Three international staff of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were murdered in Atambua today at noon, following an attack by armed militias on the UNHCR office. One foreigner was also severely injured.
A total of 43 international and local staff from UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration and various Non-Governmental Organizations were airlifted by the Peacekeeping Force to East Timor, arriving safely at Dili airport late this evening. The injured foreigner was evacuated earlier to the Dili Military Hospital.
The violence was triggered by a funeral procession originating from nearby Betun for slain Laksaur militia leader Olivio Mendonça, also known as Olivio Moruk, who was killed on 5 September. According to witnesses, the procession proceeded towards the UNHCR compound, with an advance group of between 30 to 50 militia members, brandishing home-made guns and automatic weapons.
The staff fled the compound and it is unclear how the three staff members were killed or why they failed to escape.
Predicting trouble, the UNHCR head of office requested non-essential United Nations staff to remain in their homes on the day of the procession.
SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Boonsrang Niumpradit went to Dili airport to greet the evacuated staff.
The SRSG later expressed his deepest sorrow for the murdered UNHCR staff and demanded that the Indonesian Government rein in the militias.
“The TNI and the Indonesian Police do not have sufficient resources in West Timor to control the monster that was created in East Timor and which is now on the other side of the border,” Vieira de Mello said.
“The staff will not return until we have a credible demonstration that the Indonesian Government is prepared to protect them and protect the refugees. A credible demonstration is to restore Indonesian control over West Timor and to arrest and disarm the militia who constitutes a greater threat to Indonesian security than to East Timor.”
As a precautionary measure, some 50 international and local staff in the West Timorese capital Kupang will be evacuated tomorrow, 7 September.
UNTAET was first informed of the events in Atambua at 12.30 p.m. today. The Force Commander spoke to General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs today and was told that an additional TNI battalion would be sent to Kupang to bring the militia under control.
