Kasa – About 1,500 pro-Indonesian demonstrators rallied Monday in East Timor to voice their support for autonomy and rejection of independence for the troubled territory.

Tensions have been rising in the former Portuguese colony amid fears of an escalation in fighting between groups that want to stay part of Indonesia or break away from it.

The fresh turbulence has come in the wake of Indonesia's offer to relinquish control of East Timor if its people reject an autonomy offer now being crafted in UN-sponsored talks.

Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed it a year later, unleashing human rights abuses and a separatist rebel war.

The gathering in Kasa village, 2,100 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, was the second meeting organized by the Unity and Justice Forum, a pro-Indonesian group of East Timorese. A similar rally in the town of Balibo drew 10,000 people.

Autonomy "is the only option that can guarantee safety for the East Timorese in the future," said rally organizer Constantini Magno.

Nemecio Lopes de Carvalo, chief of Kasa village, accused independence supporters, including jailed rebel chief Xanana Gusmao, of imposing their opinions on others rather than promoting dialogue.

Indonesian authorities have often said that a referendum on independence could lead to civil war between rival factions.