Karen Polglaze, Jakarta – Indonesia's military has tried to link Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient Jose Ramos Horta with an alleged terrorist group.
Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Abdul Wahab Mokodongan also said the Indonesian government would ask the Austrian (Austrian) government to hand over for questioning six people who last month sought refuge in that country's embassy here.
The military believes two of the asylum seekers are the ringleaders of the plot to explode bombs in the 27th province.
It is alleged they are members of the Associacio Socialista de Timor (AST) and one of them, Avelino Maria Coelho Da Silva, was believed to be the secretary-general of the organisation.
General Wahab said Mr Ramos Horta was a close friend of Avelino.
The information linking the East Timorese independence advocate with the alleged terrorist group came from testimony from two arrested AST members, he said.
Meanwhile, human rights groups in Australia have claimed several East Timorese detained in Dili and Demak, a town near Semarang, in Central Java, were tortured in police custody.
"Reliable sources have told us that all people who were detained in Semarang were tortured," said East Timor Human Rights Centre (ETHRC) director Maria Brett. "We know that."
Human rights groups believe 10 East Timorese people were arrested in Demak after a bomb exploded in a housing complex there on September 13.
It is alleged an Australian man, identified only as Geoffrey, had taught the East Timorese the art of bomb-making during a six-week visit in March and April.
General Wahab said the bomb-makers were part of a special terrorist unit called the Brigada Nagra, established by Avelino in May.
"The group has been involved in terrorism, sabotage and murder in Indonesian regions, aimed at creating instability in the country," he told The Jakarta Post newspaper.
Two other men allegedly part of the same group were arrested on September 15 as they entered Dili by boat, after travelling from Demak, via Bali, according to an East Timor military commander.
The commander said security officers found 20 home-made bombs, ammunition, banned books and other items.
The men were also carrying several letters from jailed former Fretilin leader Jose Alexandre 'Xanana' Gusmao, a fact which causes the ETHRC to fear for their safety.
The ETHRC believes most of those detained in Demak and Dili have been released, but details remain sketchy.
Mr Ramos Horta and the other recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace prize, East Timor Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, are currently in Austria for the All Inclusive Intra East Timor Dialogue.
The closed-door talks, the third in a series, are exploring the establishment of an East Timorese cultural centre in Dili and other projects.
East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975 and formally annexed in 1976.
The annexation is not recognised by the United Nations, which regards the former colonial power, Portugal, as the administering authority.