AUSTRALIAN commandos took over East Timor’s main airport yesterday to the cheers of residents, as gunbattles raged around the capital.

Before the arrival of the advance party, at least three people died and many more were wounded in fighting on the streets of Dili between mutinous troops and soldiers loyal to the Government.

In a later incident army elements opened fire on unarmed police, killing 9 and wounding 27, a UN spokesman said. Frightened residents locked themselves in their homes as gunshots rang out and buildings were set alight. There were reports of looting.

Expatriates who managed to escape to Australia said that the tiny island’s population was terrified at the prospect of full-scale civil war. The US and Australian embassies have ordered the evacuation of non-essential staff and warned their citizens to leave East Timor.

The 150 Australian soldiers who arrived yesterday were the first of 1,300 promised as the core of an international peacekeeping force. They were cheered by Timorese who remember Australia’s role in ending the last bloodletting in 1999, amid the turmoil of East Timor breaking free from Indonesia’s 25-year occupation. Judit Isaac, a 47-year-old housewife, called out: “Welcome Aussie soldiers, please help us once again.”

Since the euphoric days when East Timor became the world’s newest nation, tensions between easterners, called Lorosae, and westerners, called Loromonu, have worsened, leading to a mutiny in the Army’s ranks in March. About 600 Loromonu, about one third of the Army, were sacked and took to the hills with lorryloads of weapons that they have used to launch attacks on loyal troops and menace the Government’s grip on power.

The Australian peacekeepers are leading an international force with elements also promised from New Zealand and Portugal, Timor’s former colonial power. Malaysia is also considering sending forces.

Australian troops were deeply involved in a long-term peacekeeping mission in East Timor that ended last June. They trained many of the soldiers who have now turned against the Government.

The peacekeepers’ main problem may be an East Timorese commander who was so promising that he was invited to Australia for advanced staff training. Major Alfredo Reinado has proved effective at fighting his former colleagues since taking to the hills. The Dili Government, which invited in the international troops, has pledged to hunt him down and said that the rebels must be disarmed. Major Reinado told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “Don’t worry, I’m with you. I’m with Australia.”

In 1975, when East Timor was occupied, he was captured by the Indonesian military. He escaped to Australia where he worked in shipyards for nine years. He returned to East Timor for the historic 1999 independence referendum to take command of the Navy, consisting of two patrol boats.

Major Reinado is the most senior officer to side with the rebels. The Government has accused some of their leaders of involvement with crime gangs and sandalwood smugglers. The rebels complain of poor conditions and discrimination at the hands of Easterners who are dominant in the Army.

Click here for the Newsdesk Weblog: reaction from bloggers in Dili

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