UNAMET extends voter registration

DILI, East Timor (JP): The United Nations announced on Wednesday an extension to the registration period for a self- determination vote on the future of the territory.

The head of the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET), Ian Martin, told a media conference voter registration had been extended by two days, until Friday, for 200 registration posts inside East Timor and by four days, to Sunday, outside the province, in order to allow more people to sign up for the ballot.

The brief extension was recommended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, despite the fact that registration turnout had exceeded the initial estimate of 400,000.

Martin said that 410,556 East Timorese inside and outside the former Portuguese colony had signed up for the ballot as of Monday. The figure is expected to reach 420,000 when the registration period is concluded, he said.

UNAMET will apply flexible registration schedules for the East Timor regencies bordering East Nusa Tenggara, particularly Bobonaro and Ambeno.

"If, until Friday Aug. 6, the registration is not completed, UNAMET will extend the registration period until Saturday Aug. 7, 1999, morning," Martin said.

He said the extra days for registration would not change the date of the vote, which has been set for Aug. 30.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and State Secretary/Minister of Justice Muladi last week both demanded that the UN prolong the registration period following its decision to delay the schedule for the ballot to Aug. 30.

Overnight on Tuesday, the UN Security Council extended UNAMET's mandate until Sept. 30, because of previous delays in the ballot date, called for by Annan for security reasons.

Meanwhile, David Ximenes, head of political affairs at the National Resistance Council for an Independent East Timor (CNRT), denied on Wednesday that members of its armed wing, Falintil, had registered for the ballot.

"Up to now there has been no single Falintil member sign up for the vote. They don't believe the Indonesian security authorities are able to protect them when they turn up to register," David said.

He said the latest killing of CNRT member Angelino Amaral on Sunday was evidence that proindependence supporters were not adequately protected.

Antara reported on Tuesday that about 600 Falintil reserve members had signed up for the ballot at a registration center in Bobonaro village in Odomao.

Xanana

In Jakarta, jailed proindependence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao registered with UNAMET officials on Wednesday at the Press Council Building on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.

Xanana's lawyer Johnson Pandjaitan said the president of CNRT hoped that UNAMET would not further extend the registration period, because the mission had already met its target.

"He's afraid that changes to the registration period could delay the date for the ballot and allow for manipulations to take place," Johnson said.

Xanana said pressure on UNAMET to open registration posts for displaced East Timorese in East Nusa Tenggara would open opportunities for fraud. He instead urged UNAMET and the Indonesian government to move the refugees back to their own villages.

He also suggested that UNAMET issue a campaign code of conduct enabling both the proindependence and prointegration factions to hold a joint rally during the campaign period, which will run from Aug. 11 through Aug. 27.

"Let the two camps present their programs at the same forum and see who is intent on violence," Xanana said, as quoted by Johnson.

Many have predicted escalating violence during the campaign period if UNAMET cannot arrange schedules to prevent supporters of the two factions from meeting.

In Bali's capital Denpasar, 15 youths claiming to represent the Forum for Unity, Democracy and Justice (FPDK), a prointegration group, rallied at the town's registration center to demand that UNAMET stay neutral and dispose of administrative barriers for prospective voters to register for the ballot.

The youths dispersed themselves after a brief talk with local International Organization for Migration (IOM) head Mike Montagano. (33/50/amd)