US condemns Jakarta over Timor raids

A senior United States official has accused the Indonesian government of failing to disarm militia gangs operating in West Timor.

The US Ambassador to Indonesia and East Timor, Robert Gelbard, warned that unless the country takes action, it could face cuts in international aid.

Mr Gelbard told the BBC that disarming and disbanding the militias had, as he put it, dropped off the agenda of the Indonesian government.

He also accused what he called recalcitrant elements of the Indonesian military of supporting the paramilitary gangs.

Jakarta announced on Monday that it would close the refugee camps in West Timor , after the United Nations called for action to prevent cross-border raids following the killing of a peacekeeper last week. But a Timorese minister, Joao Carrascalao, has accused Indonesia of maintaining the camps to gain more international refugee aid.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service