Timor-Leste: UN Police, International Security Forces Move To Apprehend Prison Escapees
United Nations Police and international security forces in Timor-Leste today mounted a widespread search for the dozens
of prisoners who have escaped from Becora Prison, just east of the capital, Dili.
They are seeking to apprehend the escaped prisoners through intensified operations throughout Dili and the surrounding
areas, UN Acting Police Commissioner Antero Lopes said.
Mr. Lopes strongly urged the population to contact the UN Police or the international security forces should they have
any information about the escaped prisoners. The group includes Major Alfredo Reinado, the leader of an armed group that
demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister during the recent unrest in Timor-Leste.
Violence earlier this year in the country, which the UN helped guide to independence from Indonesia in 2002, left dozens
dead and forced some 155,000 people to flee their homes. The clashes erupted when the Government dismissed about 600
soldiers who had gone on strike.
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