Violence broke out in the East Timorese capital, Dili, among a crowd of several thousand people waiting to be interviewed for jobs in the territory's transitional United Nations administration.

Witnesses said that about seven thousand people had gathered to apply for the two thousand jobs on offer; some became angry when their applications were rejected and threw stones at UN staff and soldiers.

The violence subsided with the arrival of the leading pro-independence figure, Jose Ramos Horta, who appealed for calm in a megaphone address.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service