OVER 307,600 EAST TIMORESE REGISTERED

Over 307,600 East Timorese have been registered by the Civil Registry Unit as of yesterday, 10 May. The best results have been achieved in Manatuto district – with over 65 per cent of the estimated population already registered – and in Aileu district with over 50 per cent registered. More than 40 per cent have registered in Ermera, a densely populated district with an estimated population of over 92,000 people. In addition, some sub-districts have registered over 95 per cent of their estimated population.

PROGRESS IN “DOLLARIZATION” OF EAST TIMOR ECONOMY

Next week, Café Timor, a cooperative of 16 coffee producers, will buy coffee using US dollars for the first time. This follows an overwhelming vote conducted in February by the coffee farmers to chose the US dollar as the payment currency and is seen as “a good step in the ‘dollarization’ of the East Timorese economy” by the General Manager of the Central Payments Office, Fernando DePeralto. To facilitate the payment to the coffee cooperatives and farmers, the Central Payments Office (CPO) has recently bought a total of US$5 million in bank notes. The CPO already imported US$300,000 in coins last year. The Central Payments Office has US$10,000 in one-cent coins in stock, to be distributed. In addition, US$400,000 in 25, 10 and five-cent denominations, plus US$90,000 in one-cent coins are currently on their way to East Timor. This is to make sure that the transactions in US dollars are done without an inflation impact. An Executive Order was signed on 26 April by the Acting Transitional Administrator Jean-Christian Cady prohibiting the unlicensed importation of foreign currencies. It also makes it illegal to engage in currency exchange without a license issued by the Central Payments Office. Violation of the Order carries a maximum fine of US $5,000.

INSPECTOR GENERAL RELEASES REPORTS

The Inspector General of the East Timor Transitional Administration released two minor reports yesterday, 10 May. The first was requested by the Prison Service and Administration and concerns the misappropriation of a small quantity of diesel fuel by a driver in the Department of Justice. The Inspector General has recommended improvements in the way the supply of diesel fuel is controlled and disciplinary action for the driver. The second report was requested by the Department of Internal Administration related to the purchase of nearly 600 faulty computers. The Inspector General determined that the faults have been rectified by the supplier and suggests that similar occurrences could be avoided by better inspection of goods on receipt. In addition, the Inspector General has completed three special reports, which will be released once the respective departments have had the opportunity to comment on the findings. These reports are on the purchase of school furniture, the rehabilitation of the Becora and Comoro markets and the use of funds in the Department of Justice.

SCHOOL MAPPING PROJECT LAUNCHED

Mapping of East Timor’s schools is about to begin with the aim to indicate which schools should be retained, renovated, rebuilt or whether new schools should be constructed, among other things. Starting on Monday, 14 May, a team from the Division of Education of the East Timor Transitional Administration and staff from Instituto Superior Técnico of Portugal will visit all schools in East Timor and locate them on a digital map. Every school principal will complete a questionnaire, which will provide data on the physical condition of each school and the facilities available. Information on the area served by each school and the current number of students and teachers will also be compiled. This is a three months project. Interim reports will be produced at the end of each phase with the final report due in September. The school-mapping project is funded under the Trust Fund for East Timor as part of the Emergency School Readiness Project.