EAST TIMOR: Refugees continue to seek shelter in various impromptu camps in troubled Dili as foreign troops patrol the capital's streets against gangs of armed youths

Record ID: 274519

  • Title: EAST TIMOR: Refugees continue to seek shelter in various impromptu camps in troubled Dili as foreign troops patrol the capital's streets against gangs of armed youths
  • Date: 2nd June 2006
  • Summary: (W1) DILI, EAST TIMOR (JUNE 2, 2006) (REUTERS) WIDE: AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS AND REPORTERS WALK TO SALESIAN CONVENT IN DILI WIDE: SALESIAN NUNS IN REFUGEES IN CONVENT DRIVEWAY BEHIND WIRE GATES CLOSE UP: REFUGEES SLEEPING ON MATTRESSES IN CONVENT DRIVEWAY MID VIEW: AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS IN CONVENT CLOSE UP; WOMAN BREAST-FEEDING CHILD AS SHE SITS NEXT TO SACKS OF RICE SEMI C
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVADR20Y4JSCDF2YKIY9LJZHADXA
  • Story Text: East Timorese continued to seek shelter in various impromptu camps in troubled Dili on Friday (June 2) as foreign troops patrolled the capital's streets against gangs of armed youths.
    Most sought shelter outside United Nations offices, the airport and port and also at churches and convents across the mainly Roman Catholic nation.
    Australian soldiers who form the bulk of the international troops in the East Timor capital have sent patrols at the various camps and are even providing solace in the form of priests to tend to the refugees' spiritual needs.
    Australian army chaplain Glyn Murphy led a morning service at the Salesian Sisters Convent in Dili where hundreds of refugees have sought shelter since late April when some 600 sacked soldiers rebelled against the government.
    The violence has deepened differences between Gusmao, a hero of East Timor's independence struggle, and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, whose sacking of 600 soldiers last month triggered the crisis.
    Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, says the country has been badly let down by its government.
    A 2,500-strong Australian-led international peacekeeping force is now on the ground in East Timor with the aim of disarming all police and soldiers, and taking full responsibility for security.
    The soldiers were dismissed for mutiny after they went public with allegations of discrimination against Lorosae (eastern) troops by officers from Loromonu (the west).
    The split is said to mirror the divide in the country leading up to the bloody independence referendum of 1999 when Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia, which annexed the country after colonial masters Portugal withdrew in 1975. Refugee Claudia Da Costa said those seeking shelter have lost all their property.
    "We have told Xanana to help us as we have no food. We have nothing and we have told everyone that we sleep here as no one is helping us," Da Costa said, referring to Gusmao who is considered a folk hero of East Timor's independence from Indonesia.
    Another refugee Tomas Da Costa said they only sought shelter at the convent at nights.
    "We return to our homes in the day but come back here to sleep at night," he told Reuters Television.
    Murphy said the Australian army was providing spiritual help to give a sense of safety and security to the refugees.
    "Australian troops have always got on very very well with East Timorese and they are trusted implicitly which is a very good thing," Murphy said.
    He also commended the Salesian convent sisters for providing shelter to the refugees.
    "Our protector is Mother Mary who is always with us as a lot of people come here and sometime we have our fears too as we don't know the people that come here, the good and the bad and that makes us scared. But we believe that God won't leave us alone here.," Sister Olga Belo told Reuters Television.
    She expected the refugees to continue seeking shelter for a while as the situation was still uncertain in East Timor.
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