UN troops may face sex charges<\/p>\n
DILI (Reuters): Several Jordanian soldiers attached to the UN
\npeacekeeping force in East Timor might face charges over alleged
\nsexual misconduct, a spokesman said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Spokesman Peter Biro declined to give details of the
\nallegations but said an investigation had been conducted
\nfollowing an order from the chief of the UN Transitional
\nAdministration in East Timor (UNTAET), Sergio Vieira de Mello.<\/p>\n
\"The UNTAET investigation...has found strong grounds that an
\nalleged act of sexual misconduct by UN soldiers occurred in
\nOecussi on the night of the 27th and 28th of May,\" Biro said,
\nreferring to a small coastal enclave that is part of Indonesian
\nWest Timor.<\/p>\n
Biro said the UN inquiry would be followed by a separate
\ninvestigation by East Timor's Prosecutor-General's office --
\naction that could lead to formal charges against the Jordanians.<\/p>\n
East Timor is under UN administration after voting to break
\nfrom Indonesian rule in 1999, a move that triggered a savage
\nresponse from pro-Jakarta militias. It will hold parliamentary
\nelections this month ahead of full independence early in 2002.<\/p>\n
The Jordanian peacekeeping contingent was deployed to Oecussi
\nearly last year, an enclave that was part of East Timor during
\nJakarta's often harsh 23-year rule.<\/p>\n
Other UN contingents have also been embroiled in controversy.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, two members of the Pakistan army engineer
\nbattalion based in southwest Suai were sent home in disgrace
\nafter being found guilty of \"inappropriate behavior\" involving
\nEast Timorese women.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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