DATE=9/23/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=EAST TIMOR INCIDENTS
NUMBER=2-254235
BYLINE=AMY BICKERS
DATELINE=JAKARTA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Australian troops in East Timor came under
fire Thursday, for the first time since
international peacekeepers were deployed there to
restore order. Amy Bickers has more from
Jakarta.
TEXT: Snipers in East Timor's capital fired at
Australian soldiers in one of several shooting
incidents reported Thursday. An Australian
battalion commander says there have been no
reports of casualties, but he says the bursts of
automatic gunfire sent dozens of people scurrying
for cover.
In the first incident, gunmen fired from trees
near a house commandeered by the Australians.
Shots were also fired near a sports stadium where
dozens of refugees are seeking protection from
pro-Indonesia militias. More shooting was heard
near Dili's harbor, where peacekeepers and their
supplies are unloaded.
The shooting incidents are the first reported in
Dili's city center since international
peacekeepers arrived this week. Their mission is
to restore security after a wave of bloodshed
following a referendum in which most of the
territory's residents voted for independence from
Indonesia. (signed)
NEB/AB/FC
23-Sep-1999 02:45 AM LOC (23-Sep-1999 0645 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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