CANBERRA, Australia, May 5 (UPI) -- Australian troops could be sent to East Timor to help maintain order if requested by the Dili government.
Prime Minister John Howard, who made the offer of Australian forces, however said it was unlikely East Timor would make the request for foreign help.
East Timor, Asia's newest independent country, is a former Portuguese colony later occupied and incorporated by Indonesia. In a U.N.-supervised election in 1999, its people voted for independence.
Riots rocked the capital of Dili last week when former soldiers took to the streets to continue their protest over alleged discrimination in the military between those from the east and west of the country. Six hundred soldiers were cashiered last month for deserting their units amid discrimination complaints.
Because of unrest, Australia has advised its citizens to be wary of traveling to East Timor.
