East Timor soldiers receive non-military training from UN peacekeepers
1 August -- East Timorese soldiers from Falintil, the National Liberation Armed Forces of East Timor, have begun a non-military training programme set up by peacekeepers from the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET).
The 82 Timorese soldiers, who arrived yesterday at the headquarters of the Portuguese Peacekeeping Force in Maubisse, are receiving instruction in environmental protection, first aid, communication techniques, computer and language training, and physical training, UNTAET said.
Within the programme, which was designed by UNTAET peacekeepers in close cooperation with Falintil, groups of up to 80 volunteers will go through three training periods of two weeks each, and receive a diploma at the course's completion, the UN Mission said, adding that the initiative was run by the Portuguese Battalion.
In other news, a UN spokesman said today that Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, would visit East Timor for three days beginning 5 August. During her stay, the High Commissioner will meet with high-level officials, including UNTAET chief Sergio Vieira de Mello, and will deliver on Monday the keynote speech at a human rights workshop organized jointly by UNTAET and the East Timor Lawyers Association.
