Australian and New Zealand troops will arrive soon in East Timor to maintain order in the country, which has been racked by violence in past weeks, the tiny nation's foreign minister said Wednesday.
 
"We have asked help from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia. Australia and New Zealand will come soon," Jose Ramos-Horta told reporters after meeting diplomats from those countries.

Meanwhile, Portugal will send 120 military police troops to East Timor to help maintain order in the country, the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

"The Portuguese Government already responded to the appeal by the East Timorese authorities, confirming its readiness to take part at first with a contingent of military police troops in the multinational force," the ministry said in a statement.

A spokesman at the ministry said there would be 120 troops.

East Timor was a former Portuguese territory and Lisbon has been concerned about the recent violence that has hit the country. It actively supported East Timor's move to win independence from Indonesia.

Dili has blamed the violence on a group of rebel military policemen.

Australia led a UN-backed intervention force to East Timor in 1999 to quell violence by pro-Indonesian militias after East Timorese voted for independence from Jakarta. About 1,000 people died in the violence.

UN peacekeepers left a year ago and the UN mission of 130 administrators, police and military advisers was scheduled to finish in East Timor on May 20, but was extended for a month after the riots.

Shooting between a group of rebel military policemen led by an Australian-trained major and loyal government troops killed at least one person and wounded six in East Timor on Tuesday. There was fresh fighting Wednesday and the government in a statement again blamed "the breakaway, renegade elements" for stirring the trouble.

Ramos-Horta said the rebel group must be disarmed.

"The foreign troops will work together with the government and (East Timor's military) to take away weapons from civilians, including those from Alfredo Reinaldo's group," the minister said, referring to the rebel major.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said earlier that parts of East Timor had been reported descending into violence and pledged to send military help if needed.

Reinaldo and his men left their station last month to support the plight of the more than 500 soldiers sacked by the cash-strapped East Timor government earlier in April.

The sackings prompted demonstrations joined by people the government says have broader motives.

Five people were killed and thousands of East Timorese fled their homes when protests by the disgruntled soldiers initially turned violent late last month.

(China Daily May 25, 2006)