---------------------------------------------------------- Visit Indonesia Daily News Online HomePage: http://www.indo-news.com/ Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- August 4, 1999 East Timor Independence Leader Says Security Improved JAKARTA (AP)--A top independence leader in East Timor signed up to vote Wednesday, saying security in the strife-torn territory has greatly improved ahead of a U.N.-sponsored independence referendum. The U.N. officials Wednesday extended voter registration for the ballot - scheduled for Aug. 30 - by several days to allow 50,000 displaced villagers and hundreds of guerrilla fighters to sign up. A 20-day registration period was to have ended Wednesday. "I hope the ballot can be conducted free from intimidation in a safe and orderly fashion," independence leader Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao said as he registered at a U.N. office in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. "All the obstacles have been overcome and conditions have greatly improved," he said, before being escorted back to his home, where he's being kept under house arrest. The referendum will allow people in the former Portuguese colony to choose either wide-ranging autonomy within Indonesia, which occupied the territory in 1975, or full independence. Some 410,500 eligible voters already had registered, exceeding expectations, Martin said. The Carter Center, an Atlanta-based independent monitoring group, cautioned in its weekly report that violence and terror continue to plague the province. "Intimidation tactics in many parts of East Timor have simply become more subtle," the report said. "Militia groups now maintain a lower profile, operate primarily at night...but their threats and messages of intimidation remain largely unchanged." According the report, Indonesian police continue to collaborate with pro-Jakarta militia groups and refuse to investigate many instances of political violence. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 5 Aug 1999 jam 05:14:49 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
