Moment of truth in East Timor

New Zealand peacekeeper Captain KARL MADDAFORD faced a heartstopping decision as a mob threatened an East Timor police station. He tells his story in a letter to his father, Herald reporter Terry Maddaford.

Hi dad. Life over here is all that I expected and more. I want to tell you about an incident I found myself involved in last week (mid-July), which will give you some idea of what the battalion can face.

One of my roles within the battalion is liaison with the local East Timor police and their United Nations police counterparts.

The New Zealand battalion is on hand to provide assistance for any situation that warrants it, so I spend a lot of time working with the police and gauging the security situation, particularly as it can affect the safety of our soldiers.

With the decline of the militia threat, another has emerged. This threat comes from groups of issue-motivated people who, for a variety of reasons, disagree with the current structure within East Timor.

They are a mix of those seeking political power and criminal elements looking for opportunities. These groups are the main security concern as they often use seditious and violent means in order to achieve their goals.

We recently received news that the leadership of one of these groups intended to travel to Suai from the capital, Dili ... to conduct a series of meetings in the district, culminating in a flag-raising ceremony.

The police arranged a meeting with the leaders so protocol could be explained. This included a ban on the wearing of military uniforms in public, as this not only intimidates the local population but also can lead to people being mistaken for militia. A further ban was placed on carrying weapons such as knives, swords and firearms.

Restrictions under East Timorese law meant that if the group wanted to gather in numbers of 50 or more, they would require a police permit.

These rules were explained and accepted by the leaders. Despite this, tension was high with the group's presence in town.

Almost immediately, the battalion received reports of violations of the agreement. The morning after they arrived, the group was found patrolling a village just outside Suai, in full military uniform with combat knives and swords.

They reacted angrily to the police officer who confronted them, resulting in him calling for reinforcements and battalion assistance.

Later that night, I received a report that the group had returned to the same village. I travelled to the village with a United Nations police officer and sighted the group members. Shortly after, the group members began moving back to Suai and we followed.

As we approached Suai and neared the police station ... we came upon a dozen or so members from the same group. This group was also in full uniform and armed.

The UN police officer arrested the nearest offender and marched him into the police station. A scuffle broke out as soon as the detainee's associates realised what had happened. Fortunately, there were enough police on hand to diffuse the situation.

However, as the group left it was clear they intended to return, so I alerted the battalion's Quick Reaction Force. Fifteen minutes later, between 35 and 50 members of the group arrived by vehicle and on foot. Following was the senior liaison officer for the battalion and his driver. Returning from a briefing, they had been driven off the road by the mob and forced to draw their weapons, before following the group to the police station and driving their vehicle into the police compound.

I will never forget the sight or the noise of the mob. They were screaming and yelling, and throwing rocks and anything they could get their hands on. Windows in the police station were smashed and police officers held the station gate shut, as it did not lock.

It was then I heard a vehicle, and it became obvious that the mob planned to ram the gate with it. As I moved closer to the gate the vehicle came to a screeching halt only a few feet from it. The driver began revving the engine and hopping the vehicle forward. Had the vehicle driven through the gate it could have killed or seriously injured the people on the other side.

Faced with no other choice, I put my rifle to my shoulder and shouted the required warning in Tetum, the local language: "UN - stop or I shoot!". Fortunately, the driver backed the vehicle up, and got out and fled into the crowd. The Quick Reaction Force arrived, the situation calmed down and slowly the group dispersed.

Back at the forward operating base, the commanding officer of the 6th Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Dean Baigent, held a debrief.

Some time later, it was decided that a cordon and search operation in support of the police would be conducted on the group's headquarters at dawn that day.

As East Timor police, UN personnel and property had been endangered, the group was deemed a threat to the internal security of our district.

Time went by quickly as plans and orders were conducted to ensure a smooth operation. The battalion cordoned 66 people, with 44 detained and moved back to our base, as the police did not have the facilities to handle this number of detainees.

The East Timor Ministry of Justice in Dili flew two special prosecutors to Suai to investigate the arrests. This resulted in 12 ringleaders, and those positively identified as having made death threats, being transported to Becora prison to await trial. The rest were released on good behaviour bonds.

It was a tense operation to be so close to, but to me it certainly proved the worth of our presence here.

To see and hear the support of the local people now that this group is no longer able to extort and harass them made it worthwhile, I think.

I look forward to seeing all the family in time for Christmas.

Karl

Feature: Indonesia and East Timor

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