Subject: LUSA: Belo confirms arming of civilians
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 09:56:40 -0500
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>25 JAN 99 - 19:05 East Timor:
Bishop Belo Confirms that Indonesian Military is Arming Civilians
Lisbon, Jan. 25 (Lusa) - East Timor Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo has confirmed reports
that the Indonesian army is distributing weapons to civilians in the territory. The
militias receiving arms clearly support Indonesia's annexation of East Timor, the 1996
Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate stated. In a telephone interview broadcast on Portugal's RDP
Internacional radio station, Bishop Belo said he had received his information from
Indonesian military commanders, who argue that groups defending East Timor's right to
self-determination are also armed.
In recent weeks, hundreds of civilians refugees have arrived in Dili, capital of East
Timor, fleeing violence in the interior, where armed militias have instilled a climate of
fear and persecution.
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