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Gangs of youths allied to feuding East Timor police or army
units went on the rampage in parts of the capital on Saturday,
torching houses and vehicles, as Australian and Malaysian
peacekeeping troops stepped up their patrols.
Youths armed with machetes, swords and knives patrolled
neighborhoods near government buildings against what they said were
rogue army elements planning to return from the hills surrounding
the capital of the world's newest independent nation.
Black smoke billowed above the city in the morning, but residents
were generally calm, gathering on corners to hear gossip and news
about the situation.
By mid-afternoon the clashes appeared to have ended, although
Australian helicopters circled the city and three navy ships
cruised along the waterfront.
The trouble started last month when the government sacked around
600 soldiers from the 1,400-strong army after they protested
against alleged discrimination.
The army split is mirrored in the general population, with
neighbourhoods and street gangs allied to one faction or another.
The police force has also effectively disintegrated, further
complicating the situation.
Earlier this week the government asked Australia, New Zealand,
Portugal and Malaysia to send troops to help restore order. On
Saturday foreign military patrols were the only sign of any real
authority.
Cabinet call
A foreign ministry official said the cabinet had met on Saturday
and repeated a call for rebellious troops and police to lay down
their arms and return to barracks.
Residents say the rebellion has turned into a protest against the
government of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, who they say has failed
to deliver any economic or social development since Timor became an
independent state in 2002.
An election is scheduled for early next year, but some diplomats
say the government cannot last that long.
On Saturday an ailing President Xanana Gusmao, a hero of the
independence struggle, was trying to broker talks between the
government and the rebels.
An aide said Gusmao was furious that Alkatiri had not dealt more
swiftly with the soldiers' grievances. The aide added: "This
situation has been simmering for months. It could have been dealt
with in a much better way, without this violence."
A convoy of around 30 heavily armed Australian troops in civilian
four-wheel-drive vehicles drove around the streets outside the
government secretariat, but they appeared to steer clear of the
neighbourhoods where houses were being torched.
One Australian unit rounded up about two dozen youths and took away
their weapons - mostly machetes or axes.
"We're not chasing after them as such," said one soldier. "If we
come across them, we'll persuade them to drop their stuff."
Malaysian troops were also out on patrol for the first time since
arriving on Thursday. They drew curious stares, and children ran
behind their cars as they cruised through suburbs.
The commander of the Australian forces, Brigadier Mick Slater, said
their deployment had already made a difference.
"The amount of violence that is being reported around town has gone
downhill," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
A Portuguese colony for centuries, East Timor was annexed by
Indonesia in 1976 in a move the United Nations condemned and much
of the population resisted.
Australia led a UN-backed intervention force to East Timor in 1999
to quell violence by pro-Indonesian militias after a referendum
vote for independence. This was finally achieved in 2002 after
almost three years of UN administration.
Hundreds of Timorese troops rebelled in April after they were
dismissed for protesting over what they said was discrimination
against soldiers from the west of the country. Most of the military
leadership is said to come from the east.
Bloody
The simmering revolt turned bloody last week when police were
routed after they tried to disarm the sacked soldiers. Officials
say around 15 people have been killed in the past three days.
But there was concern that the army divide was being mirrored
amongst citizens, with gangs of youths from the west fighting
against the east.
"Today's incidents are truly saddening because the youths have
destroyed the image of tolerance and peace," Foreign Minister Jose
Ramos Horta told reporters before the cabinet met.
"Therefore I am urging these youths to stop their actions because
they will only create damage, discredit their family, their
homeland and this country," said Ramos Horta, winner of the 1996
Nobel Peace Prize.
At least three houses belonging to relatives of army officers were
torched by gangs. Scattered gunfire could be heard, but there were
no immediate reports of injuries.
"There is going to be a lot of this revenge stuff going on," said
one businessman who had shuttered up his office supplies shop
against the possibility of looters.
Residents of neighbourhoods affected by the fighting fled their
homes for sanctuary in the grounds of the scores of churches that
feature prominently in this Roman Catholic country.
"I feel safer here, I have brought my car and my family," said Emil
Soares, among thousands at Santo Carlos Church.
Foreign troops remain the only sign of authority on the streets of
the capital and, while their presence has calmed the situation, it
is unclear how well armed the rebels are or if the regular army can
be relied upon to disarm them.
The Australians say their aim is first to restore order to the
capital before fanning out into the rural areas where most of the 1
million population live and where the rebels have fled.
