Dili, 16 February 2000
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to arrive in East Timor on Thursday.He is to arrive at Dili airport around midday. At the airport, he will have a private meeting with SRSG Vieira de Mello and the President of CNRT, Xanana Gusmao, before leaving to Liquica (west of Dili.)
Liquica is one of the places where people suffered profoundly as a result of militia violence. In April 1999, the Besi Merah Putih attacked the church compound. At least fifty people are believed to have been killed. In July, the same militia group attacked a humanitarian convoy. The convoy of East Timorese NGOs accompanied by UNAMET and UNHCR was the first to come to the region in four months. About 20 of the 60 people travelling in the convoy were injured. In September, militiamen shot and injured an UNAMET Civpol in the vicinity of Liquica church.
During the SG return flight to Dili, he will fly over some areas that suffered extensive destruction during the September violence. Upon arrival in Dili, he will attend a special session of the National Consultative Council (NCC) and meet East Timorese leaders who are not members of the NCC. He will also meet UN senior staff, and later will address the staff of UNTAET and NGO representatives.
The Secretary-General has also a meeting with INTERFET Commander, Major General Peter Cosgrove and Force Commander of UNTAET Peacekeeping Force, Lieutenant General, Jaime De Los Santos.
After these meetings, the SG will join Mrs. Annan in a meeting with East Timorese women’s group.
Mrs. Annan will accompany the Secretary-General on his trip to Liquica and upon returning to Dili she will visit two East Timorese NGO projects in addition to the meeting with Timorese women’s leaders.
Later in the evening, they are going to attend a reception hosted by the SRSG, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
UNTAET launches Newsletter, currency brochure
The first issue of Tais Timor is out. Tais Timor is a bi-weekly public information service published by UNTAET in four different languages. Thirty thousand were printed in Tetum, ten thousand in Indonesian and five thousand each in Portuguese and English.
The newsletter focuses on East Timor’s preparation for independence and the international community’s assistance in rebuilding the country.
A brochure explaining the new official currency is also out. It is also published in four languages: Tetum, Indonesian, Portuguese and English. The brochure answers the common questions regarding the use of the US Dollar as the official currency. It will be followed up with a poster campaign to familiarize the population with the actual bills and coins.
