TIMOR TODAY 23 AUGUST 2000

TIMOR TODAY 23 AUGUST 2000

For full text see… http://www.easttimor.com/

NEWS

1) UNHCR mission attacked in West Timor, refugee repatriation suspended 23/08/00 (AFP) JAKARTA, Aug 22 (AFP) - Suspected militiamen attacked a UNHCR mission in Indonesia bringing aid to a refugee camp in West Timor on Tuesday, badly beating up three of its members, a UN official there said.

2) Falintil army risks Jakarta's wrath as it joins peacekeepers 23/08/00 (Sydney Morning Herald) DILI - East Timor's former guerilla force, Falintil, will send soldiers to the western border to help Australian and New Zealand peacekeepers with intelligence gathering on pro-Indonesian militias, its commander-in-chief confirmed yesterday.

3) New Indonesian law 'risk to Timor trial' 23/08/00 (South China Morning Post) JAKARTA - Government ministers admit they were caught off guard by a constitutional amendment which appears to provide legal protection to the generals and other military officers behind last year's violent rampage through East Timor.

4) Robinson grilled about Timor justice 23/08/00 (OneWorld ) DILI - Economic and social rights are as important as traditionally defined human rights, UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson emphasised on her recent visit to East Timor. But many people in what will soon become the world's newest independent country made it clear they had a more pressing priority: justice for past wrongs.

5) Armed militia negotiating return home 23/08/00 (Sydney Morning Herald) DILI - Up to 50 armed pro-Indonesian militia are negotiating with a priest in the small southern town of Alas to disarm and be accepted for resettlement in their former homes on the south coast, a senior United Nations military official said yesterday.

6) Indonesian Commanders Losing Control of Troops 23/08/00 (New York Times) JAKARTA - Top military commanders have won a skirmish in Parliament to slow their retreat from political influence. At the same time, they seem to be losing control of many of their troops in the field.

7) Newest nation sets a course for democracy 23/08/00 (Sydney Morning Herald) DILI - Almost a year since voting to end Indonesian rule, East Timor is about to launch into open politicking about the shape of its independent state once the United Nations interim administration ends.

REPORTS

8) Transcript of de Mello address to CNRT Congress 23/08/00 (UNTAET) This is a near verbatim transcript of the address of SRSG Sergio Vieira de Mello, at the 1st CNRT Congress.

9) SRSG appeals for political tolerance 23/08/00 (UNTAET) DILI (21 August 2000) - In a comprehensive political speech Sergio Vieira de Mello appealed for political tolerance, and outlined the key steps to develop a constitution and achieve full independence.

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