East Timor: protester demand ouster of prime minister

Tens of thousands of fearful residents have fled their homes and are living in makeshift camps and shelters in and around the city. Malaysian peacekeepers searched vehicles on a major road near the airport in one of their most robust security checks in recent days.

Photo: East Timor: protester demand ouster of prime minister

They at first blocked a convoy of dozens of trucks and motorcycles carrying well over 1,000 flag-waving protesters, but eventually allowed them to enter the city under the escort of Malaysian armored personnel carriers, the AP reports.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of young men looted a warehouse near the city center, running off with agricultural machinery, bags of grain, sheet metal and fertilizer. In neighborhoods close to the airport, several plumes of smoke rose from buildings set on fire by rampaging gangs.