• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=9/18/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=INDONESIA / PEACEKEEPERS / L-O
NUMBER=2-254042
BYLINE=PATRICIA NUNAN
DATELINE=DARWIN
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO:  The United Nations has moved into its second 
day of flying emergency relief supplies to refugees 
trapped in East Timor.  Thousands of people are feared 
dead in a fortnight of strife and hundreds of 
thousands of others are facing food shortages in the 
territory, where pro-Indonesia militias have virtually 
taken over.  The air drops come ahead of the 
deployment of a U-N peacekeeping mission to East 
Timor, from the northern Australian City, Darwin.  
Patricia Nunan brings us the details from Darwin, 
where preparations for the eight thousand-strong force 
are under way.
TEXT:  The U-N spokesman in Darwin says massive 
amounts of food aid will be required to help all the 
people in need in East Timor.  David Wimhurst says the 
20 tons of emergency food air-dropped into the 
territory Saturday is just a fraction of what is 
needed for up to 300 thousand East Timorese refugees. 
                 ///WIMHURST ACTUALITY///
These amounts of aid that have been flown in, so far, 
are relatively small.  At least they are providing an 
immediate supply, which would last for a few days -- 
given the number of refugees.  There is somewhere 
between 200 and 300 thousand refugees in the 
mountains.  So far, we've only touched a small portion 
of those, and it is clear that massive amounts of 
humanitarian (aid) have to go in.
                   ///END ACTUALITY///
The air drops began Friday, when Australian Air Force 
planes dropped 20 tons of rice and blankets to three 
locations in East Timor.  The United Nations 
originally intended air drops to start early last 
week.  The Australian Government blames the slow start 
on the Indonesian military, which had refused to 
guarantee humanitarian aid planes would not be shot 
down over East Timor.  
Hundreds of thousands of people have fled East Timor 
or are trapped in the territory's mountainous 
interior, where relief agencies say they may face 
starvation.  The refugees fled violence by pro-
Indonesia militia groups which took over the 
territory, two weeks ago.  The militias are against 
East Timor's independence.  They began their rampage 
after the United Nations announced the majority of 
East Timorese people voted to separate from Indonesia, 
in a special referendum held on August 30th.
The head of the U-N peacekeeping mission to East Timor 
-- Australian Major General Peter Cosgrove -- is 
expected to meet with Indonesian military heads in the 
East Timorese capital, Dili, Sunday.  The talks are 
part of a pre-deployment survey of Dili for the 
peacekeepers.  
With that meeting delayed by the Indonesian military 
by one day, the U-N force is now expected to be 
deployed in East Timor, Monday.  Australia will be the 
dominant force in the peacekeeping mission, making up 
more than half of the mission's eight thousand troops.  
(Signed)
NEB/WTW/PN/DWJ/ wd
18-Sep-1999 04:54 AM LOC (18-Sep-1999 0854 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.