OECUSSI CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY INDICTMENT FILED

An indictment against eleven persons containing charges of Crimes Against Humanity in the Oecussi enclave was filed today by UNTAET's Prosecutor General.

Nine of the accused were members of the Sakunar (Scorpion) militia, a pro-autonomy militia group "set up, trained, equipped and directed by the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI)," according to the indictment. The two other accused were TNI sergeants in Oecussi's Passabe sub-district.

The suspects are accused of extermination, murders, inhumane acts, persecution, imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty, and the deportation or forcible transfer of population in different places in Oecussi district between April and October 1999.

The Prosecutor General's indictment also states that all the alleged criminal acts took place as part of an "orchestrated campaign of violence and crimes committed in East Timor in 1999."

The accused are the Supreme Commander of Sakunar militia Simão Lopes, Sakunar Commander Laurentino Soares alias Moko, Sakunar Commander and Passabe village Chief Gabriel Kolo, TNI sergeant and Commander in Passabe sub-district Anton Sabraka and TNI sergeant in Passabe village Andre Ulan.

Sakunar members Florenço Tacaqui, Bonifácio Bobo alias Bone, Tomas Bubun, Elvis Popes, Domingos Obe, and Júlio da Costa are also indicted.

All suspects remain at large, except for Florenço Tacaqui, who is held in Becora prison in Dili.

The suspects are accused of the imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of 43 individuals at the police station in Passabe sub-district between 18 and 24 April 1999; inhumane acts committed against an individual on 9 August 1999, in Pope sub-village, Abani village, Passabe sub-district; the murder of 18 men, other inhumane acts and the forcible transfer of several hundred people on 8 and 9 September 1999 in the villages of Nibin, Tumin and Kiobiselo; the extermination of forty-seven men from the village of Tumin and other inhumane acts committed on 10 September 1999 at Nifu Panef, near Passabe village; and several acts of persecution committed between April and October in Oecussi District.

In the indictment the Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes Jean-Louis Gilissen requests that the Special Panel for Serious Crimes in Dili try the case expeditiously.

SPANISH DELEGATION OFFERS SUPPORT TO EAST TIMOR

The Government of Spain has offered to support the East Timor Transitional Government with training programs for Timorese diplomats at the Spanish Diplomatic School. Spain has also offered assistance to the new Constituent Assembly, which is now in the process of drafting the Constitution.

Deputy Director General for South East and Pacific Affairs of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Montealegre Buire, and Deputy Director General for International Cooperation, Francisco Javier Jimenez de Gregório, arrived in Dili yesterday for a three-day visit to East Timor.

The delegation is also exploring other possible Spanish cooperation projects in East Timor.

Upon their arrival, the delegation met SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello, the two new Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Fernando de Araújo and Jorge Conceição Teme, UNTAET's Director of Donor Coordination and European Commission representatives, among others. The delegation leaves tomorrow.

HEALTH MINISTER EXPRESSES GRATITUDE FOR NGO SUPPORT

On behalf of the people of East Timor, Health Minister Dr. Rui Maria Araújo today expressed his "sincere gratitude and profound appreciation" for the support provided to the health sector by a number of NGOs, which are about to leave the country.

Five NGOs - Oikos from Portugal, World Vision International, Timor Aid, Medicins du Monde-France and Assistência Médica Internacional-Portugal - will withdraw their support to the district health services at the end of September in a first phase of a gradual hand-over of responsibility to the East Timorese Ministry of Health. By the end of January next year, all health NGOs operating in the districts are expected to have repatriated.

Speaking at a ceremony in Dili today, Dr. Rui Maria Araújo said that the emergency phase is over and that East Timor's health service must take responsibilities in the current development phase.

"We have to rely more on the resources available in East Timor," the Minister said. "But some expert support may still be needed to complement the services that the government provides."

In the process of moving towards full independence, control of the health system by East Timorese health professionals is considered a Government priority.

NGOs have been supporting the implementation of district health plans in all districts. These plans include services to be provided through a network of 64 community health centres, 88 health posts and 117 mobile clinics. Not all of the health posts and mobile clinics are yet functioning.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) handed over the operational responsibility and management of the Dili National Hospital to the East Timor Transitional Administration in June 2001. The District Health Service is assisted in this task by Cordaid, a Dutch NGO.

In June 2001 the first 17 East Timorese Senior Civil Servants of the Division of Health Services were sworn-in by SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello. An additional 64 senior-level East Timorese have been recruited to senior management and clinical positions in the health services, including as Heads of District Health Services in each of the districts.