Bernama.com Malaysian National News Agency Timor Leste PM Denies Pointing Indonesia Behind Dili Riot World June 07, 2006 10:03 AM
DILI, June 7 (Bernama) -- Timor Leste Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri denied as having pointed to Indonesia for being behind the bloody riots in Dili, Antara news agency reported Tuesday. He made the statement after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono critized him for having accused the world's largest archipelagic country as being behind the violent and bloody riots in Timor Leste. Quoting a statement from Alkatiri's office, the Timor Leste leader denied having directly pointed to Indonesia which had ruled Timor Leste from 1975 to 1999, with regard to the riots in Dili. "The prime minister has never said that Indonesia was involved in the recent crisis in East Timor," the statement said. It also said that Alkatiri had met with Indonesian ambassador to Timor Leste Ahmad Bey Sofwan to clarify some reports carried by some mass media in Indonesia. Earlier Alkatiri alleged that some foreign elements were two weeks ago involved in Dili which took 20 lives and put the blame on Indonesian militiamen. The Indonesian militiamen had been blamed for the death of 1,400 people after the UN supervised referendum. The statement about the Indonesian involvement was made by Alkariti without any evidence was carried by some Indonesian papers. -- BERNAMA

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