Hundreds of refugees waiting to leave the city of Dili in Portuguese Timor, were caught in the cross-fire between rival liberation groups, who are fighting to gain control of the colony, on Sunday (7 September).
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SV ZOOM INTO CU Woman holding crying baby as refugee mothers pass babies over crowd (3 shots)
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SV Troops firing rifles into air PAN TO crowd and baby crying (2 shots)
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SCU Man holding child
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SVs Troops firing as refugees scatter .. and take cover (3 shots)
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SV Soldiers trying to contain refugees
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GVs & SVs Refugees running for shelter
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SCU Armed soldier taking cover and SVs of refugees running through streets (3 shots)
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SV Refugees hiding behind walls
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SV Troops firing
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GV ZOOM INTO Building under fire (3 shots)
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SV Refugees take cover behind car
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SV Soldier off truck
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SVs Troops returning fire from various positions (4 shots)
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GV & SV Troops bringing in bazooka
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SV Troops firing
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GVs & SVs Bazooka fire
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Initials CL/0052
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Background: Hundreds of refugees waiting to leave the city of Dili in Portuguese Timor, were caught in the cross-fire between rival liberation groups, who are fighting to gain control of the colony, on Sunday (7 September).
The refugees, who have been milling at Dili's docks and airport, waiting for transport out of the battle scarred city, have been stranded in the middle of street exchanges between FRETILIN troops and their rivals.
The left-wing FRETILIN Movement now claims to have gained complete control of Dili after a month of bloody fighting. FRETILIN (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor) officials are also attempting to organise a peace conference with rival independence groups.
Fighting between the groups has already claimed hundreds of civilian lives since the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) declared independence from Portugal last month.
In the latest incident hundreds of pregnant women and women with children were caught when UDT snipers opened fire on FRETILIN troops who were organising the women into refugee groups.
It's not known whether there were any casualties in the battle, but it is an example of the constant outbreaks of violence that have become a part of life in Dili.
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