'Up to 2,000 killed' in East Timor

The militias waged a campaign of terror

Up to 2,000 people may have been slaughtered during the violence surrounding East Timor's vote for independence, according to a United Nations team investigating the killings.

One of the investigators, James Dunn, told Australian radio that bodies were still being recovered, and the initial estimate of 1,000 deaths may be half the actual figure.

Up to 2,000 may have died

Pro-Jakarta militias, backed by the military, went on the rampage after the territory voted to end Indonesian rule in the August 1999 referendum.

Mr Dunn said some victims may never be found as there was evidence that bodies had been dumped at sea and others had been buried in secret.

"My investigation suggests quite a few people were killed in the mountains and their bodies were probably taken away by relatives and buried privately and they've said nothing about them because they didn't want them disturbed.

"I also have a very strong feeling and some evidence ... that some bodies were dumped out at sea," he added.

Refugees

Mr Dunn, a former Australian diplomat who served in the East Timorese capital Dili, said more evidence would emerge when refugees returned from camps in West Timor.

The authorities had previously estimated the death toll to be around 1,000.

The UN administration in East Timor has indicted an Indonesian army officer and 10 other suspects for war crimes so far.