Subject: Interview w/eyewitness in Dili: soldiers
looting and burning
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 17:22:41 EDT
From: Joyo@aol.comABCTranscript 7:30 PM News with Kerry O'Brien 8/09/99
Soldiers loot and burn East Timorese capital
KERRY O'BRIEN: And for an eyewitness report from Dili today, I'm joined by one of the
few remaining journalists there, John Martinkus, of Australian Associated Press, on a
satellite phone at the UN compound.
John, what can you tell us about what went on on the streets of Dili today from the UN
reconnaissance team that went out?
JOHN MARTINKUS, AAP JOURNALIST, UN COMPOUND: OK, I've got two sources of information.
The UN reconnaissance team, they went down there. Basically, what they saw was the TNI
soldiers in uniform looting the capital. The business centre was burning. There was a few
people around going through the rubbish.
There was -- down at the dock, there was about 4,000 people who were surrounded by
militias and police troops who behaved very aggressively towards the UNAMET people.
This is the kinds we've scene.
There was possessions scattered everywhere, there was buildings burning. There was,
basically, militias drunk, drinking cans of Victorian Bitter which the UN had flown in --
they've looted stocks.
Basically, that reconnaissance mission came back to the compound.
Another five-car convoy headed down to the UN warehouse on the dock. They were trying
to get some supplies from the UN warehouse because we are running out of water and food
here. They were attacked by militias.
One of the military liaison officers was almost abducted. They were both shot at with
machine guns. Their vehicles were smashed with machetes and they got away just in time.
Unfortunately, they weren't able to secure the warehouse properly.
That means the majority of the UN supplies are now in the hands of militias.
Since then, it's been a critical situation, indeed.
At the moment, there are houses burning within 30-40 metres of the UN compound.
Looks like the university's going up down the road -- huge pummels of black smoke going
up -- and, of course, they're firing out of the compound.
KERRY O'BRIEN: It certainly makes a mockery of any declaration of martial law?
JOHN MARTINKUS: Well, you know, this morning, an American journalist who is half Puerto
Rican and passes as a Javanese did a very -- some would say stupid, but others say brave
thing.
He put on an Indonesian police T-shirt and walked straight out of the front gate and
into town for two hours.
What he witnessed within 50 metres of the compound was TNI soldiers from the same unit
that are supposedly protecting our compound -- which main preoccupation seems to be to
shoot over our head -- looting televisions and other furniture and other belongings from
the neighbouring houses.
Further into town, he heard what sounded like machineguns, short bursts of machinegun
fire being shot inside houses as militias and military went through houses, indicating
they were going in and shooting the occupants and moving on to the next place before
destroying houses of pro-independence people.
He was saying it was very carefully mapped out which houses they were going to destroy.
Some remain, some were intact -- those of the pro-Indonesians are intact, the other
ones are destroyed.
There are bombs being thrown into a clump, and then the whole house goes into flames.
It's basically, I mean, you know, they're destroying the town, they're driving us out.
It's a very organised and very heavy military operation happening here today.
KERRY O'BRIEN: John Martinkus thank you very much for talking with us.
Believe me, your work is appreciated, thank you.
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