UN team assesses situation in E. Nusa Tenggara

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): The United Nations Security Coordination (UNSCOOR) team began on Sunday its assessment of the security condition in East Nusa Tenggara province.

The results of the evaluation will determine whether international humanitarian groups will be willing to resume their work to help the government cope with East Timor refugees there, after a lapse following the killing of three UN aid workers last September.

UNSCOOR chief Richard Manlove said, during a meeting with the local authorities, that the results of the week-long work would serve as a reference for the UN to assess the current security status of the province.

The UN increased the security alert status in the province to level five after three of its staff engaged in humanitarian work died in an arson attack on their office here by a group of angry East Timor refugees.

The world body withdrew all of its humanitarian workers from the province afterwards and declared the province as a dangerous place for UN workers.

Members of the UNSCOOR team, who represent UN Secretary- General Kofi Annan, have declined special protection from the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director for International Organization Marty Natalegawa, expressed hopes that the UN envoys would recommend that the alert level would be revoked and returned to "normal" status.

"It is hoped that the UN secretary-general will decide to allow aid workers to return to the province," Marty said.

The Indonesian government has flexed its muscles to restore security to the province and asked the UN to return there, as it is difficult for Indonesia to take care of some 150,000 refugees currently taking shelter in camps across the province.

In the registration last month, almost 90 percent of the refugees chose to remain, as Indonesian citizens.

Provincial police chief Brig. Gen. Jacki Uli and chief of Udayana Military Command overseeing Bali and Nusa Tenggara Maj. Gen. Willem da Costa told the UN team during their meeting that the security situation in the province, especially around the refugee camps, had been much improved.

Willem asserted that TNI troops had conducted searches on the disbanded prointegration fighters and confiscated 49 firearms, hundreds of homemade weapons, 117 live grenades and hundreds of bullets.

"There are no more firearms in the possession of the refugees. All have been collected by the security officers. Security and order in the West Timor have been so far under control, with no extraordinary incidents taking place," Willem said in the meeting.

He told the UN delegates that the Indonesian government had disbanded the prointegration fighter groups and the members had been living as civilians, along with the rest of the refugees.

Willem also said that the presence of a total of 1,773 reinforcement troops would be maintained in the province and the border area with East Timor.

Separately, Governor Piet Tallo expressed hopes that the UN team could work in an objective manner. He added that the UN- sanctioned security status had frightened investors and played havoc with economic life in the province. (30/dja)