Timor soldiers held alter R.A.A.F. hijack

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 15

Timor soldiers held alter R.A.A.F. hijack

(N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright t DARWIN, September 5. About 19 men are being held in Darwin in connection with the hijacking of a Royal Australian Air Force Caribou aircraft that was forced to fly about 50 persons from Bacau, Portuguese Timor, to Darwin yesterday. The Australian Minister of Defence (Mr William Morrison) broke a wall of official

silence today and admitted that the men, or some of them were soldiers of the U.D.T. faction of the Timorese rebels. ' The plane had been flying '{Red Cross supplies into -{Timor. .) Mr Morrison said he had had a message from the Air “Force which said that a Portuguese soldier in a highly llemotional and agitated state {had demanded that his fam- ) ily be flown to Australia. The demand had been denied and the man had then .produced a hand-grenade, (seized two or three automa- ! tic weapons, and stationed 'himself on the ramp of the (aircraft. The message said that, with some difficulty, the man had been persuaded lo ;be disarmed once loading {had been completed. Mr Morrison said his department had arranged for) police to meet the aircraft in 1 iDarwin. On landing it pulled, | up away from the passenger! i terminal. ) Volunteer interpreters: were then driving confusedly! laround Darwin looking for! the party of refugees they) had expected to meet on the: plane. Officials at the airport re-j fused to tell waiting Red Cross workers at the cus-) toms terminal that the pas-! sengers from the plane had) been whisked away by bus! [from a remote part of the) ;airfield to the police station. ) I Almost 40 of the passen-(, gers have been charged with (entering Australia without! ) permission of the Australian!' 'Government.