Indonesia violates UN pact on observers: UNAMET
Indonesia violates UN pact on observers: UNAMET
DILI, East Timor (JP): A representative of the United Nations
said Thursday that Indonesia had violated the agreement on East
Timor's direct ballot signed in May by Indonesia, Portugal and
the UN.
Chief electoral officer Jeff Fischer of the United Nations
Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) said in a statement that the UN
considered the role of the Indonesian government in approving,
facilitating and sponsoring the activities of more than 300 poll
observers from 24 organizations to be a violation of the terms of
the agreement.
The 300 were denied accreditation as poll observers by the UN
on Aug. 21.
Under the agreement signed in New York, Indonesia and Portugal
are allowed to send an equal number of representatives to observe
the operational phases of the ballot, both inside and outside
East Timor
The UN said earlier that apart from 1,600 independent poll
observers, there would be 100 official observers from Indonesia
and Portugal sent to East Timor to observe the ballot.
Fischer said the 300 additional observers "would create a
substantial imbalance between the size of the delegations
functionally working as official Indonesian and Portuguese
observers".
Fischer added his concerns were not assuaged when a number of
these observers arrived in Dili aboard an Indonesian Navy vessel,
the KRI Teluk Cirebon.
"This outright subsidy of their transport does not serve to
promote the perception of their independence from the
government," he said.
Fischer, however, did say if the observers provided
demonstrable evidence of their independence from the Indonesian
government, he would be willing to reconsider their applications
for accreditation.
"The indicators of independence are simple -- your
organization has not accepted funding, travel subsidies or other
forms of financial or in-kind facilitation from the Indonesian
government; government employees are not members of your observer
team; and the reporting of your observations will be uncensored
by the government," he said.
An observer denied accreditation by the UN, said on Wednesday
his journey to Dili was facilitated by the foreign ministry.
"On board the Navy ship, Lukman, who identified himself as an
employee of the ministry, gave each of us Rp 2.2 million and we
had to sign a receipt with Ministry of Foreign Affairs written on
it," Edwin, who studies international relations at Bandung's
Padjadjaran University, told The Jakarta Post.
He said the receipts were kept by Lukman.
An official of the ministry, Dino Patti Djalal who is
spokesman for the Indonesian Task Force For The Implementation of
the Popular Consultation on East Timor (P3TT), denied the
suggestion that the ministry was involved.
"That is impossible, we are a neutral party," he said adding
the ministry had not issued such funds for any observers.
Edwin also said he and some 30 other would-be poll observers
were told their accreditation as poll observers was waiting for
them in Dili, adding he began to become suspicious when they were
given money. (byg/amd)