Peacekeepers Clash With Armed Group
UNWire 1 March 2003
Following a firefight between U.N. peacekeepers and members of an armed
gang believed to be behind an ambush of civilians close to East Timor's
border with Indonesia Monday, U.N. forces detained two of the gunmen
yesterday.
The remaining members of the group are now being tracked by about 300
U.N.
troops who have been engaged in operations in the area of Monday's attack
for the past three days (LUSA, Feb. 27). Since the firefight, there have
been several sightings of other armed elements in the same region, LUSA
reports.
According to U.N. peacekeeping forces commander Major General Tan Huck
Gim,
there are at least seven armed groups active in East Timor, mostly in
the
border region and U.N. forces are involved in "intense operations"
to flush
them out.
"We are continuing to work on the base of information that seven
groups
since the beginning of January were about to enter or are already in East
Timor," Tan told LUSA. Tan also said that in interrogation of the
suspects
detained yesterday, one told them that his armed group, made up of
Timorese, had crossed the border to engage in "criminal activities"
in
order to survive due to harsh conditions in West Timor (LUSA IV, Feb.
28,
UN Wire translation).