Crisis in East Timor Heightens as the UN Closes Its Mission

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The political cleansing of East Timor continued yesterday with the United Nations saying it was pulling out of its besieged headquarters in East Timor's devastated capital.

Houses were burning just 40 yards from the UN compound in the provincial capital of Dili, where the electricity and phones had already been cut.

Witnesses who ventured into the deserted Dili streets said Indonesian soldiers were participating in looting, carrying furniture out of abandoned houses and loading it onto trucks.

In the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, armed forces chief General Wiranto denied rampant rumors that President B.J. Habibie would be forced to step down because of his …