Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – An Australian federal policeman allegedly demanded that a senior East Timorese police officer take off his uniform in public in an incident that has angered Timorese MPs and may lead to a diplomatic protest.

The president of the East Timorese parliament, Francisco Guterres, said yesterday that the alleged behaviour of the unidentified policeman was an abuse of East Timor's rights as an independent country.

Mr Guterres has summoned the Interior Minister, Alcino Barris, to appear in parliament today to explain to MPs what happened. "All members of parliament want to complain about this," Mr Guterres said.

The head of the East Timorese police academy, Julio Hornai, told the Herald yesterday that he was humiliated by the incident, which, he said, "violated the dignity of East Timor". "I don't have a problem with the Australian police who came to help solve our problems," Inspector Hornai said. "But it doesn't mean that they can come here and not respect us."

Inspector Hornai said that on Saturday afternoon the police vehicle he was driving along a main street in Dili was stopped by an Australian Federal Police vehicle with two Australian policemen and two Malaysian soldiers on board.

One of the Australians confronted him, saying that the seven other Timorese police in the vehicle should not be wearing police uniforms. Inspector Hornai said that he tried to explain that he and his men were returning to the academy after attending briefings at police headquarters.

Inspector Hornai said that Mr Barris, who was also present, had ordered him and his men to attend the briefing in uniform. Inspector Hornai said the Australian demanded that he take off his uniform even though he had made a call on his mobile telephone to Mr Barris to confirm that he had been ordered to wear it.

As a crowd of about 40 on-lookers gathered, Inspector Hornai said, he took the top part of his uniform off. "I felt humiliated ... people were watching," he said. "The Australian then said, 'Put the uniform in the vehicle', and they would escort us to the academy."

Inspector Hornai said that before they reached the academy one of the Timorese policemen in his vehicle got out near his home. "The Australian called out and demanded that the policeman take his uniform off before he went home," Inspector Hornai said. "The agent took it off in the middle of the road ... in full view of the public."

An AFP spokesman in Dili could not provide any information about the incident. However, Antero Lopes, head of the international police in East Timor, said the AFP commander "assured me that no AFP officer under his command has stripped a [Timorese police] officer of their uniform".