The National Consultative Council today approved a Regulation on Transitional Rules of Criminal Procedure for East Timor. However, where there are gaps in this new code, the Indonesian Code of Criminal Procedure remains in force, as long as those laws are not in conflict with internationally recognized principles.
SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello will sign the regulation in the coming days.
The draft of the Transitional Rules of Criminal Procedure was under consultation for months, followed by two public hearings in August and September.
The Council was also briefed by the SRSG on his recent talks in Denpasar and Jakarta with the Indonesian authorities and US Defense Secretary William Cohen.
Finally, Deputy Transitional Administrator Jean-Christian Cady briefed the Council on the Cabinet decision to establish the future East Timorese national defense force based on Option III of the King’s College independent study.
HUMANITARIAN AID WORKERS CALL FOR SAFETY
Some 200 United Nations and NGO staff marched in Dili today to raise awareness about violence against humanitarian aid workers.
The participants presented SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello with a letter expressing their deep concern about the increase in violent attacks against aid workers. They called upon the SRSG to take determined measures to ensure physical security of UN staff in East Timor and to encourage the future Government of East Timor to sign, ratify and renew their commitment of the 1994 Convention on Safety of UN and Associated Personnel.
Sergio Vieira de Mello express his sadness and outrage and pledged to disseminate the letter to the members of the East Timor Transitional Cabinet, United Nations Headquarters in New York and UNTAET staff.
Today’s march was part of a worldwide event. Over 200 civilian staff members have been killed and 228 taken hostage or kidnapped in the past eight years.
