>from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >subject: CPA: East Timor -situation on Ground. >The following articles were published in "The Guardian", newspaper >of the Communist Party of Australia in its issue of Wednesday, >March 1, 2000. Contact address: 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. >Sydney. 2010 Australia. Phone: (612) 9212 6855 Fax: (612) 9281 5795. >Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Webpage: http://www.cpa.org.au >Subscription rates on request. >****************************** > >5. East Timor - situation on the ground > >5. East Timor - 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 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 in September. > >Have we passed the line? > >In a way, the situation has improved. UNAMET's role has >become increasingly clear. Law and order has not been clearly solved >but concrete actions have been undertaken. > >In Darwin, about 20 Timorese lawyers received intensive training >to conduct work related to prosecution and judging. These "emergency >law officials" placed in East Timor will fill an important gap. That >is the gap of prosecution and unclear guidelines for arresting >people, interrogating them and putting them on trial to prove their >guilt or innocence. So this is a positive step forward. > >The arrival of Mr Sergio de Mello, the Special Representative of the >Secretary-General of the UN, has added to the >positive environment. Prior to his arrival, there was reluctance from >UNTAET leadership in East Timor to deal with CNRT on a formal >capacity. His arrival appears to have changed that. > >The agreement between the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), INTERFET and >CNRT/FALINTIL to jointly control the border has also contributed to a >better environment of trust. The humanitarian crisis can be >summarised as being lack of food, shelter, security, electricity, >water, public transport, hospital treatment and basic health >conditions. > >Although the above list seems to be a standard humanitarian >crisis inventory card, solving this crisis has proven to be more >complex than many expected. One reason for this complexity is that >not all the NGOs and Humanitarian > >Agencies of the UN in East Timor were familiar with the >political developments in East Timor. Many did not even know who >"Xanana Gusmao" was, others never had experience in real crisis >situations. Even with this lack of understanding of the political >realities on the ground, most of the NGOs refused to contact Timorese >political organisations, such as CNRT, to liaise with them and to >understand what is what and why this and that. > >Only two or three NGOs took that initiative and these, as it >became clearer, did not face major problems in the delivery of their >services. OCHA, the coordinating body for the UN Humanitarian >Agencies, did not want to work with CNRT, only with the Catholic >Church. > >The first rice distribution was chaotic because the political >structures on the ground, led by CNRT, did not get involved. Although >it is fair to say that even CNRT, at the early period of September to >the end of October, was devastated due to the attacks against its >cadres by the TNI and their militias. > >The in-principle refusal to work formally with CNRT did not help >with the situation. Now it seems Sergio de Mello might have to >overcome this political impasse. > >Shortage of everything led to price inflation in the country. >Shortage of water continues. Sewerage system problems remain >unsolved. The shortages of food were gradually overcome with the >imports of goods for general consumption. Health problems continue to >be a threat to the future of East Timor. TB, malaria and dysentery >coupled with malnutrition constitute a real problem for the people. > >The crisis of ``refugees'' > >Right now, thousands of people are still without emergency >shelter. Those in the West Timor camps, initially 300,000 in number, >have been assisted by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to >return home. However, until now, only 115,000 have returned. The >remaining 185,000 are still either in the camps, or elsewhere in >Indonesia. > >There have been reports of transmigration plans for these >Timorese held hostage in West Timor and this needs to be investigated >properly. Of the 300,000 more than 185,000 were held in the camps of >West Timor, whereas the rest either disappeared or were taken away to >other islands. > >Many have been killed. > >There are reports of male Timorese forced into boats that went >away for half an hour and returned empty. Numbers are very difficult >to establish, but the above figures were supplied by a health worker, >part of the international and Asian teams who managed to enter the >camps in September. > >On December 7, a UN investigator stated in Jakarta that her team >found evidence of "systematic" murder in East Timor. Being true and >we all know this is true, just imagine what would have happened to >those Timorese who crossed the border. In my view, all this >information must be taken into account to assess the real loss of >lives and to find all those who were further forced away to other >Indonesian islands. > >One can only register with scepticism what the UNHCR said about >the improvement of the situation in the camps of West Timor. > >Rain and shelter > >The wet season is increasingly being felt because of the heavy >rain and difficult access to roads outside the capital, >Dili. Emergency shelters have not arrived. > >Right now the CNRT's own Emergency Commission, with the help >from Australian friends from Melbourne, is setting up 200 emergency >shelters in Oecusse and more are expected within these two weeks to >be set up in Lospalos and Manatuto, totalling 10,000 shelters. These >shelters are a result of creativity of Melbourne supporters. > >They brought in a machine to make parts of these shelters, and are >training Timorese the skills to make them, acquire raw material from >Australia and set them up. > >Another plan from Australian trade union, Construction, Forestry, >Mining and Energy Union is about to be implemented. >This emergency shelter plan is also to provide much needed temporary >shelter for those who are returning and those who come down from the >mountains but have nothing left of their previous houses and >villages. > >These emergency shelter plans are supported with water purification >systems, also from supporters in Melbourne, to provide clean and safe >drinking water for the Timorese refugees. >UNHCR and OCHA are also looking into providing some support to the >CNRT Emergency Commission. > >Other aspects > >* Postal services > >The postal services are going to be provided by the Portuguese CTT >(Correios Telegrafos in Telefones). They will provide postal services >in Dili Comoro International airport and in Bacau and Ailcu. > >In a second phase, this will increase to other areas and likely to >go international as well. > >* Education > >No school is functioning at the moment, but many schools have been >running "informal classes" in Portuguese and English. >These classes warrant proper support from the outside world since >their students are so enthusiastic that many have been carrying their >own chairs and tables from home to the schools and return home with >their chairs and tables as well. > >* Development and reconstruction - World Bank > >The World Bank has met in Tokyo, Japan, to appreciate the >proposals of the World Bank/CNRT Timorese joint assessment teams on >December 17. The World Bank members expressed their commitment to >grant (not lend but give) financial assistance to East Timor. The >World Bank appears to be committed to the creation of a lean >and efficient public service for East Timor. > >Small business and private investments are beginning to appear >but there is a need to recognise these initiatives. > >* Telecommunications > >The Australian telecommunications company Telstra has recently >extended its services to Dili, so now all the mobile telephones from >Telstra can receive and make calls as though from Australia. It is >expected that this arrangement, which lasts for six months, may be >replaced by a more permanent contract with a company, maybe Telstra >if it wins the tendering process to cover the entire East Timor. > >CNRT reality and NGO work > >The work of the NGOs is not easy. Communication infrastructure >does not exist, schools are not functioning, and community meeting >places do not exist. Timorese NGOs suffer the same trend as the >Timorese people, without much needed basic survival conditions - let >alone working conditions to become viable partners with foreign NGOs. > >The foreign NGOs enter with material and financial capacity >which transcends any capacity of the Timorese NGOs. This, in part, >contributed to the ill-feelings reported in the media, about the >international NGOs. The international NGOs are not to blame solely >for the uneasiness in the environment of NGOs in East Timor, but >there is a need to tackle this problem in a serious manner so that >long-term relation and interaction between international NGOs and the >national NGOs can improve. > >NGO capacity building in East Timor is now top of the priority list. > >Most Timorese NGOs, including those that may be formed soon, >need support. Technical skills, trades skills, accounting, reporting >and meeting procedures, are all needed. If you can help, please >don't think twice. CNRT is now looking into strengthening the >Timorese civil society. As an umbrella organisation, CNRT does not >see its role as just waiting for the UNTAET to do what needs to be >done, but to take serious and professional initiatives to also >undertake its mission of preparing the Timorese civil society towards >a sustainable independence, prosperous democracy. > >As such, CNRT needs your help. In its work of emergency, CNRT >deals with the people to supply basic needs." JC > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
