www.guardian.co.uk/
Violence spreads in Dili as gangs join uprising
27 killed amid looting and arson in East Timor
Aid workers evacuated and 27,000 left homeless
David Fickling and agencies
Monday May 29, 2006
The Guardian
Tens of thousands of refugees begged for shelter and hundreds of
international workers were evacuated from East Timor yesterday as an
army rebellion spilled over into gang violence and ethnic unrest in the
capital, Dili.
Gangs armed with machetes, bows and arrows and slingshots roamed the
streets while a 2,000-strong Australian-led peacekeeping force
concentrated on calming incidents and confiscating firearms.
Dozens of homes and businesses were torched and plumes of smoke rose
above the skyline, as gangs built makeshift barricades to mark out
their territories. In the centre of the city men looted sacks of rice
from a world food programme warehouse after breaking padlocks from its
doors.
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