Kiwi peacekeepers stow their protective gear

New Zealand soldiers keeping peace in East Timor have packed away their body armour and helmets.

They now patrol the streets of the small nation north of Australia in black baseball caps with a kiwi on the front.

"The body armour and helmets tended to alienate us," said the leader of the 180 New Zealand soldiers in East Timor, Colonel Paul van den Broek.

The New Zealand troops and other international peacekeepers and police have been on a heightened state of alert since the appointment of former resistance fighter Xanana Gusmao as prime minister. He was appointed by President Jose Ramos Horta when no clear leader emerged from the elections in June.

Col van den Broek said they were expecting some unrest around the city but it had been very quiet.

- NZPA