Curfew Declared After Rioting in E. Timor
East Timor clamped a curfew on the capital Wednesday after a day of deadly unrest left part of Dili in ruins and the prime minister’s house in ashes, witnesses said.
Hundreds of protesters went on a rampage, torching cars and a supermarket and looting offices after police fatally shot a student during a demonstration outside police headquarters.
President Jose Alexandre “Xanana” Gusmao, who led the country’s struggle against Indonesian rule and enjoys huge popularity, pleaded for peace. He visited the scene of the fighting and urged calm, but was greeted with flying rocks.
By evening, residents said the streets were empty except for U.N. peacekeepers and East Timorese security officials.
The unrest was the worst in East Timor since it became the world’s newest nation in May, and it highlights rising discontent with the government. Most of East Timor’s 800,000 people are desperately poor and have seen few benefits of independence.
About 500 students clashed with police early Wednesday in a protest sparked by the arrest of a student the day before. Some students threw stones at police officers at their headquarters, and the officers opened fire, killing a 16-year-old boy, witnesses said. Witnesses said a second person was also shot to death.
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