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24 Japanese Military Engineers Arrive in East Timor VOA News 4 Mar 2002 11:23 UTC 
The first contingent of 24 Japanese military engineers has arrived in East Timor to join a U.N. peacekeeping force, amid protests over Japan's occupation of the territory during World War II.
A Japanese battalion in East Timor, eventually numbering nearly 700 engineers, will be part of Tokyo's biggest-ever peacekeeping operation. Japanese soldiers are to focus on building and repairing bridges in the territory, which will gain independence in less than three months.
Dozens of demonstrators rallied near Dili airport with placards calling on the Japanese forces to return home.
During World War II, a number of East Timorese civilians are said to have died after they sided with Dutch and Australian commandos fighting a guerrilla campaign against Japanese invaders.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
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