Hunt for Fugitives in East Timor

The Australian Government today rejected as baseless reportsthat Australian and UN police in East Timor had given up the searchfor fugitive Alfredo Reinado and 56 other prison escapees.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and theMinister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said thecapture of Reinado and other prison escapees remained a crucialpriority for the international security forces, including 170Australian police and almost 1000 ADF personnel, in East Timor.

Ministers underlined that it was important to be realistic aboutthe difficulties faced by authorities conducting the search. East Timor’s mountainous terrain hampered operations. While significant progress had been made on reducing theavailability of weapons in the community, a number had not beensurrendered. And tensions between some groups within EastTimor society remained high. Australian authorities wereintent on managing the operation to minimise the risk of violentconfrontation.

Ministers said the AFP and ADF had been exemplary in theirprofessionalism and commitment to the task of stabilising thecountry to enable political differences within East Timor to beresolved. The UN has set a target of 1608 officers for theUnited Nations-led police force in East Timor and the internationalsecurity presence would expand significantly in coming weeks.

Media Contacts:

Tony Parkinson (Mr Downer’s office) 02 6277 7500 - Michael Barrett (Senator Ellison’s office) 02 62777260