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Rioters take fight to Aussie Troops
THE commander of the Australian-led intervention force in East Timor acknowledged last night that yesterday had been "a bad day", as hooligans settled scores and held running battles in centres across the capital. "I will have good days and bad days and today was a bad day," Brigadier Mick Slater said in Dili. "There has been I think more violence on the streets today then there was yesterday. There is no doubt we will have good days and bad days." Four Australian armoured personnel carriers rushed to one brawl on the road to Dili's airport, quickly dispersing rival gangs who had been fighting with machetes and bows and arrows, and had set a fruit stall alight. Mobs also torched houses and ransacked government offices, including that of the Attorney-General where they succeeded in breaking into the Serious Crimes Unit. East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta suggested the gangs were being urged on by "provocateurs" intent on destabilising the situation.
In a blunt contradiction of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Mr Ramos Horta rejected suggestions the army rebels were staging a coup. The leader of the rebels, Australian-trained Alfredo Reinado, was visited by Australians in two Black Hawk helicopters in his mountain base, southeast of Dili. Major Reinado, who has family in Western Australia, insisted he was not attempting to mount a coup, saying he simply wanted to restore peace. He claimed Dr Alkatiri had ordered troops to attack his men last Thursday. "Some people say they are for their own political interests, but I'm not - I'm not doing this in the political interest at all," he told the Nine Network last night. "I want peace for my people, peace for my country and a good future for this nation." Brigadier Slater said there was no timetable to disarm East Timor's police and soldiers, including the nearly 600 rebels in hiding in the hills above Dili. In the last three days more than 3400 weapons - including high-powered rifles, hand guns, shotguns, machetes and grenades - had been taken off the streets without a shot being fired in anger. Brigadier Slater said a "large majority" of the army was now co-operating with the taskforce and following orders from President Xanana Gusmao. "We have less than half of the police returned at this stage but they haven't stopped. They are still coming but I think the police are a little more wary of the situation," he said. World Vision chief Tim Costello said he had pressed Brigadier Slater for more protection for aid efforts. Mr Costello said he mainly had Mr Gusmao to thank for improving the flow of aid to hungry East Timorese. He said it was not until Mr Gusmao appeared in public on Monday that the situation began to improve. "At that point, Xanana got all the police to surrender their guns, which is a great win for the military," he said. "Our staff who had been delivering some supplies ... said it seems to be a far less heavy situation, so we feel safer." Posted by: Oztralian 2006-05-31 |
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