DILI — A week of tense protest action by former Falintil resistance fighters and unemployed youth resulted in a violent crackdown by East Timorese police in Dili on April 28. At least four people have been confirmed killed and media reports cite at least 30 injured after police used tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protesters. A rally of 3000 people marched through Dili, where shops and vehicles were stoned and set alight and windows of the prime minister’s office were smashed. East Timor’s home affairs minister, Rogerio Lobato, stated that while he was not “thrilled” with the police’s actions, the “police must use every means necessary to control the situation”. Some 600 former resistance fighters who were part of the East Timor Defence Force were sacked from the force in March, in response to their refusal to obey orders and return to their barracks. The ex-Falintil combatants had raised repeated complaints over their treatment and conditions in the ETDF.

From Green Left Weekly, May 3, 2006.
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