E/CN.4/2000/4/Add.2 page 12 links with the guerrilla but who have not committed homicide or murder. According to a military officer interviewed by the Group, this is “to ensure the protection and re-educate them”. 46. In this context that the Group was apprised of cases in which, without notification of the measure to the police, a prosecutor or a tribunal, individuals had been interned for the duration of their rehabilitation approximately two to three months - at military barracks, for example “Rumah Merah” in Baucau, a facility the Group visited which was formerly used by special units of the army. Depending on their attitude, detainees could be placed in isolation or could benefit from family visits. The process of rehabilitation was recorded on an interrogation form. On this form, the interned person recognized his actions, regretted his activities for or sympathies with the independence movement and was strongly solicited to provide information about his previous activities. If the rehabilitation was considered successful, he was handed over to his family or even incorporated in a special unit. If the rehabilitation failed, the individual concerned was handed over to the police and criminal procedures initiated. According to the authorities, the degree of success of such rehabilitation measures is in the order of 80 per cent. The Group does not have sufficient information to evaluate whether the above-mentioned practices have been completely discontinued. The special units (KOPASSUS) 47. These “military elite units” operated primarily in the DOMs, as well as in the context of combating subversion. Furthermore, until the recent past, these units operated to ensure pacification by rehabilitation in three specialized centres in Dili, Baucau (“Rumah Merah” mentioned in para. 46 above) and Kalinera. In principle, these units should only have carried out arrests in the context of their cooperation with the police. Creation of paramilitary groups 48. During its visit to “Rumah Merah”, the Working Group was able to inspect facilities made available to one of these paramilitary groups. These comprised a room used for accommodation, where equipment such as bullet-proof vests and weapons were also stored. The officer in charge of the barracks showed the delegation a cupboard used to store returned arms. According to the authorities, the equipment of paramilitary groups is not a case of individual distribution of arms but concerns “groups of people carefully selected, who are trained by the armed forces and who return the arms once the operation has been completed”. 49. The Working Group is seriously concerned about the development of such militia, which operate under conditions that engage State responsibility, notably if they participate in operations in the course of which arrests are made. The illegal activities of such groups gravely compromise the future of East Timor; once negotiations for a peaceful settlement of the conflict are under way, the difficult and thorny problem of reconciliation of the parties involved will become acute.