Portugal, East Timor's former colonial power, still deeply distrusts Indonesia.
President Jorge Sampaio has cautiously welcomed President Habibie's announcement to allow an international peacekeeping force in East Timor. But his call on the Indonesian military to respect Mr Habibie's decision, "made in good faith", reflected a deep distrust, which was enlarged on by the Portuguese ambassador to Ireland, Mr Joao de Vallera, last night.
NGO reports from the ground by satellite phones in the island of Timor, East and West, spoke of more than 300,000 (45 per cent of East Timor's population) sometimes starving people, men, women and children, being hunted by military or militia.
"God knows what might still happen before an international force arrives," said Mr de Vallera.
Indonesian troops were still on the ground, a UN mandate would take time and "it is imperative that that there be concrete and clear orders from whoever commands that army to stop the violence immediately," he said.
Stressing the immediate need for humanitarian aid Mr de Vallera said Portugal had some parachute troops and marines ready in Canberra for humanitarian and peacekeeping uses.
He warned that in the framing of a UN mandate Indonesia could say "we don't want this and we don't want that", thereby delaying action. The pressure had to be kept on. "They lost, and now the international community will be inflexible."
The ambassador, saying that he was not feeling very diplomatic, added that "the criminal acts of Indonesian soldiers are under the competence of the International Tribunal for War Crimes".
Reports from TimorAid, and other sources, presented a picture of refugees in the jungle in dry season heat, with no water, bush fruits or money - foraging for a root called camote. TimorAid said no "permission" from Indonesia was needed for emergency food aid drops.
"This is the `final solution'," a TimorAid email said. Ominously reminiscent of dark days in 1981, it told of civilians being used by military and militias as "human shields" for protection against possible attack by FALINTIL guerrillas.
The TimorAid message said the military were telling people: "We are going to leave, but we are going to burn everything that we have given you . . . so that you have to start with nothing."