Posted on 05/26/2006 5:16:35 AM PDT by cloud8
Tense calm prevailed in the capital of East Timor as Australian troops took control of security to stop a bloodbath between the Timorese military and rebel soldiers.
After a day that saw at least 15 people killed as houses were torched and unarmed men gunned down, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said Friday that his own Timorese forces were being ordered back to their barracks.
He said Australian troops that landed on Thursday would take over security in Dili, the capital of East Timor -- which has been independent only since 2002.
"Now the Australian troops are the ones holding the reins of security," Horta told AFP in an interview.
Sporadic gunfire could still be heard in parts of Dili a day after the worst violence since the unrest began last month over alleged discrimination in the army against soldiers from the east of the tiny country.
The government sacked 600 of the 1,400-strong military after they went on strike and sporadic clashes escalated this week with gangs roaming the streets and both sides opening fire on each other.
Australia deployed troops following East Timor's urgent appeal for international help to quell the growing violence.
"When it comes to people running around the street and using guns and machetes and so on, the task will be for our military to make sure that sort of behaviour doesn't continue," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.
"That won't be easy for them, but they will try to achieve that," he said.
In the worst reported attack Thursday, soldiers opened fire on unarmed police after a stand-off, killing nine and wounding another 27, said Sukehiro Hasegawa, who heads the UN mission in the country.
Meanwhile an AFP reporter saw the charred bodies of five women and a child inside a burnt-out house near Dili's international airport.
Local residents said four men had smashed the windows of the house overnight Thursday, poured petrol inside and set it ablaze. Some of the bodies were crammed into a cupboard, where the victims had apparently fled to try to escape the flames.
"It's just like 1999," resident Jose Moucho told AFP.
East Timor was wracked by violence that year after a vote for independence from Indonesia, which had ruled the territory since 1975 -- and the bloodshed was finally brought under control with the help of Australian soldiers.
Australia's military said the troops' main task was to help the two sides in the current conflict to negotiate but warned they would return fire if attacked.
Acting commander Lieutenant Colonel Michael Mumford said he dreaded the prospect of fighting rebel troops that Australia had helped to train but was determined to restore order after days of bloodshed.
"We are certainly able to defend ourselves and any innocent parties that might fall victim to the conflict," he told reporters.
About 180 more Australian soldiers landed early Friday morning, with around 1,300 are expected in all.
Dozens of terrified but curious East Timorese gathered to watch the Australians policing their strife-torn town.
But most stayed out of the way and the usually busy streets were virtually deserted.
In the Caicoli area, where small groups of people watched the manoeuvres of two Australian ships in the bay, Sonia Gusmao, 30, a sanitation worker, welcomed the incoming troops.
"I am very happy because with their arrival, I hope East Timor can be peaceful again," she said.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he would expect to see political reforms in exchange for the military assistance.
"The way in which the country has been governed in the last few years has left a lot to be desired," Howard said. "The government obviously has lost a lot of authority and confidence."
Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said the clashes between security forces and the disgruntled soldiers amounted to an attempted coup.
But the rebel leader, Major Alfredo Reinado, said on Thursday that his fighters did not want to topple the government and would not give the Australian forces any trouble.
"I'm with Australia. I'm with peacekeeping forces. I'm ready to cooperate with them based on any agreement that will be reached by our president," Reinado said.
Along with Australia, the government asked Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal, the former colonial power, to send police or soldiers. All said they would contribute, and the first Malaysian troops were seen on Friday morning.
So?
Good point Cloud. The UN did nothing for Timor.
Just curious, what is Australia's national interest in East Timor?
East Timor has nat. gas...and other mineral wealth...
So?
So it's business as usual in places like Darfur with the UN making noises but so far ineffectual. And when they do finally arrive on the scene we have the peacekeepers raping the locals, as in Congo Kinsasha. It's up to the good guys to keep the peace.
Stability in SE Asia is in Australia's interest. Ours too.
Natutal gas as has been mentioned - there's a large national gas field that lies between Australia and East Timor which we want to exploit along with them. For that we want a stable government, and a grateful government doesn't hurt either.
But there is also a simple moral dimension. Australia basically tolerated Indonesia's annexation of East Timor in the 1970s and largely turned a blind eye to what was happening in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1999, when Indonesia pulled out, we finally went in to restore order. We now feel we have a responsibility to make sure that job is finished - that East Timor stays stable.
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