Thursday, May 25, 2006

Fighting rages on in East Timor

Firefights continued in Dili, the East Timor capital, with three people killed and a dozen wounded in fighting Thursday.

Some 600 sacked soldiers are fighting 800 soldiers of the East Timor army. The rebels, from the western part of the young nation, were forced out of the military after protesting discrimination they say favors soldiers from the east.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced concern over the continuing unrest and will send an envoy to Dili.

Annan, traveling in Vietnam, said he would send Ian Martin, the U.N.'s human rights representative in Nepal, to East Timor to address the issue. He said that he had also spoken to East Timor's president, Xanana Gusmao, and to the leaders of Australia and Malaysia, both of which are sending security forces to assist Dili.

The rebels led by Maj. Alfredo Reinado are demanding that they be reinstated into the nation's army.





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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

East Timor requests foreign troops after clashes

East Timor, world's newest nation, asked for up to 1,000 foreign troops to help quell violence by rebel soldiers.

Some 600 of East Timor's 1,400 soldiers were fired in March after complaints about regional discrimination in promotion. The sacked troops rioted in April with five killed in the incident and 21,000 fleeing their homes to escape the violence.

Loyal East Timor soldiers in firefight with rebel soldiers in Dili earlier this week.
Loyal East Timor soldiers in firefight with rebel soldiers in Dili earlier this week. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

The rebel soldiers are reportedly holed in the town of Aileu near Dili and have conducted several attacks on government troops.

Dili has requested soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, and police from Malaysia and Portugal to help deal with the unrest.




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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Norway asks Tamil Tigers for monitors' safety

Norwegian peace negotiators discussed the safety of international peace monitors Tuesday with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Safety of the monitors became a pressing issue after a major naval battle in Sri Lanka on May 11. During the battle, a troop carrier carrying a peace monitor was attacked.

Norway also expressed its concern over the Tigers refusal to attend peace talks last April in Geneva.

The LTTE said it did not attend because the government had failed to provide air transport for its eastern commanders, and has not fulfilled its promise to disarm paramilitary groups.

Fighting has escalated in Sri Lanka in recent months, but both sides say they are committed to re-establishing peace.



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