----- Original Message ----- From: Watch Indonesia! <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 9:36 AM Subject: International NGO Observers for East Timor Consultation > International NGO Observers for East Timor Consultation > > International Federation for East Timor (IFET) > > On May 5, 1999 Indonesia and Portugal signed an agreement for the > United Nations to conduct a "popular consultation" on "special > autonomy" for East Timor on August 8, 1999. If the ballot is a free > and fair reflection of the wishes of the people of East Timor, it > will end the long-standing violation of international law resulting > from Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor and the ongoing > military occupation. > > The accord obligates Indonesia to take the necessary steps to > repeal its annexation of East Timor and transfer authority over the > territory to the United Nations if the East Timorese people reject > autonomy. If the voters approve autonomy, Portugal and the U.N. > will legally recognize East Timor as part of Indonesia. For the > first time, the people of East Timor will be able to decide their > political status. > > The International Federation for East Timor (IFET)* is working to > support United Nations efforts to ensure that the East Timorese > people are able to make that decision in an atmosphere free of > coercion and terror. We are sending people to East Timor to observe > the consultation process. We will not campaign for or against > autonomy, but will be there to support the East Timorese people's > right to decide for themselves. > > But, as numerous first-hand and journalistic accounts have > documented, the Indonesian military and the paramilitary "civilian > militias" it is supporting are trying to subvert the vote. Violence > against supporters of independence has reached horrific levels over > the last several weeks. The paramilitaries have killed more than > 150 people since April, and forced more than 50,000 people to flee > their homes, often inflicting violence against random civilians to > create a climate of universal fear. > > The people of East Timor thus find themselves at a crossroads of > crisis and opportunity. We in the international community can help > ensure that East Timor turns toward opportunity. For this reason, > the International Federation for East Timor (IFET) is encouraging > individuals and groups to join our project to send nonpartisan > volunteer observers to East Timor to ensure a fair vote without > prejudice to the outcome. In addition to observing and reporting on > the campaign and voting process, IFET observers, by their visible > presence as representatives of the world community, will help deter > violent efforts to subvert the process. > > Section E(f) of the "Agreement Regarding the Modalities for the > Popular Consultation of the East Timorese Through a Direct Ballot" > states that "International observers will be able to observe the > consultation process under terms to be developed by the United > Nations to regulate the process." In this regard, international > community has a role to play in reducing violence intended to > prevent the East Timorese from participating in "a free and fair > popular consultation process." > > IFET observers will work primarily in three areas: > > 1. We will provide organized accompaniment, when requested, for > East Timorese human rights workers, high-profile personnel > associated with local religious institutions, East Timorese > people campaigning for the consultation, and others who feel > threatened. > > 2. Our people in the field will monitor the human rights situation by > personal observation and by interviews with religious personnel, public > officials, local non-governmental organizations, political activists, > and the population in general. These monitors will communicate their > findings to an IFET office in Dili which will regularly report the > information to U.N. officials, journalists, national governments and > other appropriate authorities. > > 3. IFET personnel will observe the registration process, the campaign, > the actual day of balloting (including polling sites, people travelling > to and from voting, and other related matters), as well as the > transportation of ballots and the tallying of votes. We will issue a > report. Some of us will remain in East Timor after August 8 to observe > that there is no retaliatory violence and that subsequent steps proceed > smoothly. > > > As an international federation, IFET takes no position for or against > the proposed autonomy plan. We are in East Timor to ensure that the East > Timorese people are able to make that decision themselves. Our observers > will be non-partisan; we will work with non-aligned groups in East Timor > as well as with various Indonesian non-governmental organizations, U.N. > personnel, and other observer missions. IFET will also be in contact > with both pro-independence and pro-autonomy advocates, as well as with > Indonesian civilian and military officials, to ensure them that we are > not taking sides. > > The International Federation for East Timor will coordinate this project > on the international level. The project will not receive any logistical, > security or financial support from the United Nations, but the U.N. will > provide accreditation to IFET observers and we will follow the U.N. Code > of Conduct for observers. There will be other observer missions in East > Timor during the consultation process. IFET will endeavor to coordinate > our work with theirs - we are part of a larger effort by the > international community to ensure the legitimacy of the U.N. > consultation process. Our unique role is to facilitate participation by > NGO and individual activists and human rights workers from all over the > world, but we have no intention to preclude other observer delegations. > > IFET observers will be volunteers; most observers should expect to raise > their own costs of transportation, food, and lodging. At the same time, > IFET will be raising substantial funds to establish an office in Dili > and to hire staff to coordinate the project within and outside of East > Timor. We hope that participating groups and individuals will help raise > money for these common costs. > > IFET-associated individuals and groups in different countries will > oversee the recruitment, screening, training and coordination of > observers from those countries, but they will do so according to > internationally- established procedures and in close consultation with > the international IFET coordinating group. IFET will also have people > based in East Timor to help with logistics (lodging, deployment, etc.) > as individuals arrive in Dili. > > Although we will take responsibility for the people we bring to East > Timor, our first priority is to support the East Timor consultation, and > we will endeavor to minimize problems caused by IFET observers. > Participants must be in good physical health (as certified by a medical > release) and be able to work under pressure and with emotional and > psychological stress. IFET observers will be mature, stable individuals. > Most, therefore, will be 25 years old or older, but some will be as > young as 18. The working language of the IFET observer project will be > English. Facility with Indonesian, Tetum, and/or Portuguese would be of > great benefit. For non-English-speaking IFET observers, other observers > from their home country will provide interpretation. > > In addition to agreeing to follow the U.N.-issued Code of Conduct, all > observers associated with the IFET project will sign a contract by which > they agree to be nonviolent, nonpartisan, and to respect IFET decisions. > If we find that a participant has failed to abide by the contract and > undermined the larger project, IFET could terminate that person's > relationship with our project and/or take additional steps to distance > them from our mission. > > IFET will carefully screen all applicants. All IFET observers will > receive training before going to East Timor. Once there, IFET and/or our > East Timorese and Indonesian partners will provide further orientation. > Our people will have a range of experience and knowledge of election > monitoring and East Timor's situation, culture and language. > > The project will deploy observers throughout the territory. While we > certainly want observers to have a presence in rural areas, we will make > sure that observers are stationed in towns of relative size for safety, > logistical support, and ease of communication. Our observers will be > deployed in pairs or larger groups. > > The crucial time will be the weeks leading up to the vote. Some IFET > observers will arrive by June 13, the start of voter registration. We > hope to have at least 100 in place by early July, with more arriving as > August 8 approaches. We encourage observers to stay for at least one > month, but we will not dissuade qualified people from coming for shorter > periods. Some IFET observers will stay in East Timor after the vote and > the announcement of the results, especially if the voters reject > autonomy. Depending on the situation and the need, this could develop > into an ongoing project. > > * The International Federation for East Timor (IFET) was founded in > 1991 by East Timor support organizations from four continents as a > clearinghouse for non-governmental initiatives on East Timor. IFET is > accredited with the United Nations Department of Public Information. > Our secretariat is in the Philippines and we have a representative at > the U.N. in New York. IFET includes more than 30 members from 19 > countries, including both single-issue East Timor groups and others > with a wider range of concerns. > > ------------------------------------------------------------- > > For further information on IFET or the observers project, contact: > > IFET U.N. Representative Charles Scheiner. > P.O. Box 1182, White Plains, NY 10602 USA > Ph:1-914-428-7299 fax:1-914-428-7383 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > IFET Secretariat: > Asia-Pacific Coalition on East Timor > c/o Initiatives for International Dialogue > 27-D Rosario Townhouse, Galaxy St. > GSIS Heights, Matina, Davao City 8000 PHILIPPINES > Ph/fax. 63-82-299-2052 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > IFET Member Organizations as of 1 June 1999 > > National Council of Timorese Resistance (CNRT, East Timor) > East Timor International Support Center (Australia) > East Timor Relief Association (Australia) > Australia-East Timor Association > Australians for a Free East Timor > Friends of East Timor, Western Australia > Hobart East Timor Committee (Australia) > East Timor Alert Network (Canada) > Canadian Action for Indonesia and East Timor > Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (Fiji) > Agir Pour Timor (France) > Association Solidarité Timor-Oriental (France) > Watch Indonesia! (Germany) > Gesellschaft fur Bedrohte Volker (Germany) > East Timor Roundtable (Hong Kong) > East Timor Ireland Solidarity Campaign > Indian Society for Human Rights > Free East Timor - Japan Coalition > East Timor Information Network (Malaysia) > International Platform of Jurists for East Timor (Netherlands) > Norwegian Cooperation Council for East Timor and Indonesia > Asia-Pacific Coalition on East Timor (Philippines) > Com. para os Direitos do Povo Maubere (Portugal) > Paz é Justica para Timor Leste (Portugal) > A Paz é Possivel em Timor Leste (Portugal) > Movimento Christão para a Paz (Portugal) > Instituto de Estudios Políticos para América Latina y Africa (Spain) > Östtimor Kommitten (Sweden) > TAPOL (U.K.) > British Coalition for East Timor > East Timor Action Network (USA) > International Secretariat, Parliamentarians for East Timor > (list in formation) > *********************************************************** > > -- > > ********************************************************************** > Watch Indonesia! Tel./Fax +49-30-204 44 09 > Haus der Demokratie e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Friedrichstr. 165 http://www.snafu.de/~watchin > 10117 Berlin > ********************************************************************** > >
