PEACEKEEPERS INJURED IN EXPLOSION
An unexploded ordinance, believed to be a 40 mm grenade, exploded at a popular beach near Dili on Saturday afternoon. The blast injured three Portuguese Peacekeeping soldiers. The soldiers were treated for shrapnel wounds to the legs, and one of the men, who was wounded in the head, was air-lifted to Darwin, Australia, for further treatment.
The beach has been used as a firing range in the past, but the origin of the unexploded device has yet to be established.
All CivPol patrol teams from Dili and members from the Rapid Response Unit went to the scene, some 10 kilometers from Dili, to investigate. After a search of the area, three more grenades were found. The beach, also known as Cristo Rei Beach, has been sealed off.
TENDERS FOR RECONSTRUCTION
The list of companies selected to compete for the first three rehabilitation projects of public buildings in Baucau was made public today. A total of 11 companies were selected to compete for tenders, two foreign-owned and nine Timorese.
The projects are the prison’s administration office, the court, and the prosecutor’s office, and were all designed by a Timorese architect from the company Team Seven Consultants.
In Dili on Saturday, the United Nations Office for Project Services also made public the names of the 18 companies selected to compete for the reconstruction of four public buildings in the capital. Thirteen of the companies are Timorese.
The buildings are the Employment Service Center, the Court of Appeal, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Education Store House.
The companies have now two weeks to prepare their proposals. The works will start before 24 July.
NCC APPROVES APPROPRIATION REGULATION
Today was the first working day of the new budget for the fiscal year 2000-2001.
The draft regulation on Appropriations was approved by the National Consultative Council on Friday, 30 June, for the purpose of appropriating money out of the Consolidated Fund of East Timor for the functioning of the Transitional Administration.
The Appropriations Regulation must be passed in order for the budget to take effect on 1 July with spending from the agencies identified in the regulation.
The total appropriations for 2000-2001 is US$57.23 million, with US$2 million budgeted for contingencies.
The National Consultative Council last Friday also approved the draft regulation on Protected Places. The regulation lists, among other things, a number of endangered species, as well as 15 protected wildlife areas in East Timor. These areas shall be managed and protected so as to preserve their wildlife and natural character.
HUMAN REMAINS LINKED TO MASSACRE FOUND
A bag containing human bones, hair, clothes, jewelry and a machete was recovered from a well in Guico, Liquica district, on 29 June. The jewelry and machete have been identified as belonging to three different persons who disappeared following the Liquica massacre in April last year. The contents of the bag have been sent to Dili for forensic examination.
In a separate incident, a human leg and clothing was found in a river bed in Raedeka plantation, Mau-Unu village, Liquica district, on 30 June. It is believed that the victim may be a 38-year old woman who disappeared in February 1998 after being arrested by the Ramelau, an Indonesian military-backed vigilante group.
OLYMPIC ATHLETES TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA
Ten East Timorese athletes will travel to Canberra, Australia, on Thursday for a training and selection process for the Sydney Olympic Games. The team consists of three boxers, three marathoners, two weightlifters and two athletes competing in taekwondo. While the majority of the athletes will remain in Canberra, the boxing team will leave the Australian capital on 17 July. They will then travel to Darwin to train with the Australian boxing team for five weeks. Following that, the boxers will go on to Colorado Springs in the United States for additional training.
The athletes are: Victor Ramos, Cesar Pinto, Rogerio Amaral (boxing), Gil Alveres Fernandes, Ucthoc Flaminggo (taekwondo), Calisto da Costa, Aguida Amaral, Mariana Diaz Ximenes (marathon), Jaime Lay and Martinho F. de Araujo (weight lifting).
NEGOTIATIONS WITH INDONESIA
Border issues and the future of East Timorese civil servants and students are the main topics on the agenda when UNTAET meets with representatives of the Indonesian Government in Surabaya, Indonesia, tomorrow.
UNTAET’s negotiation team, from the Political Affairs Office, left for Indonesia today. This third round of negotiations with the Indonesian Foreign Ministry will focus on the transit passageway between Oecussi and East Timor proper, payments of pensions of former civil servants and the rights of East Timorese students in Indonesia.
A number of other issues will also be discussed, such as the recent visit to East Timor of the Indonesian Asset Team.
JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS PRESENTED TO PEOPLE IN BAUCAU
The seven East Timorese judges and three prosecutors for the Baucau District Court were presented to the people of Baucau at a ceremony outside the town’s cathedral last week. About 220 people attended the ceremony, hosted by the Bishop of Baucau, Don Basilio Nascimento.
A presentation about the building of a justice system in East Timor was made by the Head of UNTAET’s Judicial Affairs Office, Gita Welsh, and the public asked questions to members of the judiciary.
REBUILDING OF MARKETS STARTS
The rebuilding of the Becora and Comoro markets started on 27 June, four days ahead of schedule. The work is expected to take three months to complete.
The cost of the refurbishment of the markets is being funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.
Each market will initially have eight kiosks and space for 180 stalls. Vendors are being invited to register, starting from 10 July to the end of August. A lottery will then take place to allocate places.
