2006 East Timorese crisis The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the military of East Timor over discrimination within the military , and expanded to a coup attempt and general violence throughout the country , centred in the capital Dili . The crisis prompted a military intervention by several other countries and led to the resignation of the Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri . Background . A pretext for the crisis came from the management of a dispute within the military of East Timor ( F - FDTL ) , when soldiers from the western part of the country claimed that they were being discriminated against , in favour of soldiers from the eastern part of the country . The Lorosae ( Tetum for easterners ) formed the largest part of Falintil , the guerrilla resistance movement which resisted Indonesian authority , and which in turn , after final independence in 2002 , formed the largest part of F - FDTL . In contrast the Loromonu ( Tetum for westerners ) were less prominent in the resistance , and are less favoured in the present military structure . There has also been tension between the military and the police force , composed of more westerners and even former members of the Indonesian military . 404 soldiers , out of the regular strength of about 1500 , deserted their barracks on 8 February 2006 , joined by 177 more on 25 February . The soldiers were ordered to return in March , but refused , and were relieved of duty . The soldiers were later joined by some members of the police force , and were initially led by Lt . Gastão Salsinha . The Foreign Minister , José Ramos - Horta , announced early in April that a panel would be established to hear the complaints of the former soldiers , but added that " They are not going to be brought back into the army , except on a case - by - case basis when we establish the responsibilities of each individual in this whole incident " . There were political motivations behind the attacks on soldiers and the government . Those initiating the violence and killings declared loyalty to the then President Xanana Gusmao , who wanted to replace Prime Minister and Fretilin leader Mari Alkatiri . This is , in fact , what happened , after Alkatiri ' s forced resignation , an interim government over 2006 – 07 and then elections in 2007 . An Australian television report ( Four Corners ) was used to force the resignation of Prime Minister Alkatiri Violence . On 24 April , the former soldiers and their civilian supporters , mostly unemployed youths , marched through the streets of the capital Dili in protest . The initially peaceful march turned violent when the soldiers attacked a market run by people from the east of the country . The protests continued over the next several days , until on 28 April the former soldiers clashed with FDTL forces , who fired on the crowd . In the resultant violence , five people were killed , more than 100 buildings were destroyed and an estimated 21 , 000 Dili residents fled the city . On 4 May , Major Alfredo Reinado , along with 20 military police from a platoon under his command and four other riot police defected and joined the rebel soldiers , taking with them two trucks full of weapons and ammunition . After joining the soldiers , Reinado made his base in the town of Aileu in the hills south - west of Dili . There he and the military police guarded the road leading into the mountains . In the evening of 5 May , the former soldiers under Salsinha ' s leadership drafted a declaration calling for President Xanana Gusmão to sack the Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and abolish the FDTL within 48 hours . When Gusmão contacted Salsinha earlier that day in an attempt to prevent the issuing of the declaration , Salsinha told him that it was " too late " . The rebel soldiers remained in the hills above the capital , where they engaged in sporadic combat with FDTL forces over the next several weeks . Violent gangs also roamed the streets of Dili , burning down houses and torching cars . The civilians who fled Dili camped in tent cities nearby or in churches on the outskirts of the capital . One Catholic convent alone was providing Red Cross assistance to up to 7000 people . On 8 May a police officer was killed as a crowd of 1000 surrounded a government complex , the office of a regional state secretary , in a town outside Dili . On 9 May , Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri described the violence since 28 April as a coup , with " the aim of blocking the democratic institutions , preventing them to function in a way that the only solution would be for national parliament to be dissolved by the President . . . which would provoke the fall of the Government . " However on 10 May Alkatiri announced that government officials had held negotiations with the rebel soldiers , in which it was agreed that the rebel soldiers would be paid a subsidy equal to their former military wage to assist their families . The United Nations peacekeeping forces left East Timor on 20 May 2005 , and the remaining administrative staff and police at the United Nations Office in Timor Leste ( UNOTIL ) were scheduled to leave on 20 May 2006 , but on 11 May their deadline was extended at least until June . The decision came alongside Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta ' s request to the UN ' s High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate allegations of human rights violations by the East Timorese police forces , as alleged by Human Rights Watch and the United States Department of State . On 12 May , Prime Minister of Australia John Howard announced that although there had not been any formal requests for assistance from the Government of East Timor , Australian forces were standing by in readiness to provide assistance , with the amphibious transport ships HMAS " Kanimbla " and HMAS " Manoora " moving to northern waters in preparation . The violence escalated late in May , as one FDTL soldier was killed and five wounded in a skirmish on 23 May . Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta sent out an official request for military assistance on 24 May , to the governments of Australia , New Zealand , Malaysia and Portugal . On 25 May , as the first international forces were arriving , some renegade soldiers were moving into Dili and engaging in heavy combat with FDTL and police forces , with up to 20 people believed to have been killed . Intervention . " Operation Astute " is the name of the international military response to the crisis . Led by the Australian Defence Force , and commanded by Brigadier Michael Slater of the Australian 3rd Brigade , the operation involves forces from four countries . Australia . The Prime Minister of Australia John Howard announced on 24 May that Australian forces would be deployed to East Timor , with the composition of the force and the terms of engagement to be negotiated over the next few days . Australia initially offered between 1 , 000 and 1 , 300 infantry , three Royal Australian Navy ships ( HMAS " Manoora " and HMAS " Kanimbla " already stationed nearby , and HMAS " Tobruk " ) along with other support capabilities . The first Regiment sent in was the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment . On the afternoon of 25 May , four Black Hawk helicopters and a C - 130 Hercules transport plane landed at Dili airport with the first wave of Australian forces . By 26 May it was expected that all Australian forces would have arrived in East Timor by 27 May , a full day earlier than expected . The deployment to East Timor coincided with the withdrawal of about 260 of the 400 Australian soldiers deployed to the Solomon Islands . The 140 remaining would be supported by New Zealand and Fijian forces . However , Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said that the deployment to East Timor would not overextend the Defence Force , saying that " we have much more in our back pocket " . Malaysia . Malaysia responded by deploying Malaysian troops , initially consisted of 219 army paratroopers and commandos . The soldiers were drawn from the 10th Brigade Paratroopers based in Camp Terendak , Melaka ( Malaysia ) , and a unit of the army special force from Mersing Camp , Johor ( Malaysia ) , headed by Col Ismeth Nayan Ismail . These formed part of the group of 275 military and 200 police personnel who have been put on alert for possible deployment . Malaysia had planned to send in a total of 500 personnel earlier . By 23 June , there were already 333 Malaysian personnel from both the police and military forces stationed in Dili . Two Royal Malaysian Navy vessels — KD " Mahawangsa " and KD " Sri Indera Sakti " — ferried the equipment of the Malaysian troops , including armoured carriers , to Dili , arriving on 3 June . The troops had been taught the basic Tetum language , the spoken language of the locals , to introduce themselves as peacekeepers . Upon arrival , Malaysian forces secured embassies , port , power stations , oil depot and hospitals in East Timor . The diplomat enclaves ' security is being given utmost priority . Earlier , East Timorese President Xanana Gusmão had requested Malaysia guard the East Timor - Indonesia border to prevent civilians from fleeing the country . Malaysia , however , refused to do so . By mid - June , Malaysia announced a plan to send 250 police officers to East Timor . The Malaysian police had previously trained the local police force four years ago . According to Radio Televisyen Malaysia , the 250 - strong police force would leave for East Timor at the end of June . New Zealand . On 25 May 2006 , Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark requested more information as to exactly what support East Timor would require from New Zealand , before committing any forces . She said that " It ' s very important not to walk into what is a factional dispute in some respects and be seen to be taking sides , " and " It ' s also important to be mindful that the Security Council is having consultations as we speak . " On 26 May , New Zealand deployed 42 troops , with a second contingent of 120 troops leaving Christchurch on 27 May , en route to Townsville , Queensland before being sent to East Timor . Prime Minister Clark said that the forces would be deployed where needed by the Australian command . Portugal . The Portuguese Foreign Minister Freitas do Amaral announced an initial deployment of 120 Republican Guards on 24 May . They joined a group of eight high level officers from the Special Operations Group of the Portuguese National Police . The Portuguese Air Force evacuated more than 600 Portuguese citizens residing in Timor . The President of the Republic , Cavaco Silva , as well as Prime Minister José Sócrates , called for an end to the violence . In a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the European Union , the Foreign Minister further called for members of the EU to denounce the violent acts of the rebels . United Nations and other bodies . On 25 May , UNOTIL opened a refugee camp outside Dili expected to house up to 1000 people . However , on 27 May as the violence escalated , the UN announced that they planned to withdraw the majority of their staff from the country . The chief executive of World Vision Australia , Reverend Tim Costello , announced on 27 May that he would travel to Dili to assess the situation , in order to help displaced civilians . He also expressed concern over reports that one World Vision worker had been killed . Continuing violence . Despite hopes that the presence of international troops would quell the unrest , violence continued throughout Dili and other parts of East Timor . On 27 May , gangs from different parts of the country fought in the streets of Dili , destroying cars and houses and fighting with knives , machete s and slingshots leaving at least 3 East Timorese hacked to death . Dili residents continued to flee the city , with some seeking refuge at the Australian embassy and some going to the airport . A UN official expressed concerns that the regionally based conflict in the military was igniting wider regional conflict in the civilian population , saying " It ' s basically payback time between the different groups . " A Catholic priest similarly described the street violence as " . . . east against west , soldiers against soldiers , police against soldiers , everyone against everyone . . . It ' s total madness . " The media were targeted for the first time when an AFP car , with two reporters and one photographer inside , also containing an AP photographer was attacked after one easterner forced his way into the vehicle and another jumped on the roof while attempting to escape a pursuing mob of westerners . Australian troops were attacked as they endeavoured to keep the gangs apart , while they helped civilians escape to safety through back alleys . The Australians did not return fire , instead discouraging the gangs by advancing towards them and " shouting orders and threats " . The rescued civilians were then rushed to the UN compound nearby . The Major commanding the troops said that the gangs were using mobile phones to coordinate their attacks , but that the attacks would likely cease as more international troops arrived and completely secured the city . On 29 May , Brigadier Slater met with military and civilian leaders in East Timor , and had secured the return of FDTL soldiers to their barracks . Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson also said that the East Timorese authorities should expand the rules of engagement of the international forces , to give them police powers in order to combat the gangs , saying that " It ' s clear there needs to be political leadership as far as the policing is concerned . . . what we need is a policing strategy across Dili . " Also on 29 May , Australian Prime Minister John Howard rejected criticisms that Australian troops had not secured Dili quickly enough , saying that the crisis was possibly more dangerous than the violence following independence from Indonesia in 1999 , and that " We cannot have a situation around the world and particularly in our region where Australia is told to respect the independence of a country and that it ' s a bully boy if it seeks to express a view or to intervene , but when something goes wrong Australia is then criticised for not having , quote , intervened earlier . " Council of State meeting . Throughout 29 and 30 May , President Xanana Gusmão held crisis talks with the Council of State , an advisory body composed of community leaders . The Council , which has the ability to authorise the President to dismiss the National Parliament , was the first meeting between Gusmão and Prime Minister Alkatiri since the escalation of violence in the previous week . The meeting was also attended by Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta ( leading to speculation that Ramos - Horta might be appointed as a temporary Prime Minister if Alkatiri were to be sacked ) , the Bishop of Dili , the UNOTIL representative Sukehiro Hasegawa and United Nations Secretary - General Kofi Annan ' s personal representative Ian Martin , who was previously the UN representative to East Timor in the leadup to the independence referendum in 1999 . Gusmão emerged from the meeting in the afternoon of 29 May to urge crowds gathered outside , composed of supporters of Gusmão and Ramos - Horta and opponents of Alkatiri , to put down their weapons and return home , saying " If you trust me , west and east , embrace each other in your home , be calm and help each other to stay calm " . Late on 30 May , after the Council meeting and following an emergency meeting with his cabinet , Gusmão announced that he was declaring a state of emergency to last for 30 days , during which time Gusmão , as Commander - in - Chief , would have sole command of both the military and the police forces , and would personally coordinate with the international forces , and in order to combat the gang violence both internal and international forces would have increased policing powers . There had been some speculation that the Council would advise Gusmão to dissolve the Parliament and sack Prime Minister Alkatiri , however under the emergency arrangements Alkatiri would remain in office , albeit with reduced authority . Gusmão said that he was taking personal responsibility of both the military and police in order to " prevent violence and avoid further fatalities " . Gusmão said that the decision to assume control was taken in " close collaboration " with Alkatiri , despite some members of the government , including Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta , attributing some of the blame for the crisis directly to Alkatiri . On 1 June , Gusmão visited a refugee camp near the United Nations headquarters , telling people " The best thing you can do is go back to your homes " , and urging them not to take security matters into their own hands . On the same day , Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato and Defence Minister Roque Rodriguez resigned , Lobato blaming the crisis on opponents to the government resorting to violence rather than political means . Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta subsequently took over the Defence ministry , while Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar urged Ramos - Horta to act strongly in his new capacity , in the interests of achieving political stability , while emphasising that the United Nations should be prepared to resume greater role . Civil unrest in Dili . On the night of 31 May , gangs in the capital Dili burned down a market and several houses in arson attacks . On 2 June , a large crowd of about 1000 people who had waited in vain for several hours for food handouts raided a government warehouse in Dili , taking computer equipment , furniture and other supplies in order to trade them for food . Australian soldiers present at the warehouse were unable to prevent the looting due to a lack of police powers , and although they summoned Portuguese police , the warehouse was practically empty . On the same day a crowd of 500 to 600 people protested outside Government House again calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Alkatiri . A group of East Timorese police who arrived to confront the demonstration were stopped and searched by Australian troops , who confiscated their only weapons , several cans of pepper spray , as part of a policy of removing all weapons from the streets . Meanwhile , also on 2 June , the commander of the Australian forces Brigadier Slater met with rebel leader Major Reinhado , at his base in Aileu above Dili . Reinhado reiterated his calls for Prime Minister Alkatiri to resign , but Alkatiri rejected the calls , instead saying that all " irregular forces " ought to hand in their weapons . In interviews , Slater said that he did not ask Reinhado to surrender or participate in negotiations because the situation was not ready for discussions , as not all groups were ready to participate . Slater said that some of the violence seemed coordinated , and that he had been cooperating with the military , the police , the government , and Reinhado in an attempt to find those planning the violence . On the night of 2 and 3 June , looting and gang violence destroyed another dozen houses in Dili , and forced the temporary closure of the main road between Dili and the airport to the west of the city , where the international forces were based , although Australian and Malaysian forces quickly secured the road . Over the next few days , violence continued to occur in the suburb of Comoro , the area to the west of the city centre around the road to the airport ( also known as Comoro Airfield ) where many groups from both the east and the west of the country lived nearby . On 5 June , rival gangs , with over a hundred members each , clashed in the streets armed with spears , machetes and slingshots , before being separated by Australian troops . However at the same time in the centre of Dili , the unrest had all but ended , with commercial areas re - opening and some of the damaged buildings and shops being repaired . Protests , allegations and investigations . On 6 June , a convoy of anti - Alkatiri protestors from the west of the country drove to Dili , through the western suburb of Comoro and to the National Parliament and government buildings in the heart of the city . The convoy consisted of at least thirty trucks , along with buses and motorbikes , and were accompanied by Malaysian and Australian forces in armoured personnel carrier s and an Australian Army Black Hawk helicopter . However , there was little or no violence accompanying the convoy , aside from some stones thrown as the convoy passed through Comoro , indicative of the level of support for the protest , which one reporter described as " a very impressive show of people power " . In a deal brokered by Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta to ensure a peaceful protest , the convoy consisting of up to 2 , 500 people gathered in Tibar outside the Malaysian checkpoint to the west of the airport , where they surrendered any weapons before proceeding through Dili . The crowd chanted for the resignation of Prime Minister Alkatiri , while also expressing support for President Gusmão . Gusmão later addressed the crowd from atop a car outside his office , saying " Let me bring peace to East Timor and then we will resolve others matters . " He was said to be in tears at times , and said " The priority now is to stop people burning , and guns shooting . " The convoy completed a loop around the inner city , before peacefully dispersing again . On 7 June , Alkatiri agreed to a United Nations investigation into allegations that he was responsible for several incidents in April and May which sparked the crisis . UNOTIL representative Sukehiro Hasegawa , having met separately with Alkatiri and rebel leaders including Tarak Palasinyar and Reinhado , said that Alkatiri was " agreeable to the investigations to be carried out . . . He ' s very transparent . He insists that truth should be known , what happened . " Meanwhile , Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said that the East Timorese judicial system was beginning to deal successfully with the problem of violent street gangs , saying that " We are detaining people , we are bringing them before a magistrate , and if they are found guilty , then , they are further being detained . " On 8 June , claims emerged that former Interior Minister and Alkatiri ally Rogerio Lobato ( who had resigned a week earlier ) , acting on Alkatiri ' s instructions , recruited and armed a civilian militia to " eliminate " opponents of Alkatiri . The group consisted of about thirty civilians , and were allegedly armed with " 18 assault rifle s , 6 , 000 round " sic " of ammunition , two vehicles and uniforms . " The leader of the group , referred to as Commander Railos , said that they had instructions to kill all of the rebel soldiers , but after losing five of the group in armed combat in Dili came to " appreciate that the cost of arming civilians was bloodshed and deaths on all sides " and was prepared to surrender to President Gusmão . Alkatiri strenuously denied the claims , saying that his government had not armed any civilians . Foreign Minister Ramos - Horta also said that he found it " very hard to believe that our own Prime Minister would . . . arm civilians " . On 9 June , Lieutenant Gastão Salsinha , the original leader of the rebel soldiers , reiterated the claims of Commander Railos , saying that Lobato had distributed 200 rifles stolen from the police armoury to civilians . He also claimed that on 28 April , the same day as the clash between the military and rebel soldiers that sparked the crisis , soldiers loyal to Alkatiri had shot and killed 60 civilians , before burying them in a mass grave outside Dili . The United Nations announced on 12 June that they would hold an inquiry into the crisis , but that they would not investigate the allegations made against Lobato and Alkatiri . Meanwhile the violence in Dili appeared to be subsiding , despite sporadic outbreaks , as international peacekeepers continued to secure the city . By 16 June , rebel soldiers were ready to hand in their weapons , in exchange for protection from the international military forces , following more than a week of negotiations . At camps in Gleno and Maubisse , rebels including Alfredo Reinhado surrendered weapons , including several M16 rifle s , which were then sealed in a shipping container . Brigadier Slater expressed doubts that all weapons would be handed in , but said that the presence of international forces around the rebel bases " will enable them to confidently enter into negotiations with the president and other members of the government . " On 20 June , the East Timorese Prosecutor - General issued an arrest warrant for Rogerio Lobato for arming Commander Railos and other civilians . Although there was initially some speculation as to whether Lobato had fled the country , by 21 June he was under house arrest in Dili . On 20 June , the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 1690 , extending UNOTIL ' s mandate until 20 August and expressing support for the existing international peacekeeping effort . A controversy ensued as to whether the military component of the next UN mission would be under UN or Australian command , and the Security Council , unable to reach agreement , extended the mission for an additional five days on 20 August . Five days later , the Council adopted Resolution 1704 creating the new United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor - Leste ( UNMIT ) . Australia was allowed to retain command over the joint military task force , although the UN Secretary - General and Security Council will revisit this question by 25 October . Resolution . Change of leadership . On 22 June , President Gusmão delivered an ultimatum on a national television broadcast , saying that he would resign as President the following day if Prime Minister Alkatiri did not resign . He had earlier told Alkatiri that he had lost confidence in him , and in his broadcast said that " Fretilin has to choose , ask Mari Alkatiri to take responsibility for the major crisis , about the sacrifices of the state , the law and democracy . " The announcement followed reports the preceding day originating from Alkatiri ' s office that Alkatiri had intended to step back from an active role as Prime Minister on the morning of 22 June . The reports indicated that a plan had been developed which would see Alkatiri remain officially as Prime Minister for another month , but that two deputies would be appointed , who would have in fact governed in his place . After Gusmão ' s broadcast , several thousand of his supporters began protesting in Dili , imploring that he not resign , with two or three thousand assembled by the afternoon of 23 June . Gusmão did not in fact resign that day , and indeed announced to the protestors that he would fulfil his constitutional duties , apparently indicating that he would not resign . Alkatiri said that he would only resign if his party Fretilin wanted him to , and on 25 June , a meeting of Fretilin leaders confirmed Alkatiri ' s status as Prime Minister . In response , Foreign and Defence Minister José Ramos - Horta resigned from office " because the government is not functioning properly " , according to his spokesperson . The next day , 26 June up to eight more ministers threatened to resign , and Ramos - Horta was beginning a press conference discussing his resignation when he received a phone call ; after answering it , he said to the media " Please , we cancel our press conference because it is irrelevant anyway now . You are invited to go to the residence of the Prime Minister . He wants to make an announcement . " There , Alkatiri announced his resignation , saying : After the announcement , mobs in the streets of Dili began to celebrate rather than protest . Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he was pleased with the resignation , insofar as it was " part of the process of working out the difficulty , resolving the impasse " . On 27 June , Alkatiri was issue with a summons to appear in court in order to give evidence relating to the accusations that Rogerio Lobato armed a group of civilians , prosecutors suggesting that Alkatiri may also be charged over allegations about his role in the matter . Following Alkatiri ' s resignation , Ramos - Horta withdrew his resignation to contest the prime ministership , and was appointed Prime Minister on 8 July 2006 by President Gusmão . Consequences . The crisis has had an impact on the political landscape of East Timor . On 11 May 2006 , Foreign Minister Jose Ramos - Horta suggested that Fernando Lasama , the leader of the Democratic Party , had encouraged the unrest . He also warned other parties not to exploit the violence and unrest for electoral gain , calling " on all parties to know that those who want to spread disunity , scare or threaten the people will not be chosen by the people in the 2007 elections . " By August 2006 , troops had withdrawn from some points of the country and the rebels ' leader , Alfredo Reinado , was able to escape from Becora Prison , in Dili . On 2 October 2006 , the United Nations Independent Special Commission of Inquiry made a number of recommendations including that several individuals be prosecuted . Notably , it found that Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato , and Defence Minister Roque Rodrigues and Defence Force Chief Taur Matan Ruak acted illegally in transferring weapons to civilians during the crisis .