---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 ---------------------------------------------------------- RIGHTS-EAST TIMOR: Council Approves Increased UN Presence By Farhan Haq UNITED NATIONS, Aug 27 (IPS) - The UN Security Council approved an increase Friday in the number of United Nations civilian police and military liaison officers on East Timor as violence increased there, barely 48 hours before the territory votes on self- determination. The 15-nation Council agreed unanimously for the UN Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) to deploy up to 460 police and 300 military liaison officers to help maintain security after the ballot on Monday. Despite the increase in violence, the United Nations took no decision to send any armed peacekeepers to East Timor, nor were there any plans to do so. The unarmed UNAMET officers work as advisors to Indonesian security forces, which occupied East Timor in 1975 and have been in charge of security for the elections. Following a series of attacks by pro-Indonesian militia units - including one Thursday in the Timorese capital, Dili, which left at least four people dead - many diplomats here questioned whether Jakarta could be trusted to keep the peace during the elections. ''We have witnessed an increased environment of fear and a situation where so many persons in favour of independence were either prevented from participating in the campaign, or subject to physical violence and intimidation,'' Portuguese Ambassador Antonio Monteiro told the Council Friday. The recent attacks showed that Indonesian efforts to maintain security prior to the self-determination vote were ''completely inadequate and insufficient,'' Monteiro said. He added, ''It is inadmissible that so close to the consultation (vote) we are witnessing such an increase in violence and even loss of human lives.'' In a statement made on behalf of the European Union, Ambassador Marjatta Rasi of Finland noted the ''intimidatory behaviour of the pro-integration militias, which numerous independent observers have linked to elements of the Indonesian Army.'' Although UN officials stressed that Indonesian President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie repeatedly had affirmed Jakarta's cooperation with UNAMET, they also noted that some militia and military elements in East Timor had not heeded that commitment. Yet Indonesian Ambassador Makarim Wibisono argued that Jakarta was doing its best to preserve the peace for the Monday vote, in which Timorese voters can opt either for autonomy under Indonesian rule or independence. ''The Indonesian government has deployed some 8,000 police personnel to assure peace both before the popular consultation as well as after its conclusion,'' he said. ''This high ratio of one policeman for every 100 East Timorese attests to the sincerity of the Indonesian authorities to commit large numbers of law enforcement officials, as well as the resources to maintain a tranquil and secure environment.'' Wibosono said that Indonesia appreciated the work UNAMET had done in organising the Aug. 30 vote but ''from our observations in the field, other individuals comprising UNAMET personnel are not adhering to this principle while carrying out its duties.'' Signs of the fraying relationship between the United Nations and the pro-Indonesia side have grown in recent days, with some militia leaders threatening UNAMET and calling it ''biased.'' The Security Council highlighted its concerns about the growing rift when it omitted wording from the resolution approved Friday that would have thanked ''the local authorities in East Timor'' for their cooperation. For all its concern, however, the United Nations still was not considering a postponement of the vote - which has been delayed twice - nor the dispatch of UN peacekeepers. There is no agreement from Indonesia to allow peacekeepers, and the United States and other nations also deemed that, for now, the force was unnecessary . ''You can't pick a peacekeeping force off the shelf in a shop,'' said Jamsheed Marker, special UN envoy to East Timor. ''There is a whole procedure that goes through it...The conditions are not necessary for a peacekeeping force right now.'' Ultimately, that meant there was no immediate alternative to prodding Jakarta to ensure that Indonesia maintained security in the Pacific island state. But many human rights groups and observers argued that Indonesia had already shown it did not deserve to be trusted. ''President Habibie talks about reforming Indonesia since the Suharto regime, but the Indonesian-backed death squads raging through East Timor...confirm that the military's power remains unbroken,'' said Amy Goodman, a US journalist expelled from Indonesia earlier this week, reportedly because of her past coverage of East Timor. Xanana Gusmao, leader of East Timor's pro-independence movement, said from house arrest in Jakarta Friday that the recent attacks showed that Indonesia ''does not want peace'' in East Timor. (END/IPS/fah/mk/99) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 28 Aug 1999 jam 03:31:57 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
