Reuters AlertNet Lite - More violence in E.Timor after Gusmao appointment

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More violence in E.Timor after Gusmao appointment

07 Aug 2007 11:24:27 GMT
Source: Reuters

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East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta (R), accompanied by former president Xanana Gusmao, speaks to journalists in Dili August 7, 2007. Violence broke out in several districts in East Timor on Tuesday amid anger among supporters of the former ruling party after a rival coalition led by Gusmao was appointed to lead a new government.
REUTERS/LIRIO DA FONSECA

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• East Timor nation-building

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(Adds U.N. and Fretilin comments, details)

By Tito Belo

DILI, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Violence broke out in several districts in East Timor on Tuesday, a day after the controversial appointment of a new government.

Dozens of protesters blocked roads and attacked homes and offices in several areas in the capital Dili and in the eastern districts of Baucau and Viqueque, police operations commander Mateus Fernandes said.

Police fired tear gas and arrested 15 people.

On Monday, President Jose Ramos-Horta asked a coalition led by former president Xanana Gusmao to form a government to end a stalemate after no single party won a majority in the elections more than a month ago.

Ramos-Horta's decision, which means Gusmao will become prime minister, immediately sparked protests by supporters of the former ruling Fretilin party, which has claimed the right to govern and branded the move unconstitutional.

"It happened at so many places around Dili, Baucau and Viqueque so we were not able to control every single area," Fernandes said by telephone.

He said the police had yet to determine the exact scale of damage or if there had been casualties.

Baucau and Viqueque are Fretilin strongholds.

U.N. police said in a statement there had been more than 30 incidents involving rock throwing, tyre burning and fighting between different groups at various points in the Dili district.

At least 15 U.N. cars were damaged in the violence.

Fretilin leaders vowed to stop the violence.

"We acknowledge that the protests came from Fretilin supporters, yet they acted without our consent," Mari Alkatiri, the party's secretary-general and former prime minister, told reporters after meeting Ramos-Horta and Gusmao.

The head of the U.N. mission in East Timor, Atul Khare, condemned what he described as "sporadic and isolated" incidents of violence.

Factional bloodshed broke out in the impoverished country of about one million people last year, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The mayhem, during which 37 people were killed, was triggered by the Alkatiri's decision to sack 600 soldiers.

Fretilin won 21 seats in the 65-member parliament in the June poll, far short of the majority required to rule, while CNRT took 18 seats. Gusmao founded CNRT earlier this year.

Fretilin, which led East Timor's 24-year struggle against Indonesian rule, had argued that it won most votes in the polls.

The party has threatened to withdraw from parliament if Gusmao's coalition was appointed to lead the government.

The party had proposed the appointment of an all-inclusive government with an independent prime minister as a way to end the stalemate.

Gusmao, a fighter-turned-politician who battled Indonesian forces in the hills for years before being captured, appears to have become increasingly frustrated by the pace of progress under Fretilin since independence five years ago.

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Last updated:Tue Aug 7 11:26:15 2007