---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- ANTARA, JULY 27 1999 UN ballot: UNAMET Says No Plan To Extend Registration Period Dili, E Timor, July 26 (ANTARA)- So far the UN Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) team has no plan yet to extend the 15-day voter registration period, kicked off on July 16 because it believes that it can complete the registration as scheduled. "It is true that there are many questions on whether or not the UNAMET will be able to complete the registration within the short period as scheduled," said UNAMET spokesman, Ueki Yasuhiro, here Monday. Many East Timorese are not confident that UNAMET will be able to complete the voter registration on August 4, while many East Timorese people who are eligible for the registration have not done so until the 11th day at the Registration Center instead of their working places. So far thousands of East Timorese people have registered, because this is a lifetime golden opportunity in the former Portuguese colony. David Wimhurst, other UNAMET spokesman who was contacted by ANTARA from Jakarta on Monday evening, said he has yet to be able to mention the exact number of those who have registered. He, however, said that the exact figure of registrants until the half way of registration period is expectedly announced in UNAMET's regular press conference on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Petrus Bluta Letor, an official of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial administration, said the people in the regency of Belu, located on the border with East Timor, have maximally attempted to help the East Timorese refugees register in the Regency of Bobonaro. "Both the people along with the local government of Belu district assist the East Timorese refugees to register by providing them with accomodation and transportation. Without discriminating their political backgrounds, 3,944 refugees should be optimally assisted because they are our own brothers and sisters," he said. According to him, it is routine for the Belu district officials to assist the refugees, because the people and they have been experienced in taking care of refugees during the 1974-1975 civil wars. Many refugees of 1974 have married and settled in the Regency of Belu, and they should participate in the August UN- supervised direct ballot on autonomy for East Timor. However, he said he did not believe that UNAMET will bw able to complete the registration of East Timorese in NTT on August 4, because those living in NTT at present do not only consist of refugees from the period of early November 1998-April 1999, but also of the province in 1942, 1955, and 1974 up to 1975. "UNAMET should not presume that the East Timorese people who deserve to participate in the balloting are those who presently live in East Timor," Letor said. (U.DLI-03/ND-08/INT-KT/INT-TA/20:04/nn-03/TB02) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 30 Jul 1999 jam 08:04:29 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
