On Oct. 19, at least 20 bodies were discovered in the coastal town of Liquica - the largest number Interfet has found in a single place. In Maliana in western East Timor, returning locals claim that 45 people were killed there. In a waterhole in the town, decomposed and chopped-up bodies are clearly visible. Within an hour's drive out of Ermera, pro-independence Falintil guerrillas display at least a dozen victims, many decapitated, buried below mounds of stones along the road. Other bodies are found in the backyards of destroyed homes.
Villagers here remain afraid, and with good reason.
Interfet has yet to establish a firm presence in the area, and the locals say that militiamen are still hiding in the coffee plantations on the edge of town. With safety still an issue, Falintil's chief field commander, Taur Matan Ruak, has told people to return to their homes only to collect whatever food and possessions remain, then to go back to their hideouts until Interfet consolidates its hold over the territory. At the moment, U.N. personnel refuse to speculate how many people have been killed, not least because they have been slow to move into the hinterland, waiting for Interfet to secure it first. If this had been the case, by now we would have found evidence. Evidence has been hard to find partly because, in the time that Interfet is taking to control all of East Timor, many clues have disappeared.