Subject: PUB: UNAMET’s almost impossible
mission
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 10:30:51 -0400
From: Comissão para os Direitos do Povo Maubere <cdpm@esoterica.pt>Source:
Publico Date : 3 June 99 Dateline : Dili Byline: Luciano Alvarez ** Original Language:
Portuguese Scope: ABRIDGED Headline : UNAMET’s almost impossible mission
** Luciano Alvarez is Publico’s special envoy to East Timor for the run-up to the
8 August ballot
"Never has the UN undertaken a mission of this kind in such little time. We are
all highly determined to make it, but this is an almost impossible mission", said a
leading member of UNAMET yesterday, dismissing the idea that the date for holding the
referendum could be postponed. …. "Security … During its travels around the
territory, UNAMET discovered a terrorized Timorese population, and believes that even for
the census, getting people to register is going to be a problem. The UN team has heard the
same warning time and time again: if soldiers and policemen are not sitting beside the UN
officials at the 200 Registration Posts, most of the Timorese population will not go near
them to register (their names for the voting lists).
Publico learned from a UN member that the organisation is not able to place UN
personnel in all the locations (it had been thought that in most of the registration posts
there would only be local people hired for the purpose), and the possibility of reducing
the number of posts is being considered." …. "Setting up Registration Posts
…"… but the problem is that most of them are buildings belonging to either
the State or the Church, which therefore cannot be used. The absence of suitable
independent premises is one of the biggest problems." …"Accommodation for
UN personnel The three main hotels in Dili have been reserved for the UN for some time
now. Every time a room becomes vacant it is immediately occupied by UNAMET, which is also
looking for houses to rent. So far, there are only 50 members of the mission in Dili, and
the accommodation problem is already serious."… "The entire
"staff" will comprise a 241 member international UN team, 420 volunteers and 280
police. If the problem is serious in Dili, then outside the capital it is desperate. There
are no hotels, no houses to rent, and the Church has already let it be known that it
cannot provide any of its premises for more than 2 or 3 days, never mind long-term. …
tents and pre-fabricated houses are one solution but the arrival of personnel would then
depend on the erection of all that equipment, and that could take two or three
weeks."…
"Roads and Communications.. The impassable roads and lack of access to mountainous
areas where there are small towns and many refugees, are giving UNAMET personnel a real
headache. "…
"Information campaign The public information programme will involve local
newspapers, TV and local and international radio programmes that can be picked up in East
Timor. The campaign is still being studied by UNAMET, that intends for it to be very
carefully prepared and to reach the entire population. "A campaign of this kind
requires at least 6 months’ preparation, and we only have 2 months", one of
UNAMET’s information staff told Publico. "We have to get to know the people we
are addressing and speak their language so as not to make any mistakes. In two months it
is almost impossible to organise a proper campaign", he added. … Dates have
still not been set for the commencement of the information campaign, a key instrument in
which will be the "Voz de Timor" (Voice of Timor) daily newspaper with a
circulation of 7,000, although it is not distributed to most of the territory."…
"Hiring local help The UN will be hiring about 4,000 Timorese to help prepare and
implement the consultation. So far, not even 50 have been hired and complaints are already
coming in, with those in favour of autonomy (within Indonesia) claiming that the UN is
only hiring people in favour of independence."…
"Indonesian authorities’ obstruction Every day, the Indonesian authorities
find some new way of sabotaging our work – the helicopter "cannot" fly, the
police escort is "not available", the information "does not exist",
the local police chief "is not in", the suitcases "must be opened and
searched". The Police are being particularly difficult, and they are the ones who are
supposed to be responsible for ensuring security throughout the process. Many voices
within UNAMET are beginning to say that these obstacles are intentional and are aimed at
taking away credibility from the process. So far, there is no actual proof, but the
problems are occurring on a daily basis..." …
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