Half of East Timor's eligible voters register for poll

DILI, East Timor (JP): United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan elected to continue voter registration for the direct ballot in East Timor after seeing the overwhelming turnout among residents.

In a letter to UN Security Council president Hasmy Agam on Monday, Annan said in the first 10 days of the 20-day voter registration period, 239,893 of the some 400,000 eligible voters registered at centers inside and outside the province.

"The people of East Timor are showing laudable determination to participate in the popular consultation despite continuing intimidation," Annan said.

Specifically, Annan cited ongoing intimidation by armed militia groups, which was particularly prevalent in the western districts of the former Portuguese territory.

Annan was undecided about the fixed date for the ballot, saying it would depend on how well the Indonesian government worked with the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) to improve security conditions and address the problem of displaced people.

"The completion of registration and the continuation of the popular consultation process will depend on my being satisfied that these improvements are achieved and sustained," Annan said.

The historic vote in which East Timorese will decide whether to stay with Indonesia with wide-ranging autonomy or become independent is slated for the third week of August. The ballot was delayed by two weeks due to security concerns.

Indonesia welcomed Annan's decision and pledged to maintain its commitment to ensuring a peaceful environment ahead of and during the UN-sanctioned ballot, government task force spokesman Dino Pati Djalal said.

Speaking at a media conference here on Tuesday, Dino said Indonesia intended to see the direct ballot take place in August to allow President B.J. Habibie's administration to report the results of the vote during the General Session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

"We don't mind some delay, but we don't want it to be too long simply for the reason of the domestic political situation," Dino said. "The situation will become complicated if the current government cannot deliver a report of the poll results."

Separately in Jakarta, Minister of Defense and Security/Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto urged the East Timorese to vote for wide-ranging autonomy under Indonesia's sovereignty.

Wiranto said the government would do its best to ensure a fair, just, safe and transparent direct ballot.

"We hope the wish of the Indonesian people that East Timor will remain a legitimate part of Indonesia can be fulfilled," the general said after attending a meeting of the Council for the Enforcement of Security and Law at Bina Graha presidential office.

Wiranto said the TNI and police were doing their best to help UNAMET organize the ballot. "On how to maintain East Timor (as a legal part of Indonesia), we fully entrust it to the East Timorese themselves."

"Our priority is a successful, transparent and fair direct ballot," he said.

In Bandung, West Java, TNI Chief of Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged UNAMET to remain impartial in the direct ballot. He said the presence of an intelligence officer in the body would tarnish the image of the mission.

Refugees

Dino said a joint team involving the government task force, UNAMET, the UN Children's Fund, the UN High Commission for Refugees, the International Commission of the Red Cross, the Ministry of Social Services and the local government was carrying out a humanitarian mission to help displaced people in the province. The team is focusing its work in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on the border of East Timor, where some 3,600 people have been taking shelter after fleeing violence in East Timor.

Dino said the team planned to transport the displaced people across the border into East Timor so they could register for the direct ballot.

"We expect UNAMET to set up one or two registration centers there because it will be difficult for us to transport them home, not to mention the short time left (before the ballot)," he said.

Noted Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid ended his two-day visit to the province on Tuesday with a call for proindependence and prointegration parties to be prepared to accept defeat in the ballot.

Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, said upon his departure at Comoro Airport that refusing to accept the results of the August ballot, no matter what they were, would prolong the problems in the territory.

Abdurrahman denied he was representing the government during his visit, in which he met with Dili Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, local government officials, UNAMET head Ian Martin and leaders of both prointegration and proindependence groups.

Separately, Martin said a number of UNAMET officials met with leaders of the proindependence group Falintil on Monday to discuss disarmament.

Martin said Falintil deputy commander Taur Matan Ruak agreed to the disarmament and invited UNAMET to a ceremony marking the disarmament of the group ahead of the popular consultation. (33/43/amd/edt/prb)