Peace Force Accused of Killing Policeman

An Indonesian security official accused international peacekeepers of killing an Indonesian policeman in a firefight in the town of Motaain, on the border between East Timor and Indonesian-controlled West Timor. However, a senior Australian army officer said only that two militiamen may have been wounded in the clash. But the Indonesian official said an Indonesian policeman had been killed and two others wounded. If Indonesian police were involved, it would be the first direct clash between international troops and Indonesian forces since the deployment of foreign peacekeepers to East Timor on Sept. 20. The clash, apparently triggered by confusion over the location of the border, was the third firefight in the past four days. A militiaman was killed Saturday when a group of about 15 paramilitary forces attacked a New Zealand patrol in the village of Alto Lebas, about 65 miles southwest of Dili.