BuyantUkhaa From Mongolia, joined May 2004, 2779 posts, RR: 3 Posted (6 years 7 months 23 hours ago) and read 2847 times:
East Timor's international airport was closed today after rival armed groups clashed near the capital, Australian officials and a witness said.
At least one civilian was killed in the fighting which erupted on Tuesday when a group of youths attacked a refugee camp near the airport, said the source in Dili who requested anonymity. Shots were fired, and stones and fuel bombs were thrown during the fighting, according to the source who said he was with the tiny country's social affairs minister, Arsenio Bono, when the fighting spread to the airport.
The pair were among several people trapped for several hours at the airport which was closed after all those inside were ordered to leave under the guard of United Nations peacekeepers, he said.
The foreign ministry in Canberra confirmed the closure of the airport due to the fighting, while the defence ministry said one of its soldiers stationed at the airfield had fired on a Timorese man.
"Initial reports are that a Timor-Leste national approached an Australian Defence Force position with a firearm and acted in a threatening manner," a defence spokeswoman said.
Jcded From Switzerland, joined Jan 2004, 211 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (6 years 7 months 22 hours ago) and read 2820 times:
Airlines that serve Dili, Merpati and Air North, I took Merpati from Bali Denpassar in April before the violence erupted. It was a pleasant flight and I would go back to East Timor in a heartbeat if I could, I absolutely love the country, it's a shame its like this now.
Air North from Darwin Australia (usually small prop plane)
Merpati from Bali Denpassar, Indonesia (737-200)
Planemanofnz From New Zealand, joined Sep 2005, 1653 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (6 years 7 months 7 hours ago) and read 2680 times:
Quoting Jcded (Reply 2): I have pics if anybody wants of airport in Dili
Definately!
Quoting Jcded (Reply 2): Air North from Darwin Australia (usually small prop plane)
Merpati from Bali Denpassar, Indonesia (737-200)
What were the schedules of these flights?
Will Dili airport re-open again in the near future? At the moment, what is the most direct way of getting to Dili now? Fly to Darwin or Bali and then get a boat?
I really hope that this violence doesn't continue for much longer.
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 6, posted (6 years 7 months 6 hours ago) and read 2658 times:
Quoting Jcded (Reply 2): I took Merpati from Bali Denpassar in April before the violence erupted.
Quoting Planemanofnz (Reply 5): I really hope that this violence doesn't continue for much longer.
I suggest both of you learn a little bit more about East Timor and the fact that violence is nothing new there nor does it seem to have an end in sight.
Planemanofnz From New Zealand, joined Sep 2005, 1653 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (6 years 7 months 3 hours ago) and read 2631 times:
Quoting DeltaGator (Reply 6): I suggest both of you learn a little bit more about East Timor and the fact that violence is nothing new there nor does it seem to have an end in sight.
Thanks, but no thanks. FYI I already know quite a bit about East Timor and in my statement I said I hoped that THIS violence doesn't continue for much longer. "THIS" reffering to the violence around the airport.
Jcded From Switzerland, joined Jan 2004, 211 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (6 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 2556 times:
Deltagator:
I mirror the sentiments of planemanofNZ, if you wish to go head to head on who knows more about East Timor than please do contact me. I may have been unclear when I mentionned violence, I was refering to the events that unfolded this year.
Vincewy From Taiwan, joined Oct 2005, 767 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (6 years 6 months 3 weeks 6 days 3 hours ago) and read 2517 times:
Yes, the violence has been going on throughout the archipelagos for centuries, it's a shame that things can't (in fact it won't) get any better. Indonesia has so much to offer, practically every single island can turn into tourist spots, plus abundance of natural resources (think about every single island like Bali), I personally would like to visit Irian Jaya, but the access to the area is so restricted.
If Indonesia prospers, imagine what GA will look like? Massive jumbo fleet with extensive networks all over the islands, convenient connections with Australia with the rest of the world.
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From Mongolia, joined May 2004, 2779 posts, 
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