At least 100,000 flee homes in East Timor

[redqueen]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060531/ap_on_re_as/east_timor_violence

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer
49 minutes ago

DILI, East Timor - At least 100,000 people have fled their homes in East Timor's capital because of days of violence, a spokeswoman for a group of aid agencies said Wednesday.

Many residents of Dili, where gangs of machete-wielding youths have clashed and set dozens of fires despite the presence of hundreds of foreign peacekeepers, have taken refuge in churches, community centers and with relatives outside the city in recent days.

Kym Smithies, a spokeswoman for some 30 private aid groups operating in East Timor, said the number of displaced people exceeded 100,000.

"We are estimating that upward of 70,000 people are in camps in Dili alone," Smithies told The Associated Press.

(more at link)

[redqueen]

1. ETimor violence returns as rebels reject move

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/31052006/323/etimor-violence-returns-rebels-reject-move.html

by Neil Sands
2 hours, 30 minutes ago

DILI (AFP) - East Timor's rebel leader has rejected an agreement designed to end days of violence in the tiny nation and demanded the sacking of the country's embattled prime minister.

As gang violence and arson attacks again broke out across the capital Dili on Wednesday, Major Alfredo Reinado said President Xanana Gusmao made a "mistake" Tuesday by assuming emergency powers but not sacking Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.

"It's not a solution. He is a criminal and should not be allowed to stay as prime minister," Reinado told AFP. "That is the mistake that the president has made."

Reinado spoke from his base outside Dili, where he is holed up with nearly half the 1,400-strong military, who were sacked by Alkatiri after going on strike over alleged discrimination against troops from the west of the nation.

(more at link)

[FSogol]

2. What's Kissinger up to now? n/t

[AngryAmish]

3. They need the UN in there

There would be no violence with the UN.

[redqueen]

4. Yes...

They was a permanent presence years ago that was apparently withdrawn too early.

[redqueen]

5. kick

....

[struggle4progress]

6. East Timor becomes a symbol of upheaval

.. Australian-led forces, who came to East Timor in the midst of a bloody transition from Indonesian rule in 1999, are back to keep the peace in the capital. Virtually all government offices are closed, and many lawmakers have fled.

.. The territory was a key focus for the United Nations because militias linked to the Indonesian military killed, burned and pillaged after East Timor voted for an end to Indonesian rule.

.. After protracted negotiations with Australia over territorial rights, East Timor has yet to fully reap the benefits of oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. Its non-oil economy of coffee harvests and subsistence agriculture is stagnant and only a trickle of tourists visit ..

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1104AP_East_Timor_What_Went_Wrong.html