A strong earthquake rocked parts of central Indonesia today, damaging several houses and injuring two people.

About 500 East Timorese refugees cancelled a plan to return home from Indonesian West Timor citing concerns about security and a lack of food and shelter, the UN said.

East Timor’s independence leader Xanana Gusmao travelled to the neighbouring Indonesian province of West Timor today in another effort to persuade about 50,000 remaining refugees to return home.

The Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, will later today review a platoon of Irish soldiers in Co Donegal before they leave to serve in East Timor.