Troops awaiting equipment before heading to Dili

The main New Zealand defence force deployment to East Timor is still in Australia, awaiting vital equipment, before travelling to strife-torn Dili.

The 124 soldiers are currently in Townsville but will fly to Darwin this afternoon.

Their commander, Captain Eugene Whakahoehoe, said it was vital to be properly prepared before hitting the ground in East Timor, where 42 New Zealand soldiers are already deployed.

The New Zealand contingent had been assigned "stability operations", which would include patrolling and securing key areas, "and also making sure the factions and threat groups that are within Dili stop arming and hurting each other", he told National Radio this morning.

While there had "always been a threat since day one,", he said he was confident the New Zealanders' training would hold them in good stead.

"It's business as usual.

"Unpredictable as this situation might appear, the type of training we do is quite robust, we train from wide scenario base - from a terrorism type threat to a rioting crowd - and what happens in East Timor is well within that spectrum."

There were several options for getting the troops to Dili, by air or by sea.

- NZPA