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ETimor police surrender weapons to Australian peacekeepers
Jakarta (AFP) Jul 24, 2006 East Timorese police who had illegally kept weapons in their homes for protection during weeks of unrest surrendered dozens of firearms to Australian peacekeepers on Monday, the head of the force said. The policemen, who stashed the weapons out of fear of attacks by renegade soldiers in May, handed in more than 50 firearms including M-16s, AK-33s and pistols, Brigadier Mick Slater told reporters. "They are smart people because they realize that the weapons should not be in their possession. Those people who had handed in weapons today had not been arrested for having those weapons," he added. The East Timorese capital Dili descended into violence in May, with clashes between rival factions of the security forces and ethnic gangs battling in the streets. At least 21 people were killed and 150,000 others displaced. The violence prompted the government to ask for the deployment of international troops from Australia, Malaysia, Portugal and New Zealand to restore calm. East Timorese police and military were officially confined to their barracks with the arrival of the peacekeepers, but many policemen deserted their posts and took their weapons with them, fearing attacks by renegade soldiers. Last week, Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta offered a weapons amnesty to any individual or group who surrendered their weapons to the government or international troops, in a bid to prevent any further violence. "If somebody who has a weapon thinks that they still want to hand it, then they must give it to a policeman or soldiers," Slater said. He said Australian troops would make an inventory of police weapons on Tuesday to determine how many firearms might still be hidden, saying the process would take "about 10 days". May's violence was the worst to hit the nation since it voted for independence from Jakarta in 1999 in a United Nations-backed referendum. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links
US military to deliver relief supplies to Lebanon in mission shift
Washington (AFP) Jul 24, 2006 The US military is winding down the evacuation of US nationals from Lebanon and will shift its mission to deliveries of relief supplies to non-governmental groups, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. |
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