More violence in E.Timor after Gusmao appointment

DILI, Aug 7 (Reuters) Violence broke out in several districts in East Timor today, a day after the controversial appointment of a new government.

Dozens of protesters blocked roads and attacked homes and offices in several areas in the capital Dili and in the eastern districts of Baucau and Viqueque, police operations commander Mateus Fernandes said.

Police fired tear gas and arrested 15 people.

Yesterday, President Jose Ramos-Horta asked a coalition led by former president Xanana Gusmao to form a government to end a stalemate after no single party won a majority in the elections more than a month ago.

Ramos-Horta's decision, which means Gusmao will become prime minister, immediately sparked protests by supporters of the former ruling Fretilin party, which has claimed the right to govern and branded the move unconstitutional.

''It happened at so many places around Dili, Baucau and Viqueque so we were not able to control every single area,'' Fernandes said by telephone.

He said the police had yet to determine the exact scale of damage or if there had been casualties.

Baucau and Viqueque are Fretilin strongholds.

Ramos-Horta and the United Nations mission in East Timor urged Fretilin supporters yesterday not to turn to violence.

Factional bloodshed broke out in the impoverished country of about one million people last year, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The mayhem, during which 37 people were killed, was triggered by the previous government's decision to sack 600 soldiers.

Fretilin won 21 seats in the 65-member parliament in the June poll, far short of the majority required to rule, while CNRT took 18 seats. Gusmao founded CNRT earlier this year.

Fretilin, which led East Timor's 24-year struggle against Indonesian rule, had argued that it won most votes in the polls.

The party has threatened to withdraw from parliament if Gusmao's coalition was appointed to lead the government.

The party had proposed the appointment of an all-inclusive government with an independent Prime Minister as a way to end the stalemate.

Gusmao, a fighter-turned-politician who battled Indonesian forces in the hills for years before being captured, appears to have become increasingly frustrated by the pace of progress under Fretilin since independence five years ago.

REUTERS RN SSC1318