ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH TOLL RISES TO THIRTEEN

The death toll from yesterday's road accident has risen to 13 after four of the critically injured died overnight in hospital in the capital Dili.

The accident occurred some 40 kilometers east of Dili as a minibus collided with a truck belonging to the UN Philippine Peacekeeping contingent. Nine passengers remain in Dili hospital with critical injuries. Five passengers from the minibus suffered minor injuries. The Peacekeepers sustained no injuries.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident," the Commander of the Philippine contingent Colonel Allan Bontuyan said today. "On behalf of the Philippine contingent I would like to express our deepest sympathy to the survivors and the families of the victims."

An investigation into the accident is now underway, but initial reports indicate that the minbus may have veered off the road and toppled into a ravine after colliding with the oncoming truck.

DONORS SHOW SUPPORT FOR RECONCILIATION COMMISSION

A wide range of international donors have pledged or already committed resources to fund the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, whose Selection Panel is currently searching for Commissioners to help foster the reconciliation process in East Timor.

Representatives of missions and donor agencies from Japan, Australia, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, among others, yesterday met with members of the Commission's Interim Office in Dili to discuss a funding proposal put to donors last week.

A total of US $3.8 million is sought for the Commission for the duration of its life, which is expected to be 2-3 years. Yesterday's discussion focused on a request for start up funds of US $1.4 million which will be used for the Interim Office's immediate priorities, which include salaries for Commissioners, the repair and equipping of offices, the employment and training of senior staff, and community education.

A Selection Panel for the Commission is in the process of consulting with communities throughout East Timor on who should be nominated to sit on the Commission. The panel is soliciting nominations for 5-7 national commission posts and 25-30 district commission posts, and is scheduled to visit each of East Timor's 13 districts before the October 31 nomination deadline.

The Commission will ultimately undertake two primary functions. It will establish a truth-seeking function inquiring into the pattern of human rights violations committed

within the context of the political conflicts in East Timor between 1974-1999. The Commission will also create a community reconciliation body to facilitate agreements between local communities and the perpetrators of non-serious crimes and non-criminal acts committed over the same period.

EAST TIMORESE GRADUATE FROM ELECTION COURSE

Seventy-one East Timorese today graduated from a month-long course in running an Election Management Board tasked with overseeing future elections.

The graduates worked with international counterparts on the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections and are expected to form the core group of any future electoral authority.

The comprehensive course, designed by the Independent Electoral Commission and the Australian Electoral Commission, included instruction in staff management, designing work plans, and methods of staging a voter education campaign. The course has been funded by the United Nations and the Australian aid agency AusAID.

Armindo Maia, the Minister for Education, Culture and Youth, this evening presented the graduates with certificates at a ceremony held in Dili.

"The preparation of possible elections next year involving all of you here is part of an historic process, since it is the first time that the United Nations is organising elections with so much reliance on national staff in positions of responsibility," the SRSG Sergio Vieira Mello said in a speech at the ceremony.

"This is a reflection of the outstanding work you have carried out in the past few months during the conduct of the Constituent Assembly election. Whether you work at the IEC Headquarters or in the Districts, we trust that the new skills and understanding you developed through this course and the team spirit and friendships engendered here will help contribute to ensuring free, fair and credible elections continue to take place in the future," the SRSG added.

FALINTIL REINSERTION PROGRAM IN FINAL PHASE

More than 900 ex-Falintil troops have so far benefited from 700 projects initiated by the Falintil Reinsertion Assistance Programme (FRAP), which helps former Falintil members reintegrate into civilian life.

The program is helping some 1,300 ex-soldiers nationwide establish sustainable livelihoods by providing each veteran with five US$100 cash outlays over a period of six months to meet basic family needs. The program further assists the beneficiaries with a reintegration package to start income-generating activities in the areas of farming, small business or through vocational training.

Twelve Timorese veteran officers selected from among the ex-Falintil soldiers are working closely with the beneficiaries under the supervision of program officers from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The program is being implemented by the IOM and guided by a steering committee, the Commission for the Reinsertion of Falintil Veterans. The Commission, which is chaired by UNTAET's National Security Advisor, includes representatives from IOM, the East Timor Defence Force, the Peacekeeping Force, the World Bank and USAID/Office for Transitional Initiatives.

The majority of the projects submitted by FRAP beneficiaries fall into the categories of livestock raising, agricultural equipment, and micro-enterprise. Beneficiaries can undertake their project individually or as a group. Examples of FRAP initiatives include coffee trading ventures in Ermera; a carpentry businesses in Bobonaro; a transport business in Suai; and training at the Brazilian Vocational Training Centre in Dili.

The program, which began in January 2001 and runs until December 2001, is funded by USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives, the World Bank and the Government of Japan.