Portuguese officials say they will evacuate their citizens in Timor Leste to Australia if the unrest in the former Portuguese colony worsens.
They say the evacuation plan will only be activated as a last resort, though.
Five people died and more than a hundred buildings were damaged last month when sacked soldiers and their supporters staged a rally in Dili that turned violent.
Portugal is Timor Leste's biggest aid donor.
It has sent Asia's poorest country more than 450 million dollars since 1999.