East Timor to probe grievances in wake of riots. 04/05/2006. ABC News Online

East Timor has formed a body to address the grievances of sacked soldiers whose protest sparked last week's deadly unrest, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Nearly 600 soldiers deserted their barracks complaining of discrimination in February and were later sacked.

They held several days of protests last week, culminating in a rally on Friday that ended in rioting and at least four deaths.

Thousands fled their homes after the worst violence to rock Asia's poorest nation since 1999, when Indonesian-backed militias killed some 1,400 people before and after the breakaway from Jakarta.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri is asking the soldiers to turn themselves in and cooperate with a commission of investigation that will study their complaints, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"To that end, the head of the government has established a Committee of Reception of the 'Petitioners'," the statement said.

It would comprise officials from the ministries of health, labour and community reinsertion, the administrator of Dili district and the Dili district police chief.

The ministry said the government had also formed two other committees: one to help those who lost property or were otherwise affected by the vandalism and the other to verify details about the dead and injured.

East Timor became the world's youngest nation in May 2002 after a period of United Nations stewardship.

- AFP