26 February 2001 -- Soldiers from the United Nations peacekeeping operation in East Timor clashed with two suspected militia members near the border with West Timor, Indonesia, the UN said today in Dili.
The incident took place on Friday night when troops from an Australian battalion, on patrol some six kilometres east of the town of Bilbao, encountered two suspected militia, one of whom was identified as armed with a rifle, according to the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). When challenged, the armed man raised his weapon to fire, prompting the UN soldiers fire in self-defence. There were no casualties.
The Acting Force Commander Major-General Mike Smith praised the vigilance of the UN troops maintaining security in the border region under difficult conditions and reaffirmed the peacekeeping force's determination to keep the people of East Timor safe from harm. "As long as the militia threat remains we must continue to be strong and will react swiftly and robustly to any threat," he said.
In other news, the East Timor Civil Registry today started a five-day civil registration pilot project in Atauro island, off the coast of Dili, in preparation for the launching of the national registration in mid-March. Four registration sites were set up on the island, where eight teams were deployed, each consisting of one international and two East Timorese registration officers. Information will be gathered to issue identity cards to people above the age of 16 and to gather all necessary data on eligible voters for the upcoming election.
With a population of approximately 7,500 people spread around remote villages, Atauro was chosen because the island provides a good sample in terms of East Timor's geography, infrastructure and population density.
Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, arrived in Dili today for meetings with UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira de Mello and other senior UN officials in East Timor.
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