Indonesian/Nat Although the international peacekeeping troops continue to extend their influence across the territory, many East Timorese are yet to see any peacekeepers. APTN travelled south of Dili in advance of the peacekeepers to be the first to hear the stories of the people of Aileu, a town which barely survived the wrath of the pro-Indonesian militias. The local population was either killed by the militias or driven out of their homes and deported to West Timor. The people of Aileu were known as warriors, willing to lay down their lives for their beliefs. At the entrance to the town, a statue of a proud fighter towers above the main road. Not surprisingly, the town had a reputation for being a pro-independence stronghold. So - when the result of the vote on East Timor's future was declared to be massively in favour of separation - the people of Aileu knew the militia were going to target them in revenge. The militia's crackdown was brutal. The town's priest says that out of a local population of 17-thousand, five-thousand were taken forcibly to West Timor. Others managed to escape - some 12-thousand inhabitants fled to mountains, leaving the town virtually deserted. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) "They scared people by telling them that they were going to burn and flatten East Timor to the ground and they would kill anybody that refused to leave East Timor. They said it would be worse than the 1975 clashes. That is the reason why both pro-autonomy and pro-independence people left Aileu." SUPER CAPTION: Matheus Alfonso, local priest Survivors of the carnage wrought on the town say the local civil administrator took a leading part in the violent crackdown. Tarman Supratman was a hardliner, an ex-army man embittered by his experience in East Timor - a former soldier out for revenge. Barely a building escaped the wrath of Supratman and his men. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) "On the 5th of September (day after result was announced), after the Sunday service, they started burning the civil administrator's office. The civil administrator himself changed from civilian clothing into military garb and started burning his own office." SUPER CAPTION: Matheus Alfonso, priest This Tuesday, people finally started to return to Aileu, coming down from the mountains. They found their homes - their livelihoods - in ruins. Only two buildings survived the orgy of destruction. One was the police station, where townspeople had been herded before being sent to West Timor. The other was the church. Maybe out of respect it wasn't touched, even though the church priests received nightly threats that the church would burn. Aileu lies only 45 kilometres south of Dili, but the APTN crew were the first foreigners to arrive. The people of town did see some INTERFET helicopters fly by, but wonder why the international peacekeeping force has been so slow in sending troops and - more importantly - aid. SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese) "People are trying to find anything they can to eat, we try to feed people here with the little food we have because we have not received any aid from the U-N or other organisations yet." SUPER CAPTION: Senior priest Dimitrio Baros Soares The militia didn't just inflict material damage. Those who survived the carnage have been left with psychological scars that will take a long time to heal. Most of the men APTN talked to said their wives, mothers, children were taken to West Timor. They are unsure if they will ever see them again. Abilio de Santos had a lucky escape, he managed to make it to a refugee camp in the mountains. But his brother was less fortunate. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) SUPER CAPTION: Abilio de Santos SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f4c3317ee1033529bf088d4a763bcb98 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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