East Timorese police who had illegally kept weapons in their homes for protection during weeks of unrest surrendered dozens of firearms to Australian peacekeepers on Monday, the head of the force said.
The policemen, who stashed the weapons out of fear of attacks by renegade soldiers in May, handed in more than 50 firearms including M-16s, AK-33s and pistols, Brigadier Mick Slater told reporters.
"They are smart people because they realise that the weapons should not be in their possession. Those people who had handed in weapons today had not been arrested for having those weapons," he added.
The East Timorese capital Dili descended into violence in May, with clashes between rival factions of the security forces and ethnic gangs battling in the streets. At least 21 people were killed and 150,000 others displaced. The violence prompted the government to ask for the deployment of international troops from Australia, Malaysia, Portugal and New Zealand to restore calm.