dec17

Tension in Dili There is a growing anti-Australian sentiment in Dili and the rest of the country right now. Yesterday there was a funeral procession that was escorted by a large group of GRN police and Kiwis. Sensing trouble I grabbed my camera and headed out to see if anything developed. I could feel more tension than usual as I followed the crowd. A reporter showed up and they shouted no pictures and he obliged at which point I decided to put my camera away as well. Today the tension was fueled by the shooting of a Timorese man by the Kiwi Army in the Pertamina pier area. Many of the locals believed the soldiers to be Australian. A local guy gave me this account. He said that  the man was being arrested and was attempting to escape and was fighting back. He was shot in the shoulder. I am told he died later in the hospital. The local just said f*** australie. It is a phrase I am hearing more frequently lately. It is an unfortunate development considering the Aussies saved the country from a complete disaster in June of this year. East Timor dec 17 2006   www.dutchpickle.com

 

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