A surprise deployment of Indonesian naval ships in East Timor's waters to guard a visit by President Megawati Sukarnoputri has cast a cloud over the territory's independence celebrations tomorrow.
East Timor's Foreign Minister Mr Jose Ramos-Horta chided ex-foe Indonesia today for sending six naval vessels to the territory's waters, calling it an ostentatious display of military might.
Indonesia said yesterday it had dispatched the ships ahead of Ms Megawati's fleeting attendance at events marking East Timor's independence at midnight on Sunday, and that UN authorities running the territory had approved the plan.
One of the ships docked here today, startling ordinary Timorese. That transport vessel unloaded Ms Megawati's motorcade on Saturday in front of several hundred people kept under watchful eye by scores of police.
East Timor voted to break free from Indonesia's harsh rule in 1999 and many are still haunted by memories of military abuses.
"We did not agree for Indonesia to bring in six warships. We had discussions with Indonesia and said we would allow one medical vessel to dock," Mr Ramos-Horta told reporters.
"We are not angry, just puzzled with this ostentatious display of navy hardware that obviously is not a good public relations exercise for Indonesia in the eyes of the Timorese and major powers such as the US."
"We have asked Indonesia to move its ships to international waters and we are allowing the medical vessel to stay in our territorial waters as a matter of courtesy," the minister added.
Mr Ramos-Horta later told reporters the six ships entered East Timor waters today and that he believed four had since left.
East Timor has been under UN control since the 1999 referendum sparked a murderous rampage by Indonesia-backed militias opposed to it.
Yesterday, a UN official in East Timor said there had been agreement for Jakarta to send four vessels as part of support for Ms Megawati's attendence at celebrations on Sunday night.
Amid the controversy, foreign and local workers raced around Dili, erecting tents for official events marking independence and testing sound systems. Hawkers were doing a brisk trade selling baseball caps emblazoned with East Timor's national colours.
Delegations from 80 countries will be represented at independence events and some have already arrived.
Most of the senior visitors, such as UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan, former US President Bill Clinton and Australian Prime Minister Mr John Howard, will arrive tomorrow.