Rights body open to all complaints

DILI, East Timor: The National Commission on Human Rights office recently opened here will take any complaints of rights violations and will try to seek the best solutions, the office chief said yesterday.

"We will act only as a mediator for conflicting parties and help to find the best solutions," Alex Ravialy was quoted by Antara as saying.

Alex was addressing Indonesia's representative at the United Nations, Agus Tarmidzi, as well as Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Wisber Loeis, who were visiting the province on Saturday.

According to Alex, only days after it opened earlier this month, the agency received 200 complaints from East Timorese known as "tropas" who were once employed as civil servants under the Portuguese, who occupied the province until 1976 before East Timor became a part of Indonesia. The tropas are reportedly having difficulty getting hired as civil servants.

According to Alex, of the province's 695 tropas, only 280 have been accepted as civil servants. (14)