Clark defends speed of military intervention in East Timor

Prime Minister Helen Clark has defended the speed of the military intervention in East Timor, against critics who say New Zealand and Australia's slow response has fuelled the violence.

Australia has had about 1300 troops in Dili for the past two days, but has been cautious about moving them from the airport into the city's streets as gangs of youths continue on a rampage of arson and murder.

New Zealand has about 40 troops on the ground. Another 120 are waiting in Townsville and will fly today to Darwin and then on to Dili.

Some Dili locals are blaming the slow response for the continued violence and there are fears that if the unrest continues local support for the military

But Miss Clark today said New Zealand and Australia currently had large deployments of troops and police in the Solomon Islands and had moved as fast as they could.

She said the scale of the violence in East Timor was "unanticipated".

"I think in the circumstances people have reacted as quick as they could have," Miss Clark said on National Radio.

The New Zealand company waiting in Townsville had been pulled together at extremely short notice, meaning they still had vital preparation work to do.

She said the scale of the violence meant New Zealand and Australian troops would probably have to stay in East Timor into next year when fresh elections were scheduled.

But it was not yet known how many troops would have to stay, or whether other countries would join the multi-national force.

Miss Clark said the $500,000 urgent aid granted to East Timor at the weekend would go towards meeting the food, water and sanitation needs of the tens of thousands of Timorese driven out of their homes.

- NZPA