East Timor: Aitarak Militia Boss Among 'Integrationists' Planning to Visit 14 Jul-11:31

The chief of East Timor's notorious Aitarak militia is one of eight anti-independence leaders preparing to visit the territory in discussions with UN administration officials, an UNTAET spokesman confirmed Friday in Dili.

Peter Biro, the spokesman, told Lusa that Eurico Guterres, the head of the formerly Dili-based Aitarak, or Thorn, paramilitaries, had approached an UNTAET representative in West Timor "this week" about the possibility of visiting East Timor.

If Guterres did return to the territory his forces helped ravage, "special measures" of security would have to be taken, Biro added.

He said Guterres approached UNTAET representative Parameswaran Nagalingam in Kupang, the West Timorese capital, after the UN official had held three meetings with seven leaders of the FPDK and BRTT "integrationist" movements about visiting their homeland.

Except for Guterres, none of the other anti-independence leaders discussing a return visit has been publicly identified.

UNTAET's confirmation of Guterres' plans came after an Indonesian newspaper quoted the militia chief as saying he counted on visiting all 13 East Timorese districts in "the near future."

The Jawa Post cited Guterres Friday as saying he had written to the National Council of Timorese Resistance and the nationalist Falintil guerrillas outlining his desire to visit and inviting Falintil commander Taur Matan Ruak to come see the refugee camps in West Timor.

Word of Guterres' plans coincided with the arrival in Dili Friday of a ship repatriating about 500 refugees.

UN police spokesman Antero Lopes said 17 among them had been identified as former militiamen and interrogated.

If it were determined that any of them had participated in anti- independence atrocities last year they would be immediately detained, he added.

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