UNAMET wants end to East Timor violence

DILI, East Timor (JP): UN Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) representative Ian Martin appealed to the two conflicting factions and their supporters here on Sunday to stop attacking each other and help create a conducive climate for the Aug. 8 ballot.

"In entering a new scene of East Timor history, I'm appealing to the two conflicting factions and their supporters to stop violence and provocative actions," he said in a press release here.

He also called on the two factions not to conduct campaign activities for the August vote but to hold dialogs and consultations with supporters on platforms they would promote during the official campaign period scheduled to start on June 20.

"Campaign activities which are not proceeded by consultations are against the tripartite agreement on East Timorese civil servants and servicemen," said Martin, who was apparently responding to a meeting of civil servants and servicemen here on Friday.

In the meeting, Dili Regent Domingos Soares and Eurico Guterres, deputy commander of the prointegration militia, briefed about 500 participants about supporting the province's special autonomy option in the ballot.

Martin said UNAMET was making an effort to hold consultations with both prointegration and proindependence groups in designing a code of ethics for the campaign period.

"All factions will be barred from using state facilities in their campaign activities," he said.

He said that all individuals and groups in the territory are responsible for helping to maintain security and order so that people could cast their votes freely.

Information

Meanwhile, David Wimhurst, UNAMET spokesman, said UNAMET was disseminating information to the East Timorese about the ballot and its arrangements, which are still being made.

"The socialization program is the first phase in the ballot schedule and it will be followed by the campaign for the ballot from June 20 through Aug. 5. And then we will have a calm period before the balloting day on Aug. 8," he said.

He added that UNAMET would also circulate campaign information through local radio and television stations.

David said that UNAMET chairman Ian Martin, who arrived here on June 1, has visited several regencies and met with local authorities to establish coordination for the ballot.

"He (Martin) has met with local authorities in Baucau and Viqueque and also held talks with Baucau Bishop Nascimento and security authorities at the two regencies," he said.

He said UNAMET was setting up 700 centers for voter registration and 200 balloting booths in 13 regencies across the province.

"Besides, we will also set up balloting booths in Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Ujungpandang and Denpasar for East Timorese voters in those cities," David said.

UNAMET would also set up balloting booths in Sydney and Perth in Australia, Lisbon in Portugal, Maputu in Mozambique, Macao and New York.

"In Australia, the ballot will be organized by the Australian Electoral Commission," he said.

According to the official document agreed to by Indonesia and Portugal in New York on May 5, prospective voters for the ballot should be at least 17 years old and either born in East Timor or with one or more parents born in the territory.

Antara reported from Darwin, Australia, on Sunday that the Northern Territory capital would be used by UNAMET as its base for supplying facilities needed to organize the ballot in East Timor.

It was also reported that the UNAMET base in a former central bank building would start its operation next week, and around 4,000 Australian companies have been listed as participants in the bidding for the projects to supply materials needed for the ballot. (rms/33)