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)