The United Nations will give its answer in Jakarta this morning to charges by the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr Ali Alatas, that the violence in East Timor occurred because pro-autonomy militias were upset about the referendum process. This puts the focus squarely on the three poll commissioners appointed by the Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, who have been accused by pro-Jakarta groups of ignoring their legitimate complaints. The commissioners, Mr Pat Bradley of Northern Ireland, Mr Johann Kriegler of South Africa, and Ms Bong-Scuk Sohn of South Korea, ruled in the early hours of Saturday that the overwhelming vote for independence was a fair reflection of the wishes of the East Timorese people.
Privately UN officials are incredulous that such weight is being given by the Indonesian Foreign Minister to what they regard as insubstantial complaints, especially in the light of a brutal campaign of intimidation by pro-Jakarta militias, including widespread arson and killing. The move appears to be part of a complex power-play in the Indonesian capital, where President Habibie has called on the nation to accept the poll result, whereas the army and police, nominally under the control of the Defence Minister, Gen Wiranto, and Interior Minister Mr Muladi, have set out to subvert the UN process at whatever cost, even a militia coup.
Mr Bradley and his colleagues will respond at a press conference in the Indonesian capital to specific objections voiced in Dili by Mr Basilio Araujo, spokesman for the FPDK, the political wing of the East Timorese autonomist militias. Mr Araujo said he had compiled 100 complaints from proautonomy voters, who were allegedly deceived into voting against autonomy or saw UN-recruited staff marking ballot papers.
Mr Alatas made his views known to Mr Ian Martin, head of the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), who yesterday was driven to the airport through streets controlled by militiamen wearing the red and white colours of the Indonesian flag to meet a team of Indonesian government officials.
The group included the defence and interior ministers, who arrived for a crisis meeting in the face of escalating violence from the militias in revenge for the vote by 344,580 people, or 78.5 per cent, to reject autonomy and to begin a transition to independence.
Before arriving Gen Wiranto, had said there was no significant trouble in the territory. Despite the evidence of television pictures, army spokesman Brig Gen Sudradjat said in Jakarta: "There is no report that the militia are carrying guns and walking in the streets." At the same time he said the military acknowledged the ballot came out of a democratic process and "we all, including the national military, should accept it willingly."
Observers in Jakarta say Indonesia's political leadership has lost control of the military command. President Habibie urged Indonesia to accept the vote, "because a democratic choice has come from the heart of the majority of our brothers and sisters in East Timor".
The PDI party leader, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, the leading candidate for president when parliament meets in November, said: "I am very concerned and certainly very sad at the result of the East Timor referendum."
The parliament meeting, which decides the presidency in November, will also be asked to approve East Timor's transition to independence. Adding to the confusion over Indonesian intentions in East Timor, Mr Muladi said on Saturday he would release the resistance leader Mr Xanana Gusmao on Wednesday, a week earlier than promised, and allow him return to Dili under the responsibility of the UN mission. Such a journey could well be suicidal, as UNAMET is unable to protect itself from the armed militias controlling Dili.
The Falintil resistance movement has maintained a ceasefire during the past months. Mr Gusmao said on Saturday that August 30th would always be remembered as the day of national liberation. "The history of the past 23 years has largely demonstrated that, between losing their lives and their homeland, the Maubwere [East Timorese] people opted for the first. And this sacrifice of more than 250,000 lives was not in vain."
About 100 international journalists were driven at speed on police trucks to Dili airport yesterday after being targeted by militiamen, leaving only a handful of correspondents in the capital. Those leaving included CNN, which marks a major victory for the militias in their campaign of intimidation of the foreign media.
In the most blatant incident, police took no action against a militiaman standing outside the Mahkota who yelled and shot at journalists on the hotel roof, and the hotel came under fire several times. Despite a heavily-armed police guard in the centre of Dili, militiamen carrying M16 assault rifles and grenades moved freely around even and gave instructions to police, some of whom replied with thumbs-up gestures of support. One policeman said: "We cannot do anything. If we do something to one of these many, many others will fight us."
Dili was a ghost town on Saturday, and the celebrations were muted. In a refugee centre near the seafront people began weeping silently and then knelt down to pray. About 200 people attended a Mass by Bishop Carlos Belo yesterday and heard the Nobel laureate declare: "Vox Populi, Vox Dei - the people's voice is the voice of God - and let us hold arms together in eternal brotherhood for the sake of common welfare."
Among those who left Dili on Saturday was Aitarak militia leader Mr Eurico Guterres, who flew to the holiday island of Bali. He denied he was quitting East Timor.