UN, Timorese police continue search for suspect in fatal shooting

United Nations and Timorese police are continuing their search for an officer of the country’s national police force accused of a fatal shooting on Sunday, the UN peacekeeping operation there said today.

The incident occurred one hour after the completion of a National Congress for Reconstruction of Timor-Leste (CNRT) campaign rally in Viqueque town, when a man from the nearby town of Ossu was fatally shot in a marketplace. The CNRT is headed by former President Xanana Gusmão.

According to the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), the victim is believed to have been shot by an off-duty officer of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL).

UN Police (UNPOL), supported by the International Stabilisation Forces (ISF), are continuing to search by foot and air for the accused officer, who is thought to have escaped into the mountains, the mission said.

Investigations into a second incident in which two people were shot during a disturbance at a road block in Ossu are also continuing. The incident resulted in one death.

Eric Tan, the deputy head of UNMIT, emphasized that Sunday’s incidents should not be seen as a reflection of the majority of the PNTL. “The majority of Timorese police officers across the country are working well and are participating in an ongoing process of reconstitution,” he stated.

Officers in Ossu, Uatulari and Viqueque Town have been placed on desk duties until the investigations are concluded and UNPOL is patrolling the area in the meantime, Mr Tan said.

He added that a process of screening for PNTL officers has been completed in Dili. A total of 1,200 officers underwent the process, and while 200 of those need further investigation, the remainder had undergone firearms recertification.

The same process will be extended to the remaining 12 districts in Timor-Leste, which the UN ushered to independence in 2002.