East Timor observes truce for immunization

JAKARTA (JP): Despite continuing violence in East Timor, warring factions have been quietly observing a little-known "truce" over the past week to allow thousands of children to be immunized against deadly diseases.

The factions are supporting "weeks of tranquility" under a Truce for Children campaign being held by the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef), so that children can be immunized against tuberculosis, measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus.

In a statement released on Saturday, Unicef said the program would last five months.

The immunization sites are also giving health care to pregnant women and food supplements for children aged 6 months to 12 months old to improve their nutritional status.

During the first week of the program, which ended on Friday, 270 medical workers targeted 30,000 children in 114 villages, where immunization coverage levels have fallen dangerously low in recent months because of security concerns. Unicef staff reported a huge turnout without security incidents during the program.

Dozen of people have been killed in ongoing conflicts between prointegration and proindependence factions since the government announced in January it would let go of East Timor if wide- ranging autonomy talks faltered. Thousands have also sought refuge.

Some 400,000 people in the former Portuguese colony will vote in late August for either independence or acceptance to the autonomy option, under auspices of the UN.

A 20-day nationwide voter registration period for the direct ballot kicked off on Friday, except for in four registration centers in Covalima, 100 kilometers northwest of East Timor's capital Dili, following clashes between two warring factions.

Some 200 registration centers were closed on Saturday as prointegrationists celebrated the 23rd anniversary of East Timor's association with Indonesia.

As part of the celebrations, the provincial administration donated on Sunday 6,550 kilograms of rice for 495 refugees from remote villages in Ainaro, Bobonaro and Manufahi regencies sheltering in Dili.

Head of the West Dili district, Clementino C. Branco, who represented the provincial government, said "We donate to anyone, no matter what faction they support. In our mind, they are East Timorese who need immediate assistance," reported Antara.

Branco said the people fled their homes because of intimidation from both proindependence and prointegration militias.

He said the refugees were expected to return home next week to register for the August vote.

Regarding the issue of refugees, the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) spokesman David Wimhurst said on Saturday that the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) might be involved in dealing with displaced people.

Wimhurst said the issue was discussed on Tuesday last week between UNAMET, the Indonesian Task Force, UNHCR, the International Commission for the Red Cross, Unicef and UN Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs.

"It was agreed that this (refugee) was a serious problem and that the ideal solution is to get these people back where they came from," Wimhurst said.

He said it was better for the refugees return home, due to a UN ruling that people will only be allowed to vote where they register.

Meanwhile in Bali's capital Denpasar, as of Saturday, no East Timorese living there have turned up for registration.

An International Organization for Migration (IOM) staffer, John Landry, told The Jakarta Post several East Timorese had come to the registration center, which is situated near the gubernatorial office in Niti Mandala subdistrict, only to ask for information on the procedures of the vote registration.

Landry said the number of East Timorese in Bali is unknown.

Another IOM staff member, Marilyn Moisan, said "But based on data from students, the government, the military and police, we estimate it at between 200 and 2,000."

"There is a possibility that many East Timorese students have left Bali for home to register and cast their votes" she said.

There are four personnel posted in the IOM Denpasar office, plus two interpreters who speak Indonesia, English, Portuguese, and the East Timor dialect Tetum.

Apart from Denpasar, the IOM has opened registration centers in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Ujungpandang.(amd)