Aust, ships to aid Timor evacuation

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33929, 23 August 1975, Page 15

Aust, ships to aid Timor evacuation

’'-ew Zealand Press Association—Copyright’ CANBERRA. August 22. The Australian Government has asked two merchant shipping lines to help evacuate about 1000 people from Portuguese Timor where a bloody civil war is reported to have broken out.

I'he Royal Australian Navy is also sending two destroyers from Freemantle to Darwin to stand by in case the merchant shipping is not available.

A Foreign Affairs spokesman said: "Two merchant shipping lines have been asked to provide shipping and they are now considering the request. “We think it is a good, possibility that the request will be granted. "The navy will send H.M.A.S. Vendetta and Vampire from Fremantle to Darwin today as soon as their crews get on board.” The Timor Democratic Union (U.D.T.) appeared to control the territory’s two airports, Dili and Bacau, ruling out an air evacuation. Two babies He said that the Portuguese authorities still had 1 control of the Navy facilities in Dili harbour and that this' was the safest course to get the evacuees out.

; The evacuees are mainly, , Portuguese citizens. Among] . them are 12 Australians, one? 'Canadian, one Englishman • and a number of Chinese. The Australian evacuees! . include two babies, aged}' seven and 20 months. ; The Foreign Affairs • - . spokesman revealed also, ; that members of the U.D.T.it ■ had passed a message to the! , Australian Governmenti’ , claiming that Fretilin guer-i ’ rillas, fighting for control of: I ; the Portuguese-ruled colony,! had detained two Australian (, . geologists. Portuguese authorities;: ’ have so far been unable to '- confirm the report for the ’ Australian Government. ] Others available A Royal Australian Navy * ■ spokesman in Canberra said I that the two destroyers, 1 ; i both about 3500 tons, would ’ • take about four days to! : reach Darwin. In an emergency both ves-li

seis would be able to carry about 300 or 400 people each. He emphasised it would be a matter for the Govern- ■ ment to decide on whether the destroyers would be used to evacuate the people on East Timor if the two merchant shipping lines declined to help. The Vendetta and Vampire ■were due to exercise off the north west coast of Australia on Monday. : They would not be able to evacuate all the 1000 evacuees and further Navy ships, (may be brought in if the: merchant shipping cannot' make Dili, according to the Foreign Affairs spokesman. There are a number of Australian ships exercising in the Indian ocean, including H.M.A.S. Supply, one of the Navy’s largest vessels. The spokesman said that j these ships could possibly be 'brought in if required.