Eng/Indonesian East Timorese activists based in Australia say 12 more people have been killed and over 200 arrested in the Timorese town of Baucau this week, following rebel attacks on Indonesian troops. The crackdown appears to be part of a major security sweep on the island following unrest triggered by the Indonesian elections. Road blocks have sprung up in the capital, Dili, and foreign reporters and camera crews thrown out. Despite the security clampdown, an APTV camera crew has obtained rare and exclusive footage of wounded rebels under detention in East Timor. In Hera - on the surface an idyllic Timorese fishing village on the Savu Sea - people carve out a meagre existence from the ocean. They are following in the steps of generations before them, even before the Portuguese colonisers arrived 500 years ago. Wearing the yellow T-shirts of their present day political masters, Indonesia's ruling party Golkar, the Timorese go about their daily chores of repairing fishing nets and weaving traditional Timorese "Tais" cloth. It is not so much a display of political support - the T-shirts were given to them for free. In recent nights, however, the village has echoed to the sounds of gunfire and military helicopters. Fretilin - a small band of rebels who have been fighting for independence since Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975 - has stepped up its campaign against the military. Six gun battles in six days have reportedly claimed the lives of over 40 policemen, soldiers, civilians and rebels - the worst violence in East Timor for years. Before this latest wave of attacks, army intelligence claimed there were only 80 poorly equipped Fretilin rebels hiding out in the territory. Indonesian army sources said the isolated bands of guerrillas were unable to inflict any significant damage to Jakarta's military might. Although over the years their numbers have dwindled -- leaders have been captured and foot soldiers shot and imprisoned -- the rebels now claim to have 800 armed volunteers. Under armed guard at Dili's main military hospital, three Fretilin rebels - allegedly shot and captured in one of the latest attacks - lie handcuffed to their beds. According to the Indonesian military, these men were part of a small band of rebels who led a daring attack on a Dili police station on the eve of Indonesia's general elections last week. During the attack, the rebels allegedly stabbed and shot security personnel before taking off for the hills. Four of their comrades were said to have been killed by security forces. Military authorities say these prisoners receive exactly the same treatment as their own wounded soldiers. When fit enough to leave hospital, however, these men will be handed to the police, charged and tried. They can expect heavy sentences. When the military cracks down in East Timor and rounds up any one suspected of supporting the rebels, it is the International Red Cross that takes the role of mediator between the security forces and the families of those detained. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Our visits are aimed at looking at the material and the psychological conditions, the treatment of detainees. We are, after such a visit, reporting directly to the authorities in confidential reports to try - if there is a need - to try to change, improve things. And like that we try to contribute to a humane treatment of the prisoners." SUPER CAPTION: Juerg Frei, Red Cross Indonesia's military has long been accused of serious human rights abuses in East Timor. But in the sanctuary of a small church, a young Timorese man disputes the Major- General's claims that the so-called mistakes are all in the past.. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d4cecef48de0e8f3b033e379c2b1b4f7 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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