Communist Web Wednesday 1st March 2000 9.30pm gmt East Timor: The situation on the ground Ceu Brites was member of the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC)/Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) Executive Board between 1996 and 1999. She works for the East Timor Relief Association (ETRA) which comes under the umbrella of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT). Ceu returned to East Timor in late September last year to help with the rebuilding of East Timor as the first wave of UN Peacekeepers moved into the island. The following is the report (abridged) that she sent to the Pacific News Bulletin in late December 1999 about the experiences of the building process. Tension and controversy The current situation can be said to be the first period of the first three months since the international Force for East Timor (INTERFET) landed in Timor Lorosae. This period is probably the most tense and controversial one due to two reasons. One is the uncertain situation regarding security, which led to "Operation Stability" led by Australian forces under the INTERFET umbrella. The second problem was the issue of a "mandate". No one knew exactly what the United Nations Assistance Mission for East Timor (UNAMET) was supposed to do in Timor Lorosae, no one knew exactly what was the role of the National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT), no one knew exactly what was the role of Portugal and no one knew exactly who was supposed to be in charge of law and order in the territory. This uncertainty contributed to the high level of tension and controversy, which characterised this first three-month period in East Timor since INTERFET landed... http://www.billkath.demon.co.uk/cw/eas/eas.html
