What? Australian troops going to E Timour? Damn it seems like they just left does't it?Tens of thousands of residents have fled East Timor's capital, Dili, fearing new clashes between former soldiers and police.
The exodus was sparked by rumours of impending fighting that were reportedly spread through mobile phone texts.
A UN official said up to 75% of Dili's 120,000 population had left. But there have been no reports of fresh violence.
Five people were killed in last week's clashes, following the sacking of some 600 soldiers for going on strike.
The soldiers went on strike in March to demand better working conditions.
The government of Friday appealed for calm, telling Dili residents it was safe to return to their homes and go back to work.
'Rampant rumours'
Roads around Dili are reported to have been packed with vehicles containing household valuables, as residents have been heading to the nearby mountains and villages since Wednesday.
The situation in Dili now is quite calm and under control
Mari Alkatiri,
East Timor's PM
Rocky path to nationhood
"I am forced to go... because of this conflict... It seems there is a desire for revenge," one Dili resident told the AFP news agency.
"I don't necessarily believe these rumours are true, but I see lots of people leaving."
Residents had begun panicking after seeing that some police officers and former soldiers in Dili started sending their families to their home towns, Joao Fernandez, a USAid employee in East Timor, told the BBC News website.
Rumours of impending fighting have grown further as people texted each other using their mobile phones.
Mr Fernandez said that Dili was now "an empty town".
UN's spokeswoman in Dili Donna Pusumano told the BBC World Update programme that the majority of residents had left the city, with many seeking refuge in international missions.
Ms Pusumano said the panic had been caused by "rampant rumours of some retaliation... and a lot of unfounded rumours too, things such as civil war".
"People were terribly frightened," she said, but added that the situation seemed to be "a lot less tense than yesterday [Thursday]".
East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta on Friday appealed to the nation to remain calm.
"Democracy is still young in our country and people react fearfully to incidents by leaving the city," Mr Ramos-Horta said in a statement.
In Australia, Prime Minister John Howard said his country would consider sending troops to East Timor if a request was made.
But any such move must be sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
Well, I would prefer seeing Aussie troops on the ground there, who last time acted with complete and total professionalism, rather than UN Peacekeepers, especially considering what the Jordainian troops were caught doing last time.
