East Timor: UN Police Arrest 16 After Deadly Gang Clashes in Dili 4 Jan-13:00

UN police have arrested 16 people involved in street gang violence that killed one youth and seriously injured three others in Dili and continued searching for fugitives, an UN administration spokesman said Thursday.

UNTAET's Peter Biro said UN police were using a helicopter to scour forested hills around Dili where many rival gang members fled after clashes in the Becora suburb Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Police also maintained reinforced guard in Becora.

Senior East Timorese official Jose Ramos Horta said UN police should use "maximum force" to fight what he termed "criminal groups".

Ramos Horta visited the family of the slain youth, Domingos Guterres, Thursday morning and pled that they "not give in to the impulse of revenge".

The overnight clashes apparently began with a dispute between two Becora families and quickly involved two rival youth gangs armed with machetes, clubs and stones.

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