| Subject: AFP: First contingent of UN police arrive
in East Timor Date: Sat, 26 Jun 1999 08:44:07 +0000 From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org> Received from Joyo Indonesian News: First contingent of UN police arrive in East Timor DILI, East Timor, June 21 (AFP) - The first 41 members of an unarmed UN police force for East Timor's vote on its future arrived here Monday from Australia. The contingent, some of them women and all wearing sky-blue UN berets, were greeted as they disembarked from a C-130 military transport plane at Dili's Comoro airport by police commissioner Alan Mills and Leo Pardede of the Indonesian police. Mills said the 15 Australians, 10 New Zealanders, seven Britons, six Spaniards and three Irish would be deployed Tuesday. Their arrival came as a decision was pending at the United Nations on whether security conditions would allow the vote to go ahead on August 8, the date agreed in May by Indonesia and Portugal. Indonesia has said it may let go of the former Portuguese colony it invaded in 1975 if the population rejects Indonesia's autonomy offer. Under the agreement, Indonesian police are responsible for security ahead of and during the vote. The UN police, who will act as advisors, will number 274 when at full strength. Back to June Menu |