Dili, 19 January 2001
UNTAET SRSG MEETS WEST TIMOR's MILITARY COMMANDER

SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello will meet the new Udayana (Bali and West Timor) Commander Williem da Costa for the first time on 23 January at Denpasar airport, Indonesia. UNTAET Force Commander Lt. General Boonsrang Niumpradit and Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran will be accompanying the SRSG. The meeting follows last year’s invitation of the Commander by SRSG. Following the meeting, SRSG will travel to New York, where he is scheduled to brief the United Nations Security Council on Friday, 26 January. Mr. José Ramos-Horta, Cabinet Member for Foreign Affairs, will also brief the Council.

THREE SUSPECTS HEARD IN SERIOUS CRIMES CASES

Three preliminary hearings of persons suspected of committing serious crimes in East Timor took place yesterday, 18 January, at the Dili District Court. A former member of the Laksaur militia stood before the court accused of murdering a person in Suai district on 26 September 1999, as well as having participated in the murder of three people on 25 September 1999. The preliminary hearing into the case continues on 25 January. In the second case to be heard, it was decided that a former Dadurus Merah Putih (Red White Tornado) militia member, who admitted to a murder in Bobonaro district on 8 September 1999, would receive his sentence on 25 January. The suspect is facing 20 years in jail under Indonesian penal code, but since the suspect has agreed to cooperate in future investigations into crimes committed in Bobonaro district, the prosecution recommended a minimum of ten years in jail.

Finally, the court heard the case of a 36-year old man suspected of committing, aiding or otherwise assisting in the murder of a man in Asulau village, Ermera district, on 28 May 1999. The case will be heard again on 30 January. In related news, Stuart Alford from the United Kingdom was sworn in as a Prosecutor for the Serious Crimes Investigation Unit by SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello today. Mr. Alford has worked for eight years as a barrister in London. The Serious Crimes Unit now has four prosecutors, one of them East Timorese.

MEETINGS ON REFUGEES IN WEST TIMOR

An UNTAET delegation led by Chief of Staff N. Parameswaran, met with senior Indonesian Government and army officials in Kupang yesterday and today to discuss the refugee problem and possible returns. The Indonesian officials, including West Timor Governor Piet Tallo, Udayana Commander Williem da Costa, and the Head of the Indonesia-based refugee organization Task Force for the Settlement of the East Timorese Refugee Issue in East Nusa Tenggara, Yusuf Basyiruddin, expressed strong support for the speedy return of the refugees. Meanwhile, a group of 80 refugees left Kupang by boat this afternoon for another “come and see visit” to East Timor. The visit is organized by UNTAET, the International Organization for Migration and UNHCR.

CONSULTATIONS ON PROPOSED LABOR REGULATIONS

Tripartite consultations on the proposed labor regulations of East Timor will take place with workers, employers and UNTAET next week, starting on 22 January. The proposed labor regulations will cover termination of employment, employment and labor administration, minimum wage fixing, labor relations, vocational and traineeship, and occupational safety and health. The consultation meetings are organized by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Division of Labor and Social Services at the Department of Social Affairs of the East Timor Transitional Administration. The draft regulations will be submitted to the Cabinet Member for Social Affairs, Father Filomeno Jacob, on 26 January.