The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today endorsed an international inquiry into alleged human rights violations in East Timor.
The Council voted 27-10, with 11 abstentions, in support of a resolution by the Geneva-based UN Commission on Human Rights to send experts to gather information on possible violations committed in East Timor since the decision in January 1999 to hold a popular vote on the territory's future.
ECOSOC's decision called for an adequate representation of Asian experts on the inquiry panel, which will carry out its work in cooperation with the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights as well as the UN Commission's thematic rapporteurs.
By a related provision in the text, ECOSOC noted the Human Rights Commission's decision to request that the Special Rapporteurs on executions, torture and violence against women, the Secretary-General's Representative on internally displaced persons; as well as the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, all carry out missions to East Timor and report on their findings to the Commission at its fifty-sixth session, and on an interim basis, to the General Assembly at its current session.
The Council also requested UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson to prepare a comprehensive programme of technical cooperation in human rights, in cooperation with other UN activities, focussing especially on capacity-building and reconciliation with a view to a durable solution to the problems in East Timor.
Meanwhile in East Timor, more than 8,000 refugees have headed home in the last three days as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) opened new land and sea routes from West Timor. Monday's returnees included 1,200 people who joined the first UNHCR convoy from Wini to the East Timor enclave of Ambeno, in north-central West Timor. Another 360 people boarded the first ferry from Wini that sailed east to Liquica.
However, militias continue to frustrate UNHCR efforts to repatriate the 7,000 people at the Noelbaki camp. Only 16 refugees left for repatriation despite the presence over the weekend of Indonesian troops to secure UNHCR staff and returnees.
On Monday, militias released two refugees captured yesterday at the Babometo area near Ambeno. The two refugees were seized after the International Force in East Timor last week detained in Ambeno an Indonesian driver who is a brother of a militia commander. The driver was held for questioning for 24 hours and subsequently released.
