- A forensic team has exhumed 15 bodies and found the incomplete remains of five others at a gravesite in the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi in West Timor, a UN spokesman said today in New York.
At the mass grave in the town of Passabe, the team expects to find between 50 to 60 bodies at the 29 sites marked for excavation. Although the graves were found in December 1999, work could not begin until recently due to the rainy season and problems of access.
Two forensic experts from Australia are working with a team of about 20 people from the United Nations Civilian Police, the International Military Force (INTERFET), human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and East Timorese, the spokesman said.
The team expects to complete its work by next Monday, when the bodies will be brought to a new morgue in Dili.
