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PEACEKEEPING FORCE APPEALS TO MILITIA GROUP
Today, the PKF launched an operation in the Same-Alas area in Manufahi district aimed at making contact with a group of approximately 30 militia members whom the PKF believes want to resettle in the area.
One thousand leaflets were airdropped in the area, appealing to the militia to enter into negotiations.
UNTAET is not offering an amnesty should it become evident that members of this militia group were involved in serious crimes last year.
Seventy additional Portuguese troops were flown to the area this morning to carry out the task.
On the ground, the soldiers also distributed leaflets, which ask the militia to make contact through the church or Falintil.
Members of the armed group had earlier contacted a local priest and indicated that they wanted to return to live in their villages in the area.
The leaflet tells the group that PKF is in East Timor to help them and does not want to shoot or harm anyone. It also offers to provide the militia and their families with food and medicine, assistance with resettlement, and guarantees for their safety, once they hand over the weapons.
FIRST PHASE OF DIPLOMATIC COURSE ENDS
Six diplomatic internship programmes have been organized and will be attended by more than 30 of the 50 Timorese who have completed East Timor’s first diplomatic training course.
The countries which are sponsoring the internships are: the United Kingdom, Portugal, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brazil and Japan, and most of the students will be receiving training in these countries.
Ten students will, as an example, go to the United Kingdom Foreign Ministry, followed by a working visit to the European Commission in Brussels. Ten others will attend the Diplomatic Institute in Lisbon, Portugal, followed by an internship in various Portuguese embassies.
Other countries and organizations, such as the United States, Norway, Australia, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, have also expressed interest in sponsoring East Timorese trainees and are currently developing diplomatic programmes.
Eight East Timorese will go to Jakarta in December for internships at the ASEAN Secretariat. The programme is financed by the United Nations Development Programme.
UNTAET-SUPPORTED PRINT CONSORTIUM STARTS
The UNTAET-supported print consortium, began operations today, 29 August, with the printing of the Timor Post, one of the first Timorese newspapers to emerge after last year’s violence.
The consortium is funded by USAid/OTI with three grants totaling US$158,000 for paper, chemicals, ink, plates, machine repairs, building materials and training.
UNTAET’s Media Development Unit has been the liaison with donors, printers, trainers and publishing houses.
News Limited’s Queensland Newspapers Group donated the reproduction cameras and plate-developers.
The consortium will operate as a non-profit organization and will be independent of any political forces or the dominance of any individual publisher.
Further funding will be sought for the second phase of consortium operations involving an offset printing machine.
Eight Timorese shareholders are in the print consortium – four publishing houses and four NGOs.
DATABASE OF VOTERS OFFERED BY AUSTRALIA
The Australian Government is preparing to donate a database to the East Timor National Archives with basic information on eligible voters.
The information, originally compiled for the 30 August 1999 referendum, includes names, addresses, age and sex, and originates from the electoral cards that the Australian Electoral Commission produced and provided UNAMET last year.
The database will be digitalized and sent to the East Timor Transitional Administration on CD-ROMs.
HEALTH FACILITY IN AILEU OPENS
One of the seven health clinics, currently undergoing rehabilitation by World Vision in Maumeta village, Aileu district, started operating today, 29 August.
The opening ceremony was attended by Shigeyuki Hiroki, Director of Technical Assistance for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as well as guests from UNTAET, CNRT and local leaders.
The rehabilitation of the seven health clinics was founded by JICA under the Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) in collaboration with World Vision Japan.
Three nurses are going to work permanently at the clinic and one mobile doctor will be attached to the facility, expected to treat approximately 20 patients a day.
There are 150 functioning health facilities in the country as of June. The majority of the facilities are still in need of repair and reconstruction, and only 23 of these have patient beds. Of a total of 592 beds, half of them are in Dili.
UNTAET’s Interim Health Authority is planning to construct 25 new health centers in various sub-districts in the coming fifteen months.