The United Nations Security Council mission visited the Haliwen refugee camp in Atambua, West Timor, Indonesia, today. Ambassador Martin Andjaba, the head of the delegation, said that intimidation of refugees must stop and that the leaders of East Timor “are anxious to welcome the refugees back and are ready to pursue reconciliation.”
According with the Indonesian authorities 4,800 families live in the Haliwen camp, the majority of them from four districts – Dili, Maliana, Ermera and Liquiça.
Ambassador Andjaba also said, “all stages of the return process must be carried out in safety and security.”
He noted that refugees in West Timor need to be given better information on security conditions on East Timor and added that East Timorese leaders confirmed to the delegation that “there will be security and safety for the refugees when they go back.”
Andjaba also announced that in a meeting yesterday with some members of the delegation, members of the umbrella organization of pro-autonomy parties UNTAS said that they “had renounced violence and condemned the killings of UN personnel in Atambua.”
He also said that while the TNI continued to hold meetings with UNTAET, the “Police have expressed readiness to meet with UNTAET soon in order to exchange information, including within the framework of the Joint Border Committee which will meet soon.” The Police Commissioner, he added, “will be following up on information provided by UNHCR on cases of intimidation in order to take firm action when necessary.”
The delegation also went to the UNHCR office where three staff were killed last 6 September and laid bougainvillea blossoms on the ashes. “We want to see the perpetrators of this heinous crime brought to justice,” Andjaba said.
The delegation then met with civil society and visited the Umaklaran relocation area, where 250 families are currently living.
The delegation left for Jakarta at the end of the day to meet the Indonesian authorities, the executive and legislative bodies, the diplomatic corps and NGOs tomorrow.
CABINET SUPPORTS MICRO-FINANCE AGREEMENT
The East Timor Transitional Cabinet supported today the early adoption of a micro-finance agreement under discussion between the Transitional Administration and the Asian Development Bank but requested the Economic Affairs Department to engage in further discussions.
The Cabinet wants to ensure that projects overheads are kept as low as possible and that the maximum amount of project expenditure reaches beneficiaries.
The Cabinet was also briefed by the Inspector General Mariano Lopes on his recommendations concerning the secondary teacher recruitment process. The Cabinet Member for Education Filomeno Jacob reported on the implementation of these recommendations, as well as the recommendations relating to the primary school recruitment process.
The Cabinet also discussed preparations for the Brussels donor conference in December and asked the Cabinet Member for Finance to advise the Speaker of the National Council of progress.
The Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello was requested by the Cabinet to write to other institutional employers, such as UN agencies, NGOs and international financial institutions, to seek information on wage and hiring practices in respect of their East Timorese staff.
Finally, the Cabinet recommended the approval by the Transitional Administrator of two draft regulations proposed by the Transitional Administration which have been passed by the National Council without amendment. The draft regulations concern the appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of East Timor and amendments to Regulation No. 2000/18 on East Timor’s revenue system.
