East Timor Violence Raises Civil War Fear -- Newsday.com

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## East Timor Violence Raises Civil War Fear
By ANTHONY DEUTSCH Associated Press Writer May 28, 2006, 2:31 AM EDT DILI, East Timor -- Youths with machetes, slingshots and spears rampaged across East Timor's capital Saturday, attacking people, burning houses and deepening a crisis that has sent thousands fleeing in terror despite the deployment of foreign troops. Four people were killed, one of them burned to death while he was trying to defend his home and the others shot, witnesses and hospital officials said. At least 27 people have been killed since the upheaval erupted Tuesday. Gangs roamed the streets of Dili for a second day Sunday, setting fire to homes and businesses. Gunfire was also heard but there was no immediate word on casualties. One group severely beat a man they accused of hiding guns. Foreign reporters intervened, and he was rushed bleeding to a hospital by aid workers. With chaos spreading, the United Nations evacuated employees' families and nonessential staff to Darwin, Australia. The U.N. envoy to East Timor, Sukehiro Hasegawa, said more peacekeepers were needed to halt the violence. The U.N. has a tiny force of peacekeepers in East Timor and around 2,000 Australian troops were either on the ground or in transit. Australian sent the troops after East Timor's government said earlier this week it could not control the situation. New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal also agreed to help. "It has begun to quiet things down, it's a trickier operation than some people think," Australian Prime Minister John Howard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday. "Nobody should assume that it's just a simple walk-in-the-park military operation -- it's quite challenging." The unrest has prompted thousands of terrified residents to flee or hide in their homes. It has also raised worries that one of the world's youngest nations is plunging into civil war seven years after its break from 24 years of repressive occupation by Indonesia. Festering distrust between Timorese who supported independence and those who didn't fueled a months-long dispute between the military leadership and 600 renegade soldiers that exploded in this week's violence. The soldiers -- nearly half the army -- were fired in March after striking over complaints of poor working conditions and discrimination. After engaging in deadly riots last month, the dismissed soldiers fled the seaside capital to set up camp in the surrounding hills and threatened guerrilla war if they weren't reinstated. They ambushed troops in the capital Tuesday, setting off three days of gunbattles that led the government to request foreign help. Hundreds of peacekeepers from Australia and Malaysia began arriving Thursday to take up positions around Dili, but violence continued unabated. On Saturday, gangs of youths roamed through neighborhoods, smashing windows, torching cars and houses and attacking people in the streets with machetes, slingshots and spears. Sporadic gunfire crackled after sunset and flames glowed in the night sky. Julita Abuk, 30, fled with her four children as her home was destroyed. Her husband, a police commander, has been missing since a deadly shooting earlier in the week that killed 10 and wounded 29. "Just a few minutes ago they burned down my house," she said, weeping at the airport where hundreds have sought refuge. "My cousin was there making breakfast and there were men in military uniforms with guns setting the house on fire." "We lost everything we have." Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri called the violence "planned and opportunistic actions of gangs" that he said was part of a plot to overthrow his government. The general population has split between those with ties to the western part of the country, which borders Indonesia and has perceived sympathies to the former ruler, and those allied with the east, which favored independence. "The west and the east, they want to fight. They are enemies from long ago. Now they are trying to provoke each other," Anim, a mother of four, said as she prepared for a night in an overcrowded refugee camp at the U.N. headquarters. "The Timorese are fighting, so we are afraid. At night they fire guns, or maybe worse, so I had to run to the United Nations." The U.N. will keep more than 100 international staff in East Timor while others work from Australia, Hasegawa said. Australian troops patrolled streets on foot and in armored vehicles and roared overhead in Black Hawk helicopters trying to calm the city Saturday. The soldiers disarmed one group of 40 young men, but other gangs were on the loose. Australia said Sunday it will also send up to 50 federal police officers within 24 hours to help contain the marauding gangs in Dili. The police reinforcements will join 15 officers already in the capital, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said. Julio Dos Reis, a 34-year-old prison guard, accused the government of failing to intervene in time to stop the unrest. "The government made big mistakes," he said, holding his 2-year-old daughter, Jequioda. "I am saddened and afraid. We are brothers and sisters now fighting each other." Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.