Australia troops land in East Timor, secure airport

SYDNEY, May 25 (Reuters) Australian commandos landed in the East Timor capital Dili today, quickly securing the airport to the cheers of local residents, ahead of a total deployment of 1,300 troops to restore peace to the troubled young nation.

About 150 heavily armed troops took only minutes to disembark from C-130 Hercules transport aircraft which also brought Australian Lieutenant-General Ken Gillespie to negotiate the terms of the deployment with the East Timor government.

Gillespie is vice chief of Australia's defence force.

As the foreign troops took up position, local residents behind wire fences cheered and applauded, Australian television footage of their arrival showed.

Malaysian troops were also on their way to East Timor, where violence in the capital Dili has left at least six people dead in recent weeks.

The inexperienced and cash-strapped government of the world's newest independent nation has been struggling to cope with clashes initially sparked by the sacking of around half the army.

Australia led a UN-backed intervention force in 1999 to quell violence after East Timorese voted for independence. An estimated 1,000 people died in that violence, blamed mostly on pro-Jakarta militia backed by Indonesian military elements.

REUTERS PR KP1504