Oekussi – At least 34 people were believed to have been killed in the East Timorese enclave of Oekussi, victims of militia atrocities, according to a list compiled by returning refugees.

A photocopy of a handwritten list, giving the names and gruesome details of how 34 people were shot or hacked to death, was given to reporters who visited Oekussi for the first time since the enclave was stormed by multinational peacekeepers last Friday.

One of the returning refugees, Joaquin Asqueli, said he had seen three bodies in a rice field about one kilometer from the church, the sole building left standing in town.

"They were macheted and the heads were cut off. I think the bodies had been there for about two weeks," he said. One witness said he knew of three bodies lying at the bottom of a well on the outskirts of the town.

Other witnesses chronicled the systematic killing and looting of the moutainous enclave on the northern edge of Indonesian West Timor. "They shot and killed all the pigs, they shot and killed all the other animals. That is why you don't see them," said school-teacher Atilio da Costa, 36.

When seen from the air by helicopter, the damage in Oekussi is overwhelming. Virtually every building is gutted and roofless and all that remained of thatched huts were charred, blackened circles on the ground.

Only the cathedral, which serves as a focal point for humanitarian aid, remained intact and has attracted increasing numbers as refugees slowly return from hiding in the barren hills surrounding the town.

Many refugees were camped out under blue plastic tarpaulins strung between bamboo poles, most with their only possessions the clothes they were wearing.

The destroyed town market has been converted into a temporary field hospital where most people were being treated for diahhrea, vomiting and acute malaria, doctors said.

On the first day troops of the International Force for East Timor (Interfet) arrived, five people were treated for serious wounds, from gunshots or machetes.

Despite the widespread destruction, the port remains a striking seaside location whose main boulevard is still lined with banks of bright flowers, providing a disturbing contrast to the burned out houses behind them. Oekussi served as the capital of the former Portuguese colony until it was moved to Dili in 1769.

Only a short distance, between a concrete wharf at one end of the beach and a church a few kilometres away, has been secured by Interfet troops who have been unable to widen their area of control because of the harsh mountainous terrain.

Although there have been no recent reports of militia activities within the enclave, Australian Major Andrew Plant said "there are still reports that they are trying to prevent people from returning across the border from West Timor."

About 4,000 people have registered with Interfet since they arrived last week, but the majority of the enclave's 50,000 people remain in hiding in the hills or across the border in West Timor, which completely surrounds the enclave.

On Monday, a UN official said pro-Jakarta militias had committed systematic looting, rape and killing in the Oekussi enclave.

"There has been systematic intimidation, killings, a number of rapes and people being forced over the border," UN humanitarian affairs officer Patrick Burgess said after visiting the enclave.

Burgess said Oekussi town, which was previously home to 11,000 people, was devoid of people, vehicles and even animals.