DILI (Reuters) - Australian commandos arrived in chaotic East Timor on Thursday, while raging gunbattles in the capital killed at least three people and forced residents to huddle in their homes.
About 150 commandos quickly secured the airport in Dili ahead of the deployment of 1,300 troops to help restore peace and order after weeks of unrest.
At least three people were killed and many wounded, Arlindo Marcal, East Timor ambassador in Jakarta, told Reuters.
The fighting stopped after the commandos landed to the cheers of local residents, Marcal said.
The inexperienced and cash-strapped government of the world's newest independent nation has been struggling to cope with clashes initially sparked by the sacking of around half the army.
Before Thursday, fighting had left at least six people dead in Dili.
Witnesses reported widespread shooting in the capital on Thursday and some buildings had been razed.
"... we are now hiding," one resident told Reuters. "(There are) no people walking around in Dili except the military and also the police."
THOUSANDS FEE
"It's quite clear the situation in Dili has deteriorated (today)," Australian Prime Minister John Howard told reporters in Canberra. "There are widespread reports of a very chaotic situation."
Howard said the warship HMAS Adelaide was already in Dili harbor.
East Timor this week asked for troops from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia after a military police unit rebelled and Dili's own forces could not calm the situation.
Clashes over the past two months have involved gunbattles and widespread arson, sending thousands to seek safety in the hills, or at embassies, religious institutions and military posts.
A leader of the rebel military faction, Major Alfredo Reinaldo, who was trained in Australia, said he will cooperate with Australian troops but distrusts the East Timor government.
"Don't worry, I'm with you. I'm with Australia. I'm with peacekeeping forces," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
Reinaldo said he was willing to listen to East Timor President Xanana Gusmao, respected for his own military experience, but rejected the authority of the East Timor government.
The ostensible reason for the unrest is unhappiness of sacked soldiers over firings, benefits and discrimination. Reinaldo said fighting was being driven by loyalties to eastern and western parts of the country.
Officials say opposition groups have exploited the situation, sparking attacks and resisting mediation.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday that he was sending a special envoy to Dili -- Ian Martin, head of the U.N. human rights mission in Nepal -- to assess the situation.
Annan had telephoned East Timor's president and prime minister and had also been in touch with the prime ministers of Australia and Malaysia, said a statement released in Hanoi, where the U.N. chief was visiting.
Earlier Annan, acting on behalf of East Timor's government, had formally requested urgent U.N. Security Council approval of the international military assistance.
But the council put off action for a few days after Russia, in a contentious closed-door session, argued the 15-nation body needed more information before it could vote, diplomats said.
The Portuguese government is planning to send 120 military police as part of a multi-national force.
Malaysia has decided to postpone the deployment of its troops to East Timor, an army official said on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government was awaiting clarification of whether it would be a U.N. mission, funded by that organization, or a U.N. sanctioned mission, in which the costs are born by the countries involved.
East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries but has potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves that could inject up to $14.5 billion into its struggling economy.
Australia led a U.N.-backed intervention force in 1999 to quell violence after East Timorese voted for independence. An estimated 1,000 people died in that violence, blamed mostly on pro-Jakarta militia backed by Indonesian military elements.
It is strategically placed amidst territory belonging to one-time ruler Indonesia, with Australia its other nearest neighbor. Indonesia invaded in 1975, and in 1976 declared it an Indonesian province after centuries of Portuguese control.
(Additional reporting by James Grubel and Michelle Nichols in Canberra, Achmad Sukarsono and Telly Nathalia in Jakarta, and Jalil Hamid in Kuala Lumpur)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2630&ncid=2630&e=4&u=/nm/20060525/wl_nm/timor_dc
About 150 commandos quickly secured the airport in Dili ahead of the deployment of 1,300 troops to help restore peace and order after weeks of unrest.
At least three people were killed and many wounded, Arlindo Marcal, East Timor ambassador in Jakarta, told Reuters.
The fighting stopped after the commandos landed to the cheers of local residents, Marcal said.
The inexperienced and cash-strapped government of the world's newest independent nation has been struggling to cope with clashes initially sparked by the sacking of around half the army.
Before Thursday, fighting had left at least six people dead in Dili.
Witnesses reported widespread shooting in the capital on Thursday and some buildings had been razed.
"... we are now hiding," one resident told Reuters. "(There are) no people walking around in Dili except the military and also the police."
THOUSANDS FEE
"It's quite clear the situation in Dili has deteriorated (today)," Australian Prime Minister John Howard told reporters in Canberra. "There are widespread reports of a very chaotic situation."
Howard said the warship HMAS Adelaide was already in Dili harbor.
East Timor this week asked for troops from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia after a military police unit rebelled and Dili's own forces could not calm the situation.
Clashes over the past two months have involved gunbattles and widespread arson, sending thousands to seek safety in the hills, or at embassies, religious institutions and military posts.
A leader of the rebel military faction, Major Alfredo Reinaldo, who was trained in Australia, said he will cooperate with Australian troops but distrusts the East Timor government.
"Don't worry, I'm with you. I'm with Australia. I'm with peacekeeping forces," he told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.
Reinaldo said he was willing to listen to East Timor President Xanana Gusmao, respected for his own military experience, but rejected the authority of the East Timor government.
The ostensible reason for the unrest is unhappiness of sacked soldiers over firings, benefits and discrimination. Reinaldo said fighting was being driven by loyalties to eastern and western parts of the country.
Officials say opposition groups have exploited the situation, sparking attacks and resisting mediation.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday that he was sending a special envoy to Dili -- Ian Martin, head of the U.N. human rights mission in Nepal -- to assess the situation.
Annan had telephoned East Timor's president and prime minister and had also been in touch with the prime ministers of Australia and Malaysia, said a statement released in Hanoi, where the U.N. chief was visiting.
Earlier Annan, acting on behalf of East Timor's government, had formally requested urgent U.N. Security Council approval of the international military assistance.
But the council put off action for a few days after Russia, in a contentious closed-door session, argued the 15-nation body needed more information before it could vote, diplomats said.
The Portuguese government is planning to send 120 military police as part of a multi-national force.
Malaysia has decided to postpone the deployment of its troops to East Timor, an army official said on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the government was awaiting clarification of whether it would be a U.N. mission, funded by that organization, or a U.N. sanctioned mission, in which the costs are born by the countries involved.
East Timor is one of the world's poorest countries but has potentially lucrative oil and gas reserves that could inject up to $14.5 billion into its struggling economy.
Australia led a U.N.-backed intervention force in 1999 to quell violence after East Timorese voted for independence. An estimated 1,000 people died in that violence, blamed mostly on pro-Jakarta militia backed by Indonesian military elements.
It is strategically placed amidst territory belonging to one-time ruler Indonesia, with Australia its other nearest neighbor. Indonesia invaded in 1975, and in 1976 declared it an Indonesian province after centuries of Portuguese control.
(Additional reporting by James Grubel and Michelle Nichols in Canberra, Achmad Sukarsono and Telly Nathalia in Jakarta, and Jalil Hamid in Kuala Lumpur)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2630&ncid=2630&e=4&u=/nm/20060525/wl_nm/timor_dc