A UN humanitarian team that drove along East Timor's northern coastline today found a countryside almost entirely devoid of people, raising fears that many more may have been deported than previously thought. Many others have fled into the hills, driven from their homes by a militia campaign of murder and arson. The aid workers were shocked to find so few had come home. The humanitarian team, which was escorted by UN troops, travelled 75 miles along a coastal road to the territory's second city, Baucau. A UN spokesman also said today that the organisation has little access to the refugees in West Timor, who are under the control of the militias. UN peackeepers say that security has improved since yesterday's operation to round up pro-Indonesian militia leaders. But that the fear of militia attacks remains strong.
Students have taken to the streets of the Indonesian city of Medan in new anti-government protests. Around 2,000 students clashed with security forces, demanding that a new security law be revoked. In an unexpected climbdown, President B.J. Habibie yesterday suspended ratification of the law, which would give increased powers to the military. But opponents of the measure want it withdrawn completely. Two days of protests in the capital, Jakarta, have left at least six people dead, but the city has been quiet today.
