Airport closed after 2 killed in East Timor clashes

Reuters
Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:09 AM BST


By Lirio da Fonseca

DILI (Reuters) - Dili's airport has been closed following violent clashes between groups of East Timorese youths in which at least two people were killed, officials and residents said on Wednesday.

The closure of the main air hub due to the trouble highlights the fragile security situation in the fledging nation, despite the presence of an Australian-led peacekeeping force.

"All flights since last night have been cancelled until today. The reason for this is because there will be no security guarantee for the passengers," Rosa, an airport official who goes by one name, told Reuters.

The closing came amid violent clashes among youth gangs armed with guns, bows and arrows and rocks near the airport.

Twelve houses were burnt in the fighting, police and local residents said.

The first clash happened late on Tuesday on a main road leading to the airport with one person killed by gunfire. Another clash broke out early on Wednesday, killing another resident.

Australian troops guarding the airport had opened fire on an armed man who approached them in a threatening way, a spokesman for Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said.

"His actions led to an Australian Defence Force member firing a number of shots in self-defence," the spokesman said, adding the man fled and it was unclear whether he was wounded.

Australia led a force of foreign peacekeepers to East Timor in late May to quell fighting that pitted rival factions in the country's police and military against one another.

BURNING TYRES

Battles among gangs of youths are common in the impoverished country, which gained full independence from Indonesia in 2002 and where unemployment is widespread among the young.

The airport road straddles areas known for frequent gang clashes and peacekeepers have struggled to contain the sporadic violence, with gangs often melting away fast after trouble.

"There were provocateurs in the road that leads to the airport. They burnt tyres and blocked the road," Nelson, who lives near the area and did not give a second name, told Reuters.

An Australian police officer said many shots were fired during the clashes.

The former Portuguese colony plunged into chaos four months ago when a series of protests developed into widespread violence after 600 members of the 1,400-strong army were sacked.

An estimated 100,000 people were displaced in the fighting, which led to the deployment of a 2,500-strong international peacekeeping force.

A strengthened police element in the force has so far struggled to contain sporadic violence.

Concerns about East Timor's fragile security grew after rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado escaped from a Dili prison last month along with 50 other inmates.

Reinado, a key player behind the May revolt, has called for a "people power" revolution in a letter circulating in the tiny country.

A recent U.N. report blamed weaknesses in institutions for the chaos and said there should be a further investigation to determine whether former prime minister Mari Alkatiri should be prosecuted over the arming of civilians during the violence.

(Additional reporting by Rob Taylor in Canberra)