East Timor: UN peacekeepers arrest suspects in Viqueque murders

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) and international police officers arrested three persons today as suspects in murders committed during a riot in Viqueque on 12 March.

The suspects, from Baucau and the villages of Olobai and Boromatan in Viqueque, have been brought to Dili for questioning.

Clashes between youth groups from two villages last month left two people dead, roughly 40 houses burned and 25 partially destroyed. The situation in Viqueque has since been calm, UNTAET said.

In other news, the Portuguese-run Fire Brigade in East Timor handed over its equipment to the East Timor Transitional Administration (ETTA) in a ceremony today in Dili, the UN mission reported.

The Brigade started its operations in East Timor in September 1999, as part of the humanitarian assistance provided by the Portuguese Government. The aid package includes equipment and refurbishment of fire stations for a total amount of $ 636,000. Fire stations have since been established in Dili, Aileu and Baucau districts.

Meanwhile, ETTA's Border Service last week seized around 40,000 cigarettes that had been smuggled from Indonesian West Timor into East Timor in a car belonging to an international non-governmental organization.

Since July 2000, the Border Service has seized dutiable goods, mainly cigarettes and alcohol, with assessed penalties for the amount of around $300,000.