East Timor prone to unrest: UN<\/p>\n
UNITED NATIONS (AP): The United Nations raised alarm Friday at
\nthe potential for social unrest in East Timor because of
\nwidespread unemployment, high food prices and frayed social
\nservices in the aftermath of the territory's vote for
\nindependence.<\/p>\n
To try to counter the risk, Secretary-General Kofi Annan
\nrecommended that the UN transitional administration in East
\nTimor, or UNTAET, make creating jobs and beefing up East Timor's
\ndestroyed infrastructure a priority.<\/p>\n
\"The East Timorese have received UNTAET with a great deal of
\ngoodwill and very high expectations as the embodiment of the
\ninternational community's promise of support,\" Annan wrote in a
\nreport to the Security Council. \"However, they are in desperate
\nstraits and are understandably impatient for UNTAET to deliver on
\nthis promise.\"<\/p>\n
East Timor's people voted overwhelmingly in a UN-organized
\nballot Aug. 30 to separate from Indonesia, which invaded the
\nformer Portuguese colony in 1975 and annexed it a year later.<\/p>\n
Indonesian-backed militias went on a weeks-long killing and
\nlooting rampage to protest the results, destroying large parts of
\nthe territory and driving tens of thousands of East Timorese into
\nneighboring, Indonesian-controlled West Timor.<\/p>\n
The United Nations estimates there are still nearly 100,000
\npeople in refugee camps set up in West Timor, where the pro-
\nIndonesian militias continue to operate, harassing and
\nintimidating the refugees. While the United Nations has urged the
\nrefugees return home, UN officials privately say they understand
\ntheir unwillingness to do so since conditions in East Timor are
\nscarcely better and in some cases worse than those in the camps.<\/p>\n
In his report, Annan said the United Nations mission, which
\nhas been running the territory for three months, had established
\nthe basic elements of an administrative structure in East Timor
\nand is trying to coordinate humanitarian relief efforts.<\/p>\n
But the effects of the systematic destruction of the
\nterritory, particularly in civil and public services, would
\ncontinue to be a serious obstacle to progress, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, widespread unemployment and the disruption of the
\neducation system and other social and public services, combined
\nwith the very high prices of food and other daily necessities,
\nbear the potential for serious social problems,\" he wrote.<\/p>\n
In addition to trying to create more jobs, expanding trade
\nwill be an important step in increasing supply and lowering
\nprices of basic goods, Annan said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/east-timor-prone-to-unrest-un-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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