The Cabinet of the East Timor Administration agreed today to shift the country’s clocks ahead by one hour. The time shift will occur at midnight, Saturday, September 16. This will allow East Timor to take better advantage of daylight during working hours, resulting in energy savings. It will also bring East Timor into line with time zones regionally.
The time change will be permanent, with no further seasonal adjustments.
The Cabinet also discussed a draft regulation defining an administrative and legal framework for taxes. The draft does not stipulate precise tax rates, which are to be decided following further consultations by Cabinet and the National Consultative Council during the coming weeks.
In view of the planned termination of the UNTAET Humanitarian and Emergency Rehabilitation Pillar on 31 December 2000, the Cabinet agreed to establish a small Humanitarian Liaison, Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Relief Unit within the Department of Police and Emergency Services. This unit will serve as the focal point for humanitarian affairs, coordinate with other agencies to support emergency response to natural disasters and develop preventive measures to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
Additionally, the Cabinet designated the Central Payments Office (CPO) as the lead agency to establish the mechanisms to exchange the Rupiah notes demonetized by Bank Indonesia. The affected bank notes are Rp10,000 (Emission Year 1992 and 1995), Rp20,000 (Emission Year 1992 and 1995), and Rp50,000 (Emission Year 1993 and 1995), as well as Rp50,000 with plastic film (Emission Year 1993).
