Antara - The Indonesian National News Agency

September 11, 2002

RI, UNPKF SIGN TACTICAL COORDINATION LINE AGREEMENT

Atambua, E Nusa Tenggara, Sept 11 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian military task force for border safeguarding and the UN Peace Keeping Forces (UNKPF) signed an agreement on tactical coordination line (TCL) here Wednesday.

The written agreement was reached by both parties at their routine meeting at 1605 district military headquarters in Belu.

At the meeting, the UNPKF was represented by Brig Gen Williams and accompanied by some middle ranking officers of the UNPKF and UN civilian police.

The East Timor government was represented by the administrator of Oeccuse district, Fransisco Marues, administrator of Bobonaro district, Joao Vicenti, and the UNHCR deputy commission for Dili district, Adelmo Risi.

Meanwhile, Indonesia was represented by the task force for East Timor -Indonesia border commander, Lt.Col. Djoko Subandrio, accompanied by military officers and Belu police chief, Ajunct Sen.Coms. Agus Nugroho.

Subandrio said the TCL agreement mainly functions as a guidance for both parties to maintain security along the border line of the Indonesian district of Timor Tengah Utara (TTU) and East Timor's Oeccuse.

He said the agreement was the follow up of a joint investigation, conducted by the Indonesian military and Jordanian battalion, into the border area of Manusasi village in TTU district and that of Oeccuse.

The investigation was conducted following a stone throwing incident between the Indonesian people of Manusasi village and those in Bana village, Oeccuse to fight for an over-lapping claim over a land in the border area.

The Manusasi villagers in West Miomafo subdistrict claimed that land belongs to them, while those in East Timor's enclave also did so.

district government welcomed the TCL agreement to maintain peace along the border area.

East Timor was Indonesia's former province, which seceded from the republic as a consequence of the victory of pro-independence camp in the UN-organised plebiscite in August 1999.

The former Portuguese colony integrated into Indonesia from 1976 through 1999.

The integration process had never been recognised by the United Nations until former Indonesian president BJ Habibie suddenly let the people of East Timor make their own political choice through the UN-supervised ballot.

Habibie let the East Timorese freedom to opt for Jakarta's offered wide-ranging autonomy within the republic or opt for rejection to the autonomy, which automatically paved the way for secession.

The UN Mission in East Timor, which organised the registration, balloting, and vote counting process, claimed that majority of voters rejected Jakarta's offer of autonomy in the plebiscite.

East Timor officially declared its independence from the United Nations on May 20, 2002.

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