AFP - Thursday, November 2, 2006. 8:26pm (AEDT)

E Timorese holiday passes peacefully

Thousands of people gathered in graveyards in East Timor's capital to peacefully mark a major Catholic holiday, despite fears of street unrest between gangs.

Local residents said that this year's celebrations were not as festive as previous years because of the concerns.

"Some people are afraid to visit graves because of rumours of bombs planted in the graveyards that will blow up during the celebrations," Cristiandion Perreira, a security volunteer from the Dili diocese, said.

The UN Police Commissioner, Antero Lopes, warned this week that All Souls Day had the potential to spark fresh violence between rival gangs after a resurgence in attacks left at least five people dead in the past two weeks.

All Souls Day has been commemorated since Portuguese missionaries came to East Timor centuries ago and has been a national holiday in the fledgling country since its independence in 2002.

The majority Catholic nation marks the day with mass held in graveyards.

In Dili's Santa Cruz cemetery, where more than 200 people were believed killed by Indonesian troops in 1991, crowds poured in to place flowers on graves and attend one of the hourly masses.

Quiteria da Costa, a member of the national Parliament, said he was following a tradition that has been in his family for generations.

"This is a tradition to remember the spirits by placing flowers, lighting candles and praying for their souls for forgiveness," he said.

International troops patrolled near all the graveyards in the city, which remained quiet with most shops closed.

Violence flared in the half-island nation in May between security force factions, as well as street gangs, leaving about 37 people dead over two months and forcing the deployment of 3,200 Australian-led regional forces.

Their numbers have since been reduced to 1,100, bolstered by the presence of about 1,000 UN police.

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