UNTAET SRSG PAYS TRIBUTE TO FALINTIL AT TRANSITION CEREMONY

At a ceremony in Aileu marking the transition of Falintil into the East Timor Defence Force today, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello appointed Falintil Commander Taur Matan Ruak as the Commander-in-Chief of the Force, with the rank of Brigadier-General. In a speech to Falintil members and guests, SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello expressed his deepest respect for the independence fighters and their 25-year old struggle. “Armed with little beyond moral courage and despite hunger, deprivation and innumerable setbacks, Falintil prevailed over a massive occupying force,” the SRSG said, adding that the memory of the fighters will live on forever in the history of East Timor. “Let me assure you, the heroes of the Falintil, that this occasion in no way represents the end of Falintil. Falintil’s role in the fight for freedom will never be forgotten by the people of East Timor with whom you struggled,” he said. The UNTAET SRSG announced that a Falintil Veterans Association, which will inherit the name and symbols of Falintil, would be established with immediate effect. The Transitional Administration will also draw up a legislation to ensure that no one else will claim or use of Falintil’s symbols. The historic day, attended by Falintil Commander Taur Matan Ruak, CNRT President Xanana Gusmão, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo and Force Commander Boonsrang Niumpradit among others, started with a Mass in memory of fallen Falintil soldiers, followed by the lowering of the Falintil flag and raising of the United Nations flag.

FACT SHEET: TRANSITION OF FALINTIL INTO
THE EAST TIMOR DEFENCE FORCE

• On 12 September, the East Timor Transitional Cabinet approved the establishment of a National Defence Force based on one of three options put forward in the Independent Study on a Security Force for East Timor conducted last August by the Centre for Defence Studies of the King’s College of London.
  
• The new Defence Force will consist of a light infantry force of 1,500 regulars with a phased approach to reach that number over three years, and 1,500 reservists, with Falintil as the core of the force. The framework of the new force has been approved by the CNRT, Falintil and the East Timor Transitional Cabinet. The first battalion will be composed entirely of Falintil. The recruitment and selection process was completed on 28 January. Six hundred and fifty Falintil members have been selected for the first battalion. For the next battalion, recruitment will be open to all Timorese above the age of 18, including women.
  
• The mission of the Defence Force is to provide for the military defence of East Timor, its people and territory, by stopping militia incursions and deterring aggressors. In addition, it would provide assistance during natural disasters and other emergencies.
  
• At an international conference with 12 donor countries last November, Portugal and Australia committed themselves to act as lead nations in the provision of initial training of the future East Timor Defence Force.
  
• The training of the first batch of 250 former Falintil members is due to start on the first week of February in Aileu. The basic training will take 12 weeks and will be conducted by Portugal. Specialist training will be conducted by Australia. The objective is to have one battalion equipped and trained by the time of East Timor’s independence.
  
• The Defence Force will be subordinated to the civil authority. For the duration of UNTAET’s mandate, the Transitional Administrator will have command and control of the defence force, the authority to appoint and dismiss the Chief of the Defence Force and to appoint its officers.
  
• The current Falintil weapons will be stored under Falintil guard and are expected to be put on display in a future resistance museum. For the training, donated weapons will be used.
  
• A World Bank and USAID funded program, the Falintil Reinsertion Assistance Programme, was launched last month to help former Falintil fighters who will not take part in the new Defence Force to settle back into civilian life and to resume or start an activity that will enable them to support themselves and their families. The program is implemented by the International Organization for Migration and will be supervised by UNTAET.
  
• The Office of Defence Force Development (ODFD) within ETTA will oversee and coordinate all activities related to the development of the Defence Force as well as bilateral and multilateral relations.
  
• The United Nations Peacekeeping Force will be responsible for the defence and security of East Timor until independence, after which arrangements will be made by the new Government and the UN for safeguarding the county’s security, until the East Timor Defence Force is in a position to do so.

CABINET ENDORSES REGULATION OF FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES

The East Timor Transitional Cabinet today endorsed a proposal to regulate the possession, import, export, purchase and sale of firearms, ammunition and explosives. The regime will be restrictive, building upon the currently applicable law. It will make it a crime for persons who have not received a licence to possess or use firearms, ammunition or explosives in East Timor. The Cabinet will consider the draft regulation at its next meeting, before transmitting it to the National Council for its consideration. The Cabinet also recommended the issuing of an Executive Order by the Transitional Administrator setting out interim procedures to settle disputes arising from the termination of labour contracts. These procedures are necessary to provide for arbitration allowed under labour law currently applicable in East Timor. The interim system will establish a National Committee for Arbitration of Labour Disputes. As called for under currently applicable law, workers and employers may first attempt to resolve disputes bilaterally, then resort to mediation, and if these steps fail, resort to an Arbitration Committee. The Executive Order will provide that last step and will be in place until such time as a comprehensive package of labour regulations is submitted to the National Council, for it consideration. In addition, the Cabinet agreed to the proposed employment of East Timorese civilian personnel within the Office of Defence Force Development. The Cabinet further heard a presentation on the outcomes of last week’s ETTA/ILO tripartite consultations on proposed labour regulations. Finally, the Cabinet was briefed by Dr. Arthur Hanson of the International Institute of Sustainable Development on sustainable development in East Timor.