Dili, 15 February 2000
Oecussi under control of UNTAET Peacekeeping Force
INTERFET today handed over the command of Oecussi enclave to UNTAET Peacekeeping Force.
In the handover ceremony an INTERFET flag was lowered and the flag of the UN raised, and the soldiers changed their army headgear for blue berets. Lt. Colonel Peter Singh, from Australia, passed on the control to the new commander, Col. Farjat, from Jordan.
“We are here to help the people of Oecussi and to help them. We’ll do our best,” said Colonel Farjat.
“I would like to inform you that you are now members of the United Nations,” said General Jaime de los Santos, Force Commander of UNTAET PKF to the Jordanian troops. “I know that the responsibility is very awesome and very great. But I am confident that you will prove equal to the challenge because you were personally chosen by your country and by your king.” Health seminar held in Dili.
An UNTAET-organized seminar on health services in East Timor started today in Dili with the participation by Timorese and international health professionals working in East Timor.
The seminar is envisaged to produce an assessment of the current situation in health services in the territory and identify the improvements needed.
The representatives of the Timorese and international NGOs that provide health services in East Timor, along with the UNTAET’s social services department, District Administration and UNTAET Peacekeeping Force, discussed information sharing and coordination in planning in health services.
The research conducted during the last four weeks by a mixed working group of Timorese doctors and experts from WHO, Unicef, UNFPA and Medecins Sans Frontiers, identified 105 medical facilities providing health services to East Timorese. According to the data presented today, there are pressing needs for drugs, equipment and qualified professionals.
The seminar is to continue tomorrow when the documents on the assessment of the current situation in health services and the recommendations for immediate improvements are to be adopted.
CIVPOL – new arrivals
Total number of UNTAET CIVPOL officers deployed in East Timor climbed to 565 with the arrivals of 39 Portuguese, 36 Australian, 20 Jordanian, and six Egyptian policemen over the last three days. The newly arrived officers were assigned to their duties throughout East Timor.
