Philippe Naughton, Dili – UN forces tightened their grip on Dili on Saturday and began venturing into East Timor's interior to secure routes for desperately needed aid.
The ravaged capital was calmer, with people walking freely in the streets. Indonesian troops were steadily withdrawing and more refugees were returning to Dili from the hills where they fled to escape a murderous rampage by military-backed pro-Jakarta militias after East Timor's August 30 vote for independence.
UN armoured personnel carriers stalked the capital and Blackhawk helicopters swept overhead, looking to flush out bands of militiamen sworn to subvert East Timor's independence.
"There is a clear sense of improving security in the area and as we continue in our expansion operations we then look forward to extending that sense of security throughout the area," said Colonel Mark Kelly, chief of staff of the UN force.
But the humanitarian situation was desperate and aid agencies said it was imperative to begin food deliveries to the interior, where hundreds of thousands of Timorese are sheltering.
A helicopter reconnaissance mission by the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) found widespread devastation.
"When we flew over the eastern part of the territory and saw the extent of the damage from the air, it was very clear there were very few people left in the towns," said David Wimhurst, spokesman for UNAMET, which organised the referendum in which East Timor voted overwhelmingly to break from Indonesia.
Wimhurst said 75 percent of buildings in the towns of Dilor and Los Palos were destroyed. Louro was "almost totally destroyed" and Manatuto was also devastated.
The United Nations was due on Saturday to launch its first humanitarian assessment mission to the eastern town of Baucau, passing through Manatuto.
The mission aimed to find warehouses in Baucau and organise regular flights of aid. The UN convoy was escorted by armoured personnel carriers and Australian Blackhawk helicopters.
More Indonesian troops leave
All but a few thousand Indonesian soldiers have quit East Timor, handing control of the explosive security situation in the territory to the multinational UN force. Those who remain have a reputation as among the more professional and relatively neutral of the Indonesian forces.
On Friday, Indonesia withdrew four battalions, or almost 3,000 troops, from East Timor – a big step out of the former Portuguese colony it invaded almost 24 years ago. An Indonesian presence of 4,500 troops will remain for up to a month, Indonesia's local military commander has said.
Indonesian soldiers, their pride wounded at having to surrender East Timor to foreign forces, torched their own barracks and other buildings as they left Dili on Friday.
Kelly said troops from several more nations were arriving in Dili to augment the UN force. He said some Filipino troops arrived on Friday and were preparing to deploy.
French doctors and troops were due to arrive on Saturday, along with a New Zealand helicopter squadron, and the Canadian and Thai contingents were expected to arrive soon.
Kelly brushed off suggestions of a rift in the UN force – Thailand, which holds the deputy command, is reported to be uneasy about aggressive behaviour of Australian troops and hopes to employ a more "softly softly" approach. "There are no differences," Kelly said.
Concerns about refugees
Despite improvements in East Timor, the United Nations said it was concerned about the fate of refugees in West Timor and elsewhere in the Indonesian archipelago, amid widespread reports of intimidation and forced deportation.
"It's imperative that the United Nations and other agencies have full access to this region to organise the return to East Timor of the people," UNAMET's Wimhurst said. East Timor's population of about 800,000 people was scattered by the bloodshed, many into the hills behind Dili or into the neighbouring province of West Timor.
There are an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 displaced people in East Timor and over 150,000 refugees in West Timor.
"The UNHCR (UN refugee agency) has had discussions in Jakarta with the authorities there and they have agreed to allow international humanitarian agencies into West Timor," Wimhurst said. But aid agencies have faced threats and attacks in West Timor, often by members of the militias.