The UN spokesman said the militia appeared to be well equipped with automatic weapons and grenades. A senior UN official, who asked not to be named, said he was concerned about recent reports that the Indonesian army had given modern weapons to the militia, in breach of assurances by the Indonesian President, Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, that the militia would be disarmed. Soldiers from Australia's elite Special Air Service Regiment are based along the border in a surveillance role. The ability of the five alleged militia to breach the border in daylight and travel 30kilometres inside East Timor raises questions about the real identity of the attackers. Privately, UN officials, military observers and peacekeepers say the recent attacks could have been made by Indonesian special forces, Kopassus, known to be based across the border.
Local villagers are insistent the Indonesian army is involved.
There are no militia along the border. Security patrols have been increased along the border following last week's incidents, including around Memo. An armored personnel carrier has been positioned beside one bunker observation post overlooking the Indonesian border on the village outskirts. He pointed at two Indonesian checkpoints including one sandbagged bunker dug into a ridgeline opposite the Australian position. Seven kilometres south of Memo, additional armored vehicles have been moved in support of a platoon on high ground overlooking the hamlet and the Indonesian positions.