[Kabar-indonesia] Alkatiri Ignores Prosecutor's Summons [+LUSA; Gusmao: Fight at Polls]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

also: E. Timor's PM urges supporters to fight at polls;
and LUSA: East Timor: Ex-PM says his hearing on 
"death squad" allegations adjourned 

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Friday, June 30, 3006

Alkatiri Ignores Prosecutor's Summons

By foreign affairs editor Peter Cave

East Timor's former prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, has not answered 
a summons to appear before prosecutors investigating his alleged 
involvement in setting up and arming a private militia.

He was due to appear this morning but the prosecutor's office says 
Dr Alkatiri has sent a letter saying he is awaiting the arrival of his 
lawyers.

It says Dr Alkatiri is calling on his immunity as a Member of 
Parliament.

The prosecutor's office, which was to decided this afternoon whether 
to charge Dr Alkatiri over the allegations, is considering its next action.

President Xanana Gusmao has addressed a meeting of about 1,000 
sometimes angry Alkatiri supporters gathered in front of the palace 
of government.

He has appealed for calm and time for the constitutional process to 
solve the current crisis.

But some members of the crowd have taken Mr Gusmao to task for 
trying to divide the country by using the terms, 'easterners' and 
'westerners'.

Some also demanded to know why he had disarmed the military but 
not the followers of rebel leaders in the hills.

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Agence France-Presse
June 30, 2006

E. Timor's PM urges supporters to fight at polls

East Timor's former prime minister Mari Alkatiri addressed hundreds of his 
supporters camped out in Dili, urging them to take their fight to the ballot 
box.

About 3,000 supporters of the ex-premier, who resigned on Monday amid a 
weeks-long crisis paralysing the nation, marched into the capital on Thursday 
in a huge show of strength that triggered fears of fresh factional fighting.

Dili descended into violence in late May as rival factions among the security 
forces clashed on the streets and gangs rampaged, leading to at least 21 
people being killed and some 150,000 fleeing their homes.

"I know you wanted to go home because you want peace and calm but you have to 
tell your families you must prepare to come to Dili to unite again," Alkatiri 
told the remaining 1,000 supporters.

"We have to unite. Don't talk about west and east. If we are united we will 
get through this," he said, referring to a broad divide in the nation on which 
the violence has been blamed.

Alkatiri, speaking from the back of a small truck flanked by leaders of his 
ruling Fretilin party, said: "Some people say I am scared to stand up in front 
of the people but today I can show you I am not scared.

"Keep fighting! Keep fighting!" he told the cheering supporters, who had 
slept overnight on the streets surrounded by armoured vehicles belonging to the 
more than 2,200 foreign peacekeepers deployed here since last month.

Feared clashes between Alkatiri's supporters, who steamed into Dili in a 
convoy of more than 150 trucks and vehicles on Thursday, and his opponents, failed 
to eventuate overnight amid a tight security presence.

Alkatiri also mentioned obliquely the campaign to force him to stand down, 
saying the violence of May was caused by "political conspiracy".

"We have to dismiss the conspiracy," he said. "We must maintain national 
unity for Fretilin to win again in the next elections."

Other leaders of Fretilin -- which commands an easy majority in parliament -- 
told the crowds their party was in a stronger position to fight elections due 
next year after Alkatiri's resignation.

Fretilin also passed a letter to President Xanana Gusmao on Friday in which 
the party staked its claim to nominate the next premier in an interim 
government.

"This is not the time to point fingers at each other and compare who has 
committed more mistakes and who is more righteous," it said.

"Fretilin should nominate the prime minister in the interim government in 
accordance with our consitution."

The party also issued a message of unity, read out by party president 
Fransisco Guterres, calling on those with weapons to hand them over to the 
authorities.

Gusmao also met the crowds early Friday and urged them to stay calm. He said 
he was ready to go to jail if he was found to have any responsbility for the 
widespread disturbances the half-island nation has endured.

Separately, East Timor's independent prosecutor-general Longuinhos Monteiro 
told reporters that Alkatiri would not answer a summons to be questioned Friday 
over allegations he armed a civilian hit squad.

Alkatiri strongly refutes the accusations. 

A close Alkatiri ally, former interior minister Rogerio Lobato, already faces 
charges over distributing the arms.

Monteiro said Alkatiri wrote in a letter that he was claiming immunity as a 
member of parliament and was waiting for his lawyers to arrive from abroad.

"We will write a letter to parliament to waive his immunity and also as well 
discuss with the legal advisors of the parliament if the immunity of the prime 
minister is automatically lifted," he added.

Alkatiri's resignation raised hopes that tensions in the nation of one 
million would be defused, but more clashes have occurred this week in Dili.

Gusmao, who threatened to step down if Alkatiri did not, is still thrashing 
out how an interim government will be set up until polls due early next year.

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East Timor: Ex-PM says his hearing on 
"death squad" allegations adjourned 

Lisbon, June 29 (Lusa) - Outgoing Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said Thursday
that he has asked Dili's state prosecution service to postpone his court
appearance Friday for questioning on allegations he organized a hit squad to
silence his critics during the escalating violence that split the country's
security services and sparked mob violence two months ago.

In an interview with Portuguese Radio Renascença, Alkatiri said:

"The hearing is not now tomorrow (Friday). It was adjourned at my request.
The (original) date was set at my request and was not an initiative of the
Attorney General, as I would like to resolve the situation as quickly as
possible".

Saying that he had asked for the rescheduling of his appearance before an
investigative magistrate because his attorney was abroad and would not be
able to attend the hearing, Alkatiri reiterated that he was innocent of all
the allegations made against him.

Judicial sources told Lusa that the Attorney General's office had decided
earlier this week to summon Alkatiri for questioning on the basis of
testimony given by ex-Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato.

In his interview with prosecutors, the former minister had "confirmed all
the allegations made by Vicente da Conceição Railos", a former resistance
leader who first alleged that Alkatiri and Lobato had armed "death squads".

He also confessed to the four charges made against him:
"conspiracy, attempted mutiny, illegal possession of arms and criminal
association", said the same judicial sources.

Lobato has been under house arrest during the investigation of the hit squad
allegations, but Australian peacekeeping troops attempted Thursday to move
him to a detention center, according to one of the former minister's
lawyers.

Luis Mendonça de Freitas told Lusa that Lobato had been taken to a Dili
court in bid to transfer him to prison custody due to the risk of him being
physically harmed by gangs of anti-FRETILIN demonstrators.

But the court ruled that Lobato should stay under house arrest as he "ran no
risk" of harm from demonstrators against Timor's dominant political force.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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