David Boey – International relief teams sent to help displaced East Timor residents in the town of Suai have learned of alleged atrocities committed by roving gangs of militiamen working with Indonesian Army troops.

One incident was said to have involved the slaughter of about 200 Suai residents, who had sought refuge in the Church of Fatimah on Sept 6.

According to eyewitness reports, the pastor of the Roman Catholic parish, Padre Hilario Madeira, was shot in cold blood on the steps of the church, following a confrontation with an Indonesian Army officer assigned to Koramil, the local army sub-district.

Militia and Indonesian Army forces then allegedly entered the church and started to slaughter residents who had sought refuge there.

Eyewitnesses claimed that Suai residents were killed by machetes, home-made weapons and rifle fire. Several hand grenades were said to have been lobbed into the church after militiamen had desecrated the building.

Mr Jose Manuel de Silva, a Suai resident who witnessed the incident, said the pastor was killed after he had ignored numerous death threats from militiamen to leave the area. Mr de Silva said he survived the slaughter by hiding in a 200-litre oil drum.

The Straits Times visited Suai, under armed escort from Interfet forces, on Saturday, and noted that the church and all buildings had been destroyed by the militia's rampage.

A creepy silence hung over the town centre as small groups of residents wandered around aimlessly, stopping only to pick through the wreckage to scavenge for useful items.

Suai is located some 30 km from the border with West Timor and is now watched over by troops and upgraded M-113A1 armoured personnel carriers from a New Zealander battalion. They were joined recently by Australian army soldiers.

A new cathedral under construction some 50 m from the Church of Fatimah was also sacked amid the rampage. Though The Straits Times team did not see any bodies in the old church, the building showed obvious signs that some nasty business had taken place there.

One room at the rear of the church was carpeted with numerous spent 5.56mm assault-rifle cartridges. The cartridges had the word "PIN" and "5.56" stamped on their bases, which could indicate that they were made by the Indonesian weapons maker, PT Pindad. Bullet holes were also found at various parts of the church along with what appeared to be blood stains.

The roof of the cathedral under construction also had what looked like blood stains near several windows and under the roof rafters. Eyewitnesses said residents who had tried hiding in the rafters, some four storeys above ground level, were shot in the roof after their hiding place was discovered.

Their bodies were then dragged to the windows and thrown to the ground. Residents said the bodies were cleared on the evening of September 6 and taken aboard three trucks. The rest were burnt and the ashes cleared away. The Straits Times was shown several spots where the burnings were said to have taken place.

Though cynics have claimed that stories of atrocities, murder and mayhem have been exaggerated by East Timor residents, aid workers said burnt-out towns in the shattered province were indications that the slash-and-burn strategy of the militia forces was more well-planned and coordinated than originally thought. They added that such acts were committed despite the imposition of martial law by Indonesian forces there.

United Nations relief workers said they expected to learn about more alleged atrocities as they pushed into more border towns recently secured by Interfet forces.