Groups want East Timor voter registration extended further

JAKARTA (JP): An East Timorese and an international group have called for a further extension of the province's ballot registration period, which has already been stretched by the United Nations.

In a statement received here on Thursday, a prointegration group criticized the UN's extension of the voter registration stage of the direct ballot, saying the shorter period given to East Timorese in the province reinforced the impression that the United Nations was not acting fairly.

The UN announced on Wednesday an extension of two days, until Friday, for registration in East Timor and an extra four days, until Sunday, outside the province.

The extension followed demands from the Indonesian government, which said more time was needed because the UN had postponed the direct ballot to Aug. 30, from the initial date of Aug. 8. Security concerns had led to the postponement.

In an open letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice wrote: "In terms of attention and priority, the Timorese residing inside East Timor should be the ones who deserve more attention and facilitation than the ones living overseas, who have released their citizenship, negated their identity and have adopted new nationalities."

The statement, signed by spokesman Basilio Dias Araujo, demanded that the UN reverse the extension dates, and give two days for registration centers outside East Timor and four days for registration centers inside the province, "or make it even".

The Forum demanded that the UN "pay more serious attention to registration centers inside East Timor" because it was residents there who would "suffer the most" from the consequence of the ballot.

The Forum has frequently charged the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) of being discriminative, and added on Thursday that the UN should pay more attention "to UNAMET personnel who are deliberately trying to use the documentation weapon to reduce, to the minimum number possible, the prointegration supporters" who are eligible to join the ballot.

Many East Timorese have been turned down for lack of necessary documentation.

A private group monitoring the registration process, Kiper, which includes Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and renowned researchers, earlier reported that inadequate publicity contributed to poor understanding regarding requirements for registration. Kiper had also noted that the registration process was not free from fear.

In a report made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, an overseas group involved with the East Timor issue noted that while well over 300,000 East Timorese have registered, surpassing observers' expectations, "tens of thousands of refugees have not yet been able to register" because of "continuing intimidation and terror created by the Indonesian military-backed militia forces".

The statement was from the International Federation for East Timor Observers Project, claiming members from 22 countries and a representative at the UN.

It said, "Unless UNAMET makes significant exceptions to the registration process deadline, a large portion of the East Timorese population will have been effectively shut out of the consultation process as a result of TNI (Indonesian Military) and paramilitary violence."

From Dili it was reported that as of Wednesday afternoon 428,180 people had registered for the ballot, including at least 200 prisoners.

UNAMET spokesman David Wimhurst said that in the last days of registration more than 600 people had descended from the mountains to register.

"We think the busiest areas of registration are in the west, namely in Ambeno and Maliana regencies," Wimhurst said.

UNAMET will publish all registered names so the public can check whether their names are on the list.

Meanwhile, Antara reported that police in Dili had told visiting delegates from the Dutch and Swedish embassies that the situation in the run-up to the ballot was improving. (33/anr)