Security Council briefed on economic, security situation in East Timor
29 August -- A senior United Nations official today told the Security Council that the newly independent territory of East Timor had seen an "encouraging rise" in economic activity, despite continuing financial and social concerns.
Briefing the Council on the situation in East Timor over the past month, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hedi Annabi said that the establishment of the new transitional administration was well under way and that there had been a noticeable easing of employment pressures, with 3,114 registered private businesses, most of them Timorese.
In his statement, Mr. Annabi said that a gradual increase in foreign investment proposals in the areas of tourism, banking, fisheries and animal farming had also been noted.
As for the security situation, Mr. Annabi said that the militia posed a demonstrable threat to peace in East Timor and that there had been a rise in confirmed reports of militia activity and movements in the country's central and western sectors. An estimated 60-120 militia are currently operating throughout the territory. In response to the marked increase in militia activity, the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) decided not to proceed with the previously announced downsizing of troops, and instead has relocated some of its soldiers to the more volatile areas to control the situation.
Over the past month, law and order inside East Timor has remained stable, the UN official said, although civilian police statistics showed an upward trend in low-level crime and petty theft. With 75 detainees in custody for crimes committed during 1999, UNTAET and the Government of Indonesia were cooperating closely on investigations into the events of last year.
Mr. Annabi's presentation was followed by an extended debate in which the representatives of some 20 Member States participated.
Meanwhile in Dili, the UN Mission appealed today to armed militia members in the Same-Alas area in Manufahi district to turn in their weapons and enter into negotiations on returning to their home villages. UNTAET said in a statement that its peacekeeping forces had airdropped 1,000 leaflets, urging the group of approximately 30 militia members to make contact through the church or through Falintil, the East Timorese forces. The move by the peacekeepers followed a recent contact made by the militia members to a local priest, indicating their desire to return to their home villages.
The leaflets inform the group that the UN peacekeeping force is in East Timor to help them, "and does not want to shoot or harm anyone," the statement said. The fliers also offer to provide the armed men and their families with food and medicine, assistance with resettlement, and guarantees for their safety, once they hand over their weapons.
The UN mission is not offering an amnesty should it become evident that some members of the militia group were involved in serious crimes last year, UNTAET said.
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