East Timor asks for more help

Some 600 striking soldiers were dismissed in March, triggering clashes with loyalist forces that gave way to gang warfare, with machete-wielding youths fighting in the streets, setting fires to homes and looting government warehouses.

At least 30 people have been killed, despite the presence of more than 2,000 foreign troops, and Ramos-Horta said earlier the death toll may be higher.

International aid groups and the United Nations are already helping the estimated 100,000 people who fled their homes for makeshift shelters and camps in and outside Dili, the AP reports.