Timor Leste seeks Indonesia help in capturing rebels

Timor Leste Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta has called Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to ask for assistance in capturing rebels should they sneak into Indonesian territory, a spokesman has said.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Ramos-Horta conveyed to President Yudhoyono through him that rebel leader Lt. Col. Alfredo Reinado, who was alleged to have attacked a military post in Timor Leste and stolen 17 AK-typed rifles, was a grave concern for the Timor Leste government.

"Prime Minister Ramos-Horta has requested TNI (Indonesian military) at the border to ensure that Reinado does not cross it. We have temporarily closed our border upon this request," Dino was quoted Monday by major national newspaper The Jakarta Post as saying.

He said the Indonesian government and military would provide the requested assistance because of a longstanding bilateral understanding that Indonesia would assist Timor Leste in security matters along their border.

"The commanders from both sides already have mechanisms of cooperation along the border," Dino said.

Reinado, a former military police chief, was blamed for violence that struck the country in April and May last year. An estimated 100,000 people were displaced and at least 20 killed in the violence, which led to the deployment of a 2,500-strong international peacekeeping force.

Source: Xinhua