He said he would be raising the incident with his Indonesian counterpart. The men escaped after removing louvres from the window of their cell in the first escape bid made since the detention centre was established following the independence ballot. More than 40 people are currently held in the civilian detention centre, which is controlled by UN civilian police. Many are accused of violent crimes, including murder, which took place in both the lead-up to and following August's independence referendum. One of the two men has since been recaptured.
Civilian police say the louvres have now been reinforced.
Meanwhile, more than 300 Australian soldiers have arrived in Sydney this morning, after a six-month deployment in East Timor. A large crowd of family and friends greeted the members of the 3RAR when they touched down at Sydney Airport. The soldiers, who worked in Dili, Maliana and Oecussi as part of the Interfet force, are the first wave of returning personnel, with a second group expected to arrive back in Sydney next week.