Peacekeepers fail to curb East Timor unrest

GANGS continued to attack homes in East Timor’s capital yesterday despite patrols by foreign peacekeepers and a pledge that parliament would meet this week to address the unrest.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said parliament will address the worst wave of unrest since East Timor’s independence from Indonesian rule in 1999.

The meeting is an attempt to revive a government that has been virtually paralysed by factional rifts and security concerns in the capital Dili.