TIMOR: FAMILY REUNION PROGRAMME TURNS VIOLENT

(19 Feb 2000) Natural Sound

A reunion of families at the East-West Timor border degenerated into violence on Saturday.

The families had come from both sides of the border to meet in the Neutral Zone.

Initial reports suggested an alleged former militia entered the Neutral Zone from the West Timorese side and tried to strike an East Timorese man.

A group of East Timorese men reacted angrily, throwing rocks as they chased the man back into West Timor.

Hundreds of East Timorese refugees fled the Neutral Zone back into West Timor, as Indonesian troops fired warning shots into the air.

Australian peacekeeping forces tried to restrain the East Timorese who continued to throw rocks towards the West Timorese side of the border.

At this stage there are no reports of casualties.

Last September, tens of thousands of East Timorese fled over the border to escape the violence from Indonesian troops and their militia allies who opposed a vote for East Timor's independence.

Some 140-thousand people have returned to East Timor since peacekeepers arrived on 20 September to restore order.

About 100-thousand people - including militia members - remain in West Timor and international agencies face a daily struggle against violence and intimidation to try to persuade more people to return home.

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