Malaysian general arrives in E. Timor

Malaysian general arrives in E. Timor

EAST TIMOR: A Malaysian general assumed command on Friday of the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor which is slated to wind down next year after handing over responsibility to the local defense force.

Lt. Gen. Khairudin Yusof replaced Singaporean Maj. Gen. Tan Huck Gim as head of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor, which has around 4,000 soldiers and police.

UN troops arrived in East Timor in September 1999 to restore order after the Indonesian army and its militia proxies went on a rampage in the territory when it voted for independence.

The former Portuguese colony, which Indonesia invaded and occupied in 1975, remained under UN rule until May 2002 when it gained full independence. The UN force is due to pull out in June 2004, and will be replaced by the new East Timor army which has been raised and trained over the past two years. --AP