court of Appeals building has been ransacked and Dili District 
Court is still not considered sufficiently secure to conduct 
trials, so the international judges have assembled ad hoc "court 
teams" to go to conduct detention hearings at JTF and other 
detention sites.  Reports indicate that approximately 8 such 
hearings have taken place.  International and Timorese judges 
were also visiting district courts in Oecussi and Baucau to 
resume hearings in those districts.  Judge Ximenes indicated 
that it would be preferable to continue having UN-funded judges 
in the post-UNOTIL mission to work in the courts as mentors and 
to hear cases.  Several Timorese judges are reportedly still 
living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and have not 
yet reported back to report to work.  Concerning the 
investigations underway into the actions of the FDTL on April 28 
and May 25, Judge Ximenes stated that while Timorese law states 
that military courts should be established to try F-FDTL 
officers, in the absence of such courts the district courts 
could hear military cases. 
 
UNHCR working with GOET and local NGOs to improve conditions in 
IDP camps 
--------------------------------------------- -------------- 
------------------------------------------ 
¶16.     (SBU) UNHCR Regional and Country Representatives briefed 
EmbOff on their agency's plan to work in coordination with the 
GOET to establish new camps for those IDPs suffering from 
long-term displacement due to the destruction of homes or 
serious security threats.  In addition, in response to an appeal 
from the Ministry of Labor to improve the situation in the 
current IDP camps, UNHCR is assisting the existing camps in 
reorganizing and is outfitting them with better facilities and 
supplies.  To date, four planeloads of UNHCR supplies have 
arrived in Dili and this afternoon a Boeing 747 filled with 
tents, blankets, tarps, and other non-perishable supplies 
arrived in Darwin, Australia and will be transferred to Dili. 
These supplies will provide adequate longer term shelter for at 
least 15,000 IDPs.  The selection process to identify candidates 
to move to any new camps will be coordinated by the Ministry of 
Labor and the international NGOs assigned to each camp. 
 
¶17.     (SBU) The biggest concern expressed by UNHCR officials and 
by NGOs involved in the relief effort is the question of having 
visible, permanently assigned security forces at the larger 
camps.  Although JTF forces responded quickly overnight to an 
attack on an IDP camp by a youth gang, those working on the IDP 
crisis have repeatedly stated that a visible presence of foreign 
soldiers or police outside the camps would greatly ease tensions 
within the camps and would likely serve as an effective 
deterrent against attacks.  Another priority is the provision of 
protective services by NGOs and GOET agencies.  Although the IDP 
camps are generally far more peaceful than other parts of Dili, 
there have been reports of crimes including at least one rape. 
Organizations including UNICEF are coordinating with local NGOs 
to begin providing protective services in the camps. 
 
¶18.     (SBU) When questioned about possible steps to encourage 
IDPs to return home, UNHCR representatives said it is essential 
that an international police force be established as soon as 
possible and that such a force conduct extensive community 
policing to create an atmosphere of security in Dili's 
neighborhoods.  The officials cited UNHCR's program to convince 
refugees from the 1999 violence to return home from West Timor, 
in which initial socialization meetings were held between 
refugees and others from their home villages.  These meetings 
were then followed by UNHCR supervised visits back to the areas 
from which people fled to provide them with a clear 
understanding of the improved security situation. During a 
meeting with EmbOff, First Lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao stated that 
several NGOs, including the Alola Foundation which she 
established, are concentrating on issues specific to women in 
 
DILI 00000300  006.2 OF 006 
 
 
IDP camps. 
 
 
Security 
-------- 
 
¶19. (SBU) EmbOffs and international aid workers continue to have 
access to all areas of the capital necessary to carry out 
diplomatic work and to address the IDP crisis.  The few 
checkpoints maintained by international forces do not hinder 
movement.  A reduced number of arson attacks  continue, but only 
in the most disfranchised and historically violent 
neighborhoods. 
 
¶20. (C) Embassy DCM and RSO met with Australian DCM today to 
discuss a possible formal arrangement between the Embassy and 
the JTF to provide protection to the Embassy should it come 
under attack.  The Australian DCM stated that he did not see any 
obstacles to such an agreement, but that it would likely need to 
be negotiated back in Canberra. Ambassador Rees subsequently 
discussed the issue with the Australian Ambassador, who gave 
assurances that the JTF would respond as quickly as possible to 
a call for help at the U.S. Embassy or any other diplomatic 
mission.  However, she said an estimate of likely response time 
and other details should be discussed directly with JTF 
representatives.  Emboffs and/or USDOD representatives at 
Embassy Dili hope to engage in such discussions tomorrow morning. 
 
¶21. (SBU) The number of American citizens remained at 57. 
REES