EAST TIMOR: BUILDINGS IN DILI CONTINUE TO BURN

(26 Sep 1999) Natural Sound Buildings continued to be razed to the ground throughout Dili on Sunday as Indonesian troops made their way out of the territory. Banks burned and the streets were filled with smoke as peace keeping troops patrolled through the capital which remains unpredictable and dangerous place. Buildings in Dili continue to burn. This bank is amongst the many torched buildings. The majority of the Indonesian army has now left the territory, and most of the militiamen have fled into West Timor, the Indonesian-controlled half of Timor island. But the East Timorese capital remains an unpredictable and dangerous place. Patrols by the multi national peacekeeping force are essential. The work is careful, methodical, and slow. Major General Peter Cosgrove, the Australian commander of the peacekeeping force has said East Timor is not Kosovo. He has said that the strategy adopted in Kosovo, where large numbers of troops moved quickly across a large region, won't work in East Timor. He's compared it to Northern Ireland or the Vietnam War. For the international troops sent to restore order, terrorists and guerrillas are the enemy. But it is difficult to distinguish friend from foe, ex-militiamen from peaceful citizen. Anyone arrested is questioned and then handed to local authorities for release. After the peacekeepers' first week, with almost half the force on the ground, commanders say only a handful of sites are around-the-clock safe. The United Nations admitted on Saturday that the humanitarian crisis in island territory is much worse than expected. East Timorese who are now returning to their homes from the hills are finding their towns and villages smouldering ruins. Two new reconnaissance flights over both East and West Timor showed that most villages were severely damaged and many were actually still burning. Commanders of the peacekeepers know this is going to be a protracted peacekeeping operation. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...