| Subject: FORTILOS: Parents of Aniceto Guteres Lopes
terrorised Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 14:28:17 +0000 From: tapol@gn.apc.org (by way of "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>) From: tapol@gn.apc.org (TAPOL) Subject: Parents of Aniceto Guteres Lopes terrorised From: FORTILOS <fortilos@indo.net.id> Parents of Aniceto Guterres Lopes terrorised and their house surrounded On Tuesday, 8 June, members of the Dadarus Red and White militia attacked Memo village, Maliana sub-district in the district of Bobonaro. The attack was directed at the parents of Aniceto Guterres Lopes, Director of the human rights organisation, Yayasan HAK. Some members of the family sustained injuries, while several people were taken into custody and are being held at Maliana Kodim (military command). One of those being held is Afonso Reis, 22. The militia surrounded the house and pelted it with stones. When the people inside tried to flee, they arrested two people and tortured them. The two men are: Justino Goncalves dos Santos, 31 and Dinis dos Santos, 34, cousins of Aniceto. The attack is believed to be linked to Aniceto's human rights work. The district head of Bobonaro, Guilherme dos Santos, also from Memo, has been known to make threats against Aniceto, warning that human rights activists should stay away from Bobonaro. 'If they come here, I'll deal with them,' he said at a meeting in the Bobonaro administration centre some months ago. The antipathy between Aniceto and the Bobonaro district head goes back to 1996 when Aniceto defended the village head of Memo whom the latter had dismissed. Aniceto later took the case to the Administrative Court, PTUN. The recent attack had been well planned. In the run-up to the election on 7 June, the local military issued threats, warning that if disturbances occurred during the election, the army and the militia would launch a bigger attack, which is what happened. The action was supported by the E Timor People's Front (BRTT) whose chairman is Francisco Lopes da Cruz. When inaugurating the local branch of the BRTT recently, da Cruz said: 'The National Human Rights Commission can come here but other groups, such as the Students Solidarity Council and others claiming to be human rights organisations, as well as the UN, should beware.' He even warned that they could be shot. Send your protests to: 1. Kolonel Tono Suratman, DANREM Timor Timur Tel. - 62 390 32158, (rumah) - 62 390 321021 (kantor) Faxes/Tel: 62 390 321 624 / 62 390 321 512 2. Letkol. Mudjiono -Wadanrem Timor Timur Tel. - 62 390 321410 - 0811-384968 (Hp) 3. Kolonel Timbul Silaen - KAPOLDA Timor Timur - Rumah di Dili : 62 390 321842 - Kantor di Dili : 62 390 321544, Fax 62 390 321690 - HP : 081138949 4. Kapten Widodo - Dispen Polri - Tel. - 0811-384709 (Hp) 5. Abilio Osorio Soares - Gubernur Timor Timur - Tel. - 62 390 322799 (Dili) - 0816-295-065 (Hp) Back to June Menu |