---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ++ Pemilu Online: http://www.indo-news.com/pemilu/ ++ ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, July 6 1999 E. Timor: UNAMET's Involvement In Liquisa Incident Deplored Dili, E Timor, July 5 (ANTARA)- A central government official posted here in connection with the scheduled UN-suvervised ballot has deplored the involvement of UNAMET (UN Assessment Mission in East Timor) personnel the ascorting for a recent NGO (Non- govermnetal Organization) mission to bring relief aid to refugees in East Timor's Sare region. Ambassador Agus Tarmidzi, chairman of the Indonesian Government's Task Force for Implementation of the East Timor Ballot (P3TT), said by acting as an escort, the UNAMET personnel concerned had overstepped the limits of their funtion. "What did they do for ? It's not their business. Providing security escort is the business of the police and they should have asked the provincial police if they needed security escort," the ambassador told reporters here Sunday night. He was commenting on an incident at Liquisa, 35 km west of Dili, in which UNAMET personnel escorting a group of NGO activists concerned about the plight of refugees in Sare clashed with militia belonging to the prointegration group. Tarmidzi said he did not understand why UNAMET personnel should be involved in guarding NGO's as their main duty in East Timor was to help implement the ballot. "It appears UNAMET doesn't have a very high regard for our security forces or they did it on purpose," he said. He confirmed that some days ago he and several government a agencies in East Timor discussed the presence of at least 32 local and foreign NGOs in the province and their intention to provide assistance of refugees. The meeting arrived at the decision that any NGO activity in extending humanitarian assistance in the form of food, drugs and clothes to locals should have the prior approval of the local administration as stipulated in pertinent regulations. Adherence to existing regulations did not mean a ban on the NGOs' activities because the government too realized the refugees badly needed the assistance. But the assistance should be distributed in accordance with existing regulations and could be done under protection of the local police, if need be Tarmidzi said. In reality, however, the decision of the meeting was ignored and the NGOs even acted unilaterally without coordination with the local administration. The UNAMET personnel used vehicles of the UN civilance police. Commenting on UNAMET's explanation that its personnel only wanted to facilitate the NGOs'activities (providing assistance). Tarmidzi said UNAMET should still respect the local administration. The UNAMET is not supposed to take any action on its own and it must follow the procedures established by thelocal administration, the ambassador said. At any rate, the provincial social affairs department must be informed about any effort to provide aid any in the form of food, drugs and clothes to refugees, Tarmidzi said. (U.DLI01/INTKT/14:45/INTAJM19:33/NN01/19:53) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 8 Jul 1999 jam 11:10:51 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
