29 May - 11 June 2000 Vol. I, No. 8

Tais Timor is a public information service of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET)

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Rains bbring ddeath, ddestruction tto TTimor iisland

DDiillii mmaarrkkeettss ggeettttiinnggmmuucchh nneeeeddeedd ffaacceelliifftt

The Dili Central Market was thoroughlydestroyed last September but is now alive

and bustling. Its myriad vendors - hawkingfruit and vegetables and canned goods andbeer, clothing and cooking oil - amply demon-strate that the Timor economy is on therebound.

However, the market itself is currently aplace of wretched sanitation where few rulesapply. Its vendors, many of whom come fromfar off districts, vie for the choicest spots inburned out structures and on footpaths andsleep in their stalls overnight to protect theirgoods and secure their sites. Sellers occupyevery inch of ground - even overflowing intosurrounding streets, clogging them and oftenbringing traffic to a standstill.

Officials fear that in its current state themarket is ripe for crime and corruption and abreeding ground for social tension. This wasgiven weight by the 30 April incident inwhich five people were injured during gangclashes in the market area, and by theseizure of numerous weapons during subse-quent security sweeps.

But a long-term project is now underwayto change all that. It promises to bring someorder and efficiency not only to the Central

Officer Khalil Mahat of theUnited Nations Civilian Police

(CivPol) was driving to Viquequefrom Dili on the night of 11 Maywhen suddenly he discovered thatthe bridge he was about to cross wasno longer there.

“The Four Kilometers bridge, it’ssimply disappeared!” he yelled intohis radio to the CivPol base inViqueque, referring to the main over-pass leading into town. “I can’t seeit!”

Like Officer Mahat, who soughtshelter in his car to pass the night,thousands of people throughout EastTimor had to contend with distress-ing circumstances because of the col-lapse of the nation’s road network,which has literally been swept awayby heavy rains and flash floods.

Given the pivotal role that roadtransport plays in East Timor, itneeds no gainsaying the wider rami-fications of the roads’ disaster on thecountry economy and the communi-ties most immediately affected bythe destruction.

“We have never had this kind ofrain in 22 years,” said MateusSoares, an elderly resident ofViqueque, echoing sentimentsshared by a number of sources, including theUN High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) which is now coordinating emer-gency evacuation for flood victims in WestTimor (see side bar).

The UN Transitional Administration inEast Timor (UNTAET) quickly mobilizedresources to address the problem. “All the engi-neering elements of PKF are currently workingto rehabilitate the roads,” said Col. ImtiazAhmed, the Deputy Chief of Staff, EngineeringUnit of the UN Peacekeeping Force (UN-PKF).

Sector West, which encompasses the areaalong the West Timor border and includesOecussi, is worst affected, Col. Ahmed said.“Los Palos in the East is also cut off,” he added.“PKF engineers have already been deployed toSuai, Zumalai, Bobonaro and Maliana, whileothers will soon go to Ermera and Viqueque.”

In fact, the Bangladesh military engineer-ing battalion led by Lt. Col. Arif has alreadyconducted reconnaissance in Viqueque andpromises to be on the ground as soon as all theseparate parts of the “Bailey bridge” are deliv-ered to the site. (A Bailey bridge is a long-last-ing metal bridge that comes in sections andwill be built to replace the Four Kilometerscrossing.) “Fixing the bridge should not takemore than seven days,” Lt. Col. Arif said.

Nationwide, 50 roads are said to be indeplorable states and UN officials said theyhope that those thoroughfares should benefitfrom the current emergency rehabilitationplan.

Curious residents of Viqueque stare at the ruins of the Four Kilometres Bridge. The floods washed away the bridge, effectively cutting ofDistrict from the rest of the territory. The Bagladesh Peacekeeping engineering battalion, however, is installing a new “Bailey bridge”expected to last nover 50 years. Meanwhile, an Australian construction company undertaking road rehabilitation projects in the region hasalready established by-pass for the area.

Experts say, however, that the unprece-dented rains pose great challenges. “The roadsare collapsing badly and will continue to col-lapse as long as the rainy season lasts,” saidDiego Zorilla, the Deputy Chief of the UN’sInfrastructure Unit. “Weak soil geology, thelack of financing and maintenance, as well asthe use of heavy equipment on the roads are allto blame.” The last point, he pointed out, wasinevitable given the need to transport heavymilitary and humanitarian supplies across thecountry.

Mr. Zorilla was cautious not to prescribe anintervention strategy that was neither viablenor sustainable in the long-term. “It is impor-tant to ask ourselves whether it’s normal tohave this situation in East Timor during therainy season,” he said.

On the present rehabilitation work, Mr.Zorilla said the UN would try to attend to thecrisis by only carrying out emergency work dur-ing the rainy season. “The rest will be done inthe dry season,” he continued, “but the long-term development strategy should be dictatedby the country’s economic and manpower poten-tial.

“Adopting Western road standards in EastTimor simply cannot work because this wouldrequire us to spend much more money thanEast Timor has the capacity to support,” hesaid.

Tanka Gautam, a Civil Affairs Officerattached to the UNTAET Water Authority,noted that through the Quick Impact Projects

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29 May - 11 June 2000 Tais Timor

(QIPs) substantial progress has been made onthe roads, targeting debris clearance, improv-ing drainage and grass cutting, among a hostof other labour-intensive tasks.

As well, the United States Agency forInternational Development (USAID), which issponsoring the Transitional EmploymentProjects (TEPs), is providing US$100,000 perdistrict, much of it targeted at labour-inten-sive road repair and improvement.

Ultimately it will take a major rehabilita-tion effort to get the nation’s roads back indecent shape. “The first phase of the projectstarts in early June,” Gautam noted, referringto a US$29.8 million Asian Development Bank(ADB) project that would target five zones inthe country to rehabilitate infrastructure,including roads and port systems.

At the same time, an ambitious infra-structure project sponsored by the JapaneseInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA) willfocus on roads and bridges, among otherthings. JICA has been a major player in creat-ing jobs through QIPs, employing well over13,000 Timorese daily during the projects’peak.

“We are carrying out the initial surveysfor the project,” said Yukihiko Ejiri, JICA’sEast Timor Resident Representative. “This isexpected to end in July when we formulate therehabilitation programme for the next threeyears.”

Rain...continued from page 1

For Kenyan Sammy Mwiti, learning Tetunwas a matter of survival.“I was living with a family and I needed to

be able to communicate to them,” says Mr.Mwiti, who has been in East Timor for tenmonths and speaks the local language fluently.“I owe my Tetun skills to the children ofViqueque who taught me while we were playingtogether.

“Speaking Tetun has opened a whole worldof opportunities for me and given me the free-dom to socialize with people form various back-grounds,” he adds.

In East Timor, where currently several lan-guages are spoken, knowing one of them opensdoors to new friendship, new cultures.

A number of language courses have sprungup throughout East Timor to facilitate better

dents who graduated fromIndonesian universitiesoften do not have anyknowledge of Portuguese, sothey have been takingintensive language courses.“It seems that the courseshave received positiveresponses from the partici-pants,” he says. “We hadplanned for 100 studentsbut more then 300 are listedto attend courses.”

As for UNTAET, thefirst six English languagetraining courses for itsTimorese staff started on 15May at the new UNTAETLanguage and TrainingCentre. About 100 participants in the four-weekcourse attend two-hour classes four days a week.

“We designed a course for beginners andintermediates, one for administrative staff andanother one specifically for security people,” saysMichael Emery, Head of the Language TrainingUnit. He says that many East Timorese havepassive knowledge of English, as it was part ofthe curriculum in East Timor during Indonesiantimes, but they are not used to speaking active-ly. “It is a matter of confidence,” he notes. Soon,UNTAET will also teach such English languagecourses in the districts.

At the Civil Service Academy in Comoro,English courses are now being taught by teach-ers from the Australian group AusAid to civilservants, particularly the East Timorese BorderControl officers. “Portuguese classes are alsoplanned to start soon,” says Tony Lapsley, ActingHead of the Civil Service Academy.

Timorese have not been the only ones brush-ing up on their language skills. Many interna-

tionals have also taken advantage of studyingTetun.

Since January, TimorAid has been offeringindividual and group courses. Seven EastTimorese, whose knowledge of English is limit-ed, teach about 60 international students.

“This programme is very successful becausefinally people realize that they need to learn alanguage if they want to be able to communicatesuccessfully,” says Catharina Maria, the ProjectCoordinator of the TimorAid courses.

TimorAid has encountered various prob-lems, such as limited room space, lack of trans-portation at night for its teachers, which is themost popular time for classes; and class inter-ruptions because students are called to work.Despite these difficulties, TimorAid is preparinga second book for the next planned course, asmany requests keep pouring in from UNTAETstaff working in the districts, UN Civilian Police(CivPol) and international non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) to continue Tetun classes.

Torrential rains on the border with West Timor have caused tremendous devastation and precipitated a signif-icant humanitarian crisis. The deluge, accelerating on May 12 and lasting a couple of days, left in its wake 127

confirmed deaths and 37 people reported missing. All casualties occurred in West Timor. Most of the dead andmissing were women and children.

The figures for the number of people displaced by the rain varied. A local government official in the bordertown of Atambua was quoted as saying that as many as 10,000 people had lost their homes.

Independent sources, including the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pointed out that thefigure should be much higher, probably closer to 20,000. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) saidthe floods have directly affected a total of 57,000.

A majority of the victims, mainly East Timorese refugees living across the western border, perished onTuesday, 16 May, when the nearby Benenai River in Betun burst its banks, razing houses and farmlands of thetrapped population living in makeshift camps. Tree stumps and washed out vegetation cover exacerbated thedestruction by clogging bridges spanning the river, thereafter breaking loose into formidable flash floods.

The emergency rescue operation was hailed a success. It was a concerted effort involving the Government ofIndonesia working in close collaboration with the UN Civilian Police (CivPol) and Peacekeeping Forces (UN-PKF),as well as UNHCR, other UN agencies and NGOs. However, reports said the intervention effort was bogged downby communication problems. With bridges missing and floodwaters remaining high, access to the needy provedextremely problematic.

Language cclasses hhelp mmake ccommunicating eeasier

UNTAET’s head of Training, Michael Emery (left), and student Filomena do Regoplay a common word game during a beginner’s English course.

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Remnant of the Hatimuk Bridge in Belu District, West Timor, after heavy rains washed away roads and flooded homes. Onehundred twenty-seven people — mostly East Timorese women and children living in refugee camps in West Timor — diedas a result of the storm. In East Timor, transport was cut off to Viqueque and other districts suffered extensive damage.

Where to find information about courses:

•For the CNRT Portuguese course, talk to AntonioCardoso at the Senior High School SMA II building(behind the former UN compound).•For TimorAid's Tetun courses, call CatharinaMaria at +61-(0)407-797-803.•For Portuguese courses in specific professionalareas, contact The Instituto Camões, Centro de LínguaPortuguese, Edificio ACAIT, Rua António de Carvalho,no 10-2o, Díli. (Telephone: 0409 03 973 or 0407 9666154).

communication between Timorese and interna-tional staff working in East Timor.

The National Council of TimoreseResistance (CNRT) is coordinating Portugueseclasses, offering intensive and repetition cours-es. Teachers who were recruited from Portugalon a voluntary basis currently teach about 60students in individual and group classes.

According to Antonio Cardoso, the organizerof the Portuguese courses, East Timorese stu-

Tais Timor 29 May - 11 June 2000

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market story...continued from page 1

Market but to those in Becora and Comoroand several smaller ones as well. Known asthe Dili Market System RehabilitationProgramme, it is a comprehensive plan to ren-ovate the markets and to establish marketmanagement committees at the markets.These committees would help develop ways inwhich space for the sellers is rented on a fairand equitable basis and to ensure that pro-duce is kept at reasonable prices. The com-mittees will also stay on top of routine servic-es, making sure that water and electricity issupplied and that market areas get cleanedand rubbish removed.

The project was the idea of the DiliDistrict Subcommittee on Markets andCooperatives, which meets weekly andincludes long-time sellers, the CNRT andUNTAET officials. They turned to theJapanese International Cooperation Agency(JICA) to fund the initial stages of the project.JICA in turn enlisted the help of theAdventist Development and Relief Agency(ADRA), a Japanese non-governmental organ-ization (NGO) working in East Timor.

Phase one of the programme started inmid-May when the Dili DistrictAdministration enlisted the help of engineersfrom the Bangladeshi and Portuguese contin-gents of the UN Peacekeeping Force (UN-PKF). They were tasked with demolishing allremaining structures and the foundations inthe two huge, and heavily destroyed, marketareas of Becora and Comoro.

At the Comoro market alone 40Bangladeshi engineers spent five days takingdown the structures. “We brought in stone

crushers, a bulldozer anda road grader and lots oflarge dump trucks,” saidLt. Col. Arif of theBangladeshi engineeringbattalion. After cartingaway 150 truckloads ofrubble, the three-hectaremarket space was com-pletely clear and madeready for a new founda-tion and market struc-tures to be built.

Already, at both Becoraand Comoro, the recon-struction process is wellunderway, with the mar-ket foundation being

reinforced and large, modern toilet facilitiesbeing built by a local contractor using Timoreselabor. One small setback occurred at Comorowhen thieves made off with some new tiles androofing for the toilets, but the local communitypromptly stepped in, providing security to pro-tect their future market.

Over the next four months, Timorese con-tractors are expected to build numerous mod-ern market buildings and sales stalls — eventiled areas where vendors can sell fish, meatand poultry in sanitary conditions. Tenderswent out for the work in late May.

The Dili Market Committee is hopeful thatas the Comoro and Becora markets near com-pletion, their much improved and more secureconditions will act as a magnet, drawing sellersaway from the overcrowded Central Market.They are also planning to renovate three small-er markets in the Dili area as added incentivefor vendors to at least temporarily leave thechaos of the Central Market.

A key component of the overall rehabilita-tion plan is to create a market cooperative man-agement system. During the last 24 years,more than 90 per cent of businesses in the mainmarkets were owned by Indonesians. Out of200 management staff, only 15 were Timorese.Today the challenge is to help the Timoresemanage their own stalls and their own marketsystem. Local committees are already estab-lished at Becora and Comoro and several othersmall Dili markets.

One big challenge is to begin bringing someorder to the Central Market chaos. Officials areplanning to move many of the vendors who clogthe edges of the market at least temporarily

into interior sections where there is availablespace, and to begin a major clean-up of theentire market. It’s essential that this clean-upprocess take place. It’s all part of a scheme tomake the Central Market a more inviting andsecure place for Timorese and internationalsalike, many of whom currently avoid ventur-ing into the middle sections because of fear ofcrime and the general uncleanliness.

The final phase, of course, is to begin amajor renovation of the Central Market itself.This would include temporarily closing it,shoring up the foundation, which has experi-enced significant sinking, and then renovat-ing and rebuilding all market structures andstalls. Stage one of the final phase of the DiliMarket Rehabilitation Programme, is alreadyunderway — that is a search for an interna-tional donor to underwrite the project costs.In the long-run, however, the DiliAdministration will establish a fund for allthe Dili markets, the money coming from gov-ernment taxes on purchases and registeringand rental costs from traders.

Cleaning up the rubble of the huge ComoroMarket was light work for the Bangladesh

Engineering Battalion, commanded by Col.Faruque. The 531-man battalion "was hand-picked for its expertise in things like structuraland foundation design," says one of theCompany commanders, Lt. Col. Arif, who him-self served in the UN Peacekeeping Mission inCambodia. "We're capable of repairing andstabilizing just about anything," he boasts.

Their specialty, according to Lt. Col. Arif, is"vertical" and "horizontal" engineering feats -constructing and working on tall structures,and spanning the wide ones. In East Timorthese days, following massive rain storms andflooding, that means mostly replacing bridgesand roads that have been washed away.

The Bangladeshi engineers, who deployedto East Timor in February and work out of aformer convention center on the road to Tibar,west of Dili, do most of their work in Liquica,Ermera, Baucau and Oecussi Districts, as wellas around Dili. But they were called in after themajor bridge collapse that closed down trafficin and out of Viqueque on 11 May. Now theyare working full time to construct a Baileybridge so that humanitarian and commercialtraffic can once again move in and out of thatisolated city.

UN and aid agency officials hope renovation of the Becora and Comoro markets will helpalleviate some of the overcrowding at the Dili Central Market.

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THE CCLEAN TTEAM —— WWith mmasks ffor pprotection ffrom tthedust aand wwith tthe aaid oof hheavy eequipment ffrom ttheBangladeshi aand PPortuguese UUN Peacekeepers, DDili rresidentswere wworking ffull ttime tthe llast wweek oof MMay tto cclean uup rrub-ble aand ddebris ooff tthe ssidewalks aand sstreets oof tthe ccapital.

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I need immediate medical assistanceI feel sick/illWhat are your symptoms?Where is the hospital/clinic?Do you want me to call a doctor?I have a head/stomach acheI am having trouble breathingI have chest painDo you have a fever?Have you been vomiting?I feel dizzyDo you feel nauseous?I have a toothacheWhen did the pain start?I have had pain for a week Try to stay calmDoes the clinic have a doctor?I feel better nowI feel worsePlease fill this prescription for meI will give you an injectionI must pull out that toothDoes that hurt?I am pregnant / Are you expecting a baby?Are you taking any medication?I have a heart conditionI am suffering from asthma/malariaI am a diabeticHave you ever had malaria or dengue?Do you take malaria pills?You need to go to the hospitalI have an itching problem Are you coughing?I am coughing bloodDo you have night sweats?Do you produce mucus when you cough?Do your sputum(mucus) contain blood?Are you taking any traditional treatment?Do you get fever and chills?

Ha’u hakarak hetan tulun mediku lalaisHau sente morasIta boot sente moras oinsa?Hospital/klinika iha nebe?Hakarak hau bolu doutor ka?Hau nia ulun/kabun morasHau dada iis ladun diakHau sente moras iha hirus matanIta boot sente isin manas?Ita boot muta beibeik?Hau sente oin nakukunIta boot sente laran sa’e?Hau nia nehan morasHahu moras horibainhira?Hau sente moras semana ida onaLabele hanoin barak ita tenke kalmaKlinika ida nee iha doutor? Agora hau sente diak liu tanHau sente aat liu tanFavor ida ita prense reseita ne’e ba hauHau sei sona/fo inijasaun ba ita bootHau tenke hasai nehan ne’eNe’e moras?Hau nia isin ruaIta boot isin rua?Ita boot hemu aimoruk ruma ona?Hau iha moras fuanHau moras asmha/malariaHau moras diabetikIta moras malaria ka dengue dala ruma ona?Ita boot hemu aimoruk malaria ruma?Ita boot presiza ba ospitalHau iha problema isin katarIta boot me’ar?Hau me’ar ranIta boot kosar bainhira toba?Ita tafui me’ar tasak bainhira ita boot me’ar?Ita boot nia me’ar tasak akompanha ho ran ka?Ita boot hemu aimoruk tradisional ruma?Ita boot hetan isin manas no malirin?

Please Post in Visible Spot in Your Community — at the School, the Church, the Hospital, the Market, or Anywhere People Congregate

Please Post in Visible Spot in Your Community — at the School, the Church, the Hospital, the Market, or Anywhere People Congregate

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Tetun English

There is, perhaps, no moment when it is more urgent to com-municate effectively than when one has a health problem

and is in need of medical assistance. “Thank God I have myhealth!” It’s an old expression that sums up the paramountvalue of good health. As the second in a series of useful lan-

Don’t Be at a Loss for Words in

Please Post in Visible Spot in Your Community — at the School, the Church, the Hospital, the Market, or Anywhere People Congregate

Please Post in Visible Spot in Your Community — at the School, the Church, the Hospital, the Market, or Anywhere People Congregate

Please Post in Visible Spot in Your Com

munity —

at the School, the Church, the H

ospital, the Market, or A

nywhere People C

ongregate

Portuguese Indonesian

guage phrases and expressions, Tais Timor offers here a listing,in four languages, of key phrases regarding health and medicalconcerns. Take some time to learn them, post them at schools,clinics and other sites. At some point, knowing them may proveinvaluable to your well-being, or that of others.

a Health or Medical Emergency

Preciso de assistência médica com urgênciaEstou-me a sentir mal/doenteQuais são os sintomas?Onde é o hospital/clínica?Quer que eu chame um médico?Tenho uma dor-de-cabeça/estômagoNão consigo respirarTenho dores no peitoTem febre?Tem vomitado?Estou com tonturasSente náusea?Tenho dor-de-dentesQuando é que a dor começou?Tenho dores há uma semanaTente acalmar-seEsta clínica tem médicos?Já me sinto melhorSinto-me piorPor favor, pode preencher esta receitaVou dar-lhe uma injecçãoTenho que arrancar esse denteEsta a doer?Estou grávidaEstá à espera de bebé?Está a tomar algum remédio?Tenho uma doença cardíacaEu sofro de asma/maláriaSou diabéticoAlguma vez teve malária ou dengue?Está a tomar remédios contra a malária?Precisa de ir para o hospitalEstou com comichãoTem tosse?Estou a tossir sangueSua muito à noite?Tem especturação quando tosse?A especturação tem sangue?Está a tomar algum remédio tradicional?Sente febre ou calafrios?

Saya membutuhkan bantuan medis secepatnya Saya merasa sakit Bagaimana gejala sakit andaDimana rumah sakit/klinikAnda mau saya panggil dokterSaya merasa kepala/perut sakitSaya susah bernafasSaya merasa sakit di dadaAnda merasa badan panasAnda merasa mual dan munta Saya merasa pusingSaya merasa mualGigi saya sakitKapan anda merasa gigi anda sakit?Saya merasa sakit sudah satu mingguJangan banyak pikiran,harus sabarApakah di klinik ini ada dokter?Sekarang saya sudah merasa lebih baikSaya meresa lebih burukMohon anda memberikan resep obat ini kepada sayaSaya akan menyungtik andaSaya akan mencabut keluar gigi ituSakit?/Anda merasa sakit?Saya hamil/Saya sudah hamilApakah anda sedang hamil?Apakah anda sudah melakukan pemeriksaan?Saya menderita penyakit jantungSaya menderita penyakit asma/malariaSaya penderita diabetesApakah anda menderita malaria atau demam berdarah?Apakah anda sudah minum obat malaria?Anda perlu pergi ke rumah sakitSaya ada penyakit kulit (gatal).Apakah anda batuk?Saya menderita batuk berdarahApakah anda berkeringat waktu tidur?Apakah anda mengeluarkan lendir ketika batuk?Apakah lendir anda disertai darah?Apakah anda sedang menjalani pengobatan tradisional?Apakah anda menderita penyakit panas dan mengigil?

Drawings by student artists with the UNTAET/Community Empowerment Project Workshop

29 May - 11 June 2000 Tais Timor

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District News Round-upAileu: The District Administration has launched the so-called combined Law and CommunityDevelopment workshops as a means of “initiating participatory discussions with specific inter-est groups and communities on the rule of law and social order as pre-conditions to participa-tory, bottom-up and community-driven development.”

Ermera: There is what seems to be literally a storm in a coffee cup in Ermera following theimposition of a 5 per cent export tax on coffee beans. Farmers attribute the declining value oftheir product to the levy. However, global coffee prices have been plunging, a situation linkedto myriad variables, among them the proliferation of cheaper products on the internationalbeverages market. UNTAET District officials have called for a consensus over the issue, urg-ing that the tax question be reconsidered.

Lautem: The devastating effects of the recent flash floods in the country put the safety ofmany people in jeopardy. Seventeen major roads in the District were damaged and access toDistrict headquarters was impossible via road transport, placing severe limitations on thedelivery of social services like health.

A similar situation exists in Ainaro where many road surfaces have been scooped off, leav-ing a treacherous passage that hangs precariously on the precipice. Suai, Lospalos and Oecussihave also experienced acute deterioration of roads.

However, an emergency roads rehabilitation program is underway to improve road condi-tions within East Timor.

Same: A vaccination campaign against polio, measles and DPT (diphtheria, tetanus, whoop-ing cough) had benefited well over 200 children by the middle of May. Conducted by NurseJulio Mendonca, the program extended to the sub-districts of Letefoho, Holarua, Betano,Daisua, Same, Tutulru, Maniko and Grotu.

The polio vaccination is an oral vaccination, administered once a month over a period offour months while DPT is an intra-muscular injection administered once a month for a periodof three months. The measles vaccination is an injection administered once only to childrenabove the age of nine months.

Viqueque: The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that two recent deaths werelinked to the deadly Japanese encephalitis virus. Fearing the outbreak of an epidemic, WHO,in collaboration with UNTAET, CNRT community leaders and the Church have been conduct-ing awareness campaigns throughout the District. MSF-France, the only medical non-govern-mental organization operating in the region has been treating the sick and playing a major rolein the awareness programme.

Preventive measures advocated by medical experts include cleaning up the environment tominimize damp conditions where the vector thrives. “We are advising people to clean up thedrainage systems near their homes and clear the stagnant waters because they provide breed-ing grounds for the disease causing organism,” said Shafiqur Rahman, a Social Affairs Officer(Health) based in Viqueque. Isolating pigs from human beings is also recommended because ithas been proven that the encephalitis-carrying mosquito is likely to bite unsuspecting victimsafter carrying the germs from infected pigs.

The virtual breakdown of the road transport network in Viqueque has cut off many resi-dents from basic social services, including health, raising fears that an epidemic outbreak suchas Japanese encephalitis would pose critical humanitarian challenges. However Mr. Rahmansaid that the situation was under control, allaying doubts about an emergency scenario.

NNeewwss BBrriieeffssEast Timor reconstruction conference: A con-ference on East Timor reconstruction will be held inTibar, outside Dili, from 30 May to 2 June.

According to the conference spokesperson,Milena Pires, the conference, which is sponsored byCNRT, will be on “Reconstructing East Timor:Analysis of the Past and Perspectives for theFuture”.

Ms. Pires said that, “the recognition andacceptance by Timorese of the important challengesahead need to establish the close understandingand the aspiration of the people is fundamental toparticipatory democracy.”

CNRT President Xanana Gusmão will open theconference, while Vice President Jose Ramos Hortawill address East Timor’s transition to a sovereignnation where he will indicate East Timor’s progresson the world stage. Transitional AdministratorSergio Vieira de Mello will review East Timor’sdomestic progress.

Falintil to help UN Peacekeepers: To buildfuture collaboration between the Falintil and theUN Peacekeeping Force (UN-PKF), four membersof Falintil started serving as liaison officers at theend of May. Each of the officers is armed with a pis-tol. One is posted in UN-PKF Headquarter in Dili,while the other three are in UN-PKF commandzones.

Journalists at NCC meetings: For the first time,journalists were invited to attend the first part of ameeting of the National Consultative Council(NCC) where UNTAET briefed members on currentissues, such as the Civil Service, the reconstructionprogram, judicial affairs and prisons.

Australia concerned over Timor illnesses: TheAustralian Federal Police Association is concernedabout the wide array of illnesses affecting officerswho served in East Timor, according to a report bythe British Broadcasting Corporation. Up to anestimated 40 per cent of those who serve in EastTimor could be suffering illnesses as well as malar-ia, dengue fever and post traumatic stress syn-drome.

Bishop visits Republic of Korea: Bishop CarlosFilipe Ximenes Belo went to the Republic of Koreaon 16 May to participate in an international confer-ence commemorating the 20th anniversary of thedemocratic uprising in Kwangju.

Bishop Belo then gave a closing speech thenext day on “the direction of the human rightsmovement in the third millennium.” Before leavingfor Taiwan on 18 May, the Bishop also gave a spe-cial lecture in Kwangju and met President Kim.

August trial for Suharto: Former IndonesianPresident Suharto, who is suspected of embezzlingmillions of dollars during his 32 years in power, isexpected to be brought to trial in August, the coun-try’s top prosecutor said on 19 May.

Attorney General Marzuki Darusman alsowarned that the government would end the mas-sive police presence if the former president’s familystarted cooperating with investigators.

In a related development, thousands of demon-strators demanding Suharto be brought to trialended in a riot near the downtown villa. Mr.Darusman said in a press conference that,“Suharto’s case will be brought to court beforeAugust 10,” but President Abdurrahmann Wahidhad also instructed Mr. Darusman to make clear tothe family that the government had no obligation toguarantee their safety.

RADIOUNTAET99FM

•News at 6 am, 1pm, 6pm•Halibur ba Loron Foun / The New Day Program (live) 6-7pm, Monday to Friday•Radio UNTAET programs at 6-7am, 1-2pm everyday with Timorese, English, Portuguese andWorld Music

For the latest news and information about East Timor, tune in to Radio UNTAET.

Graphic arts got awarm reception atthe new CulturalCentre andMuseum on 20 Mayas East Timoreseartists exhibitedthe fruits of theirwork after attend-ing a two-weektraining workshopin design and visu-al aids for commu-nity development.

The workshop ispart of the ongoingCommunityEmpowermentProject to developlocal artists andcultural workers.

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OOlléé!! EEuurrooppeeaann CCuupp ffiinnaall sseett ttoo bbee aann aallll-SSppaanniisshh aaffffaaiirrReal Madrid will be facing Spanish cohorts Valencia in an all-Spanishfinal despite losing 2:1 to Bayern Munich because of an away goalscored in the away game in Munich Olympic Stadion.

According to FIFA rules Real Madrid’s away goal gave them threegoals in all, one better than Bayern Munich. For rookie coaches DelBasque of Real Madrid and Hector Raul Cuper of Valencia, it’s a greatend to their first year at the helm of both clubs, taking the two clubsto the finals of the top European clubs final on 20 May in Paris.

GGaallaattaassaarraayy wwrriitteess nneeww cchhaapptteerr iinn TTuurrkkeeyy’’ss ffoooottbbaallll hhiissttoo-rryy wwhhiillee ffaannss ccllaasshh iinn CCooppeennhhaaggeennGalatasaray made history by becoming the first Turkish club to winone of the European club competitions, coming through in a penaltykick shootout to capture the UEFA Cup after playing to a scoreless tiewith Arsenal.

In the penalty shootout, Davor Suker and Patrick Vieira failed tocash in on their opportunities to give Arsenal a second title like theydid before when the Gunners beat Parma in the 1994 Cup WinnerCup.

Former Brazilian goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, who was “the manof the match,” made several important saves during the match onscoring chances by Marc Over Mars and Thiery Henry of Arsenal.Hakan Sukur, George Hagi and Popescu also created a lot of impor-tant chances for Galatasaray but were turned away by Arsenal goalieDavid Seaman.

On 17 May there was a clash between the fans of the two clubs inCopenhagen which left another two fans stabbed, one from each side.

SSppaanniisshh FFiirrsstt DDiivviissiioonnTeam GP W L D PtsxDeportivo C 38 21 11 6 69Barcelona 38 20 12 6 66Real Zarag 37 16 6 15 63Real Madrid 37 16 8 14 62Valencia 37 17 10 10 61x denotes League ChampionMMaayy 1133 && 1144 ggaammeess:: Atletico Madrid 1, Sevilla 1; Real Betis 0, RealMadrid 2; Real Zaragoza 3, Malaga 2; Real Sociedad 0, Barcelona0; Racing Santander 0, Deportivo Coruna 0; Valladolid 2, Mallorca1; Celta Vigo 0, Valencia 0; Alaves 2, Numancia 2; Espanyol 0,Athletic Bilbao 0; Rayo Vallecano 1, Ovieda 2

DDuuttcchh LLeeaagguueeTeam GP W L D PtsxPSV 32 25 4 3 78Heerenveen 32 21 8 3 66Feyenoord 32 17 6 9 60Vetesse Arnhem 32 17 7 8 59Ajax Amst 32 17 8 7 58x denotes League ChampionAApprriill 3300 ggaammeess:: PSV 7, RKC 1; Vitesse 3, Ajax 0; Feyenoord 5, AZ3; Cambuur 0, Herenveen 2; MVV 2, NEC 0; De Graafschap 2,Sparta 3; Den Bosch 0, Fortuna 2; FC Utrect 1, Willem II 1; RodaJC 3, Twente enschede 2

FFrreenncchh LLeeaagguueeTeam GP W L D PtsxMonaco 34 20 9 5 65Paris S-G 34 16 8 10 58Lyon 34 16 10 8 56Bordeux 34 15 10 9 54Lens 34 14 13 7 49x denotes League Champion

GGeerrmmaann BBuunnddeesslliiggaaTeam GP W L D PtsxBayern Munich 34 22 5 7 73Bayer Leverkusen 34 21 3 10 73Hamburger SV 33 16 7 10 58TSV 1860 Munich 33 14 9 10 52Hertha Berlin 32 13 9 11 50x denotes League ChampionMMaayy 1133 ggaammeess:: SSV Ulm 2, VFL Wolfsburg 0; Bayer Leverkusen 4,Eintracht Frankfurt 1; Arminia Bielefeld 0, Bayern Munich 3;Borrusia Dortmund 1, Schalke 04 1; SC Freiburg 2, Kaiserslautern1; TSV 1860 Munich 2, Hertha Berlin 1; Hamburg SV 3,Unteraching 0; Hansa Rostock 1, VfB Stuttgart 4; Werder Bremen 4,MSV Duisburg 0

PPoorrttuugguueessee LLeeaagguueeTeam GP W D L PtsSporting 30 20 8 2 68FC Porto 30 20 6 4 66Benfica 30 18 6 6 60Gil Vicente 30 13 9 8 48Guimaraes 30 14 5 11 47

EEuurrooppeeaann FFoooottbbaallll LLeeaagguuee SSttaannddiinnggss

IIttaalliiaann SSeerriiee AATeam GP W L D PtsxLazio 34 20 4 9 72Juventus 34 20 5 8 71AC Milan 34 16 5 13 61Inter Milan 34 17 10 7 58Parma 34 16 8 10 58x denotes League ChampionMMaayy 1144 ggaammeess:: Lazio 3, Reggina 0; Juventus 0, Perugia 1; ACMilan 4, Udinese 0; Parma 4, Lecce 1; Cagliari 0, Inter Milan 2;Fiorentina 3, Venezia 0; Verona 2, AS Roma 2; Bari 1, Bologna 1;Torino 2, Piacenza 1

EEnngglliisshh PPrreemmiieerr LLeeaagguuee Team GP W L D PtsxMan.United 38 28 3 7 91Arsenal 38 22 9 7 73Leeds Unit 38 21 11 6 69Liverpool 38 19 9 10 67Chelsea 36 18 9 11 65x denotes League ChampionMMaayy 22 && 1144 ggaammeess:: Arsenal 2, West Ham United 1; Middlesbrough2, Newcastle 2; Bradford 1, Liverpool 0; Southampton 2,Wimbledon 0; Aston Villa 0, Man United 2; West Ham United 0,Leeds United 0; Newcastle 4, Arsenal 2; Chelsea 4, Derby County0; Everton 0, Middlesbrough 2; Sheffield Wednesday 4, Leicester 0;Tottenham Hotspur 3, Sunderland 1; Watford 1, Coventry 0

29 May - 11 June 2000 Tais Timor

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The name Tais Timor conjures the image of the careful, time-honoured process that goes into making the traditional Timorese cloth used in all important life events. As the different"ingredients" that make up East Timor come together during the transitional period to rebuild the country, Tais Timor aims to record and reflect those events that weave the beautifultapestry that is Timor Lorosa'e.A bi-weekly public information service of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). Published in Tetun, Indonesian, Portuguese and English. Written, edit-ed and designed by the UNTAET Office of Communication and Public Information (OCPI). Circulation 75,000. UNTAET-OCPI, c/- PO Box 2436, Darwin NT 0801, Australia. Tel: +61- 8-8942-2203 Fax: +61-8-8981-5157 email: untaet-ocpi@un.org Not an official document. For information purposes only.

Dear readers, it seems like everywhere Igo now, people keep asking, “Tiu,

what’s the official language going to be inTimor Lorosa’e?” They still seem quite con-fused as to whether it will be Tetun,Portuguese or Indonesian.

Just yesterday, three young Timoresefriends stopped by looking for answers.Let’s listen in:Sico: Bondia Tiu, Diak ka la’e (how areyou)?Tiu: Di’ak (good), but how are you myfriends? I haven’t seen you with such longfaces in some time. How come?Sico: It’s just that we’re a bit upset aboutall this uncertainty as to what language weare going to speak. You know it’s a verysensitive issue for the people of TimorLorosa’e at the moment.Tiu: You’re certainly right, but tell mewhat you’re thinking, and I’ll see if I canhelp you.Sico: Tiu, you know there’ve been all theserumors swirling around about the officiallanguage. It’s going to be Portuguese orTetun. It might even be Indonesian. Clearup the confusion, Tiu, what’s it going to be?Tiu: Well, it is confusing. But what I cantell you is that Xanana Gusmao, the CNRTpresident, has addressed the issue on anumber of occasions in press conferencesand the like. In fact, I was at a town meet-ing in Baucau recently when he was askedby a priest if there would be a vote to decidethe country’s official language.Antoneta: What did he say?Tiu: He said that Portuguese was going tobe the official language and that it was a

political decision. Xanana added, of course,that Tetun is our mother tongue. It’s justthat Tetun is not yet developed enough to bethe official language. You know, it currentlydoesn’t have a lot of technical and scientificterms. And, Antoneta, there just aren’t a lotof books available in Tetun. But Xanana alsosaid that if Tetun really develops as a lan-guage in the next decade, then there’s thereal possibility that it would be adopted asthe official language of Timor Lorosa’e.Domingas: Who ultimately decides onwhich language we use?Tiu: It hasn’t been formally decided yetbecause it’s a very sensitive and difficultdecision. But as I told you, for the interim,until we have an independent government,Xanana, as the President of the CNRT hasindicated that the official language isPortuguese. Eventually, perhaps, represen-tatives of all the different Timorese groupsand political parties will hold a nationalmeeting to debate the merits of each lan-guage — why it should be Portuguese orTetun — or even Indonesian, for that mat-ter.

It’s interesting, Domingas, even whenthe President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio,was here he said “it is a big decision todecide that Portuguese should be the officiallanguage, but it is also important that thedecision be made by the people.”Sica: You think he’s right, Tiu?Tiu: Absolutely. You know the country nowhas lots of East Timorese who areIndonesian university graduates. They feelthe Indonesian language is important.They’re comfortable with it. And lots of peo-

ple want Tetun, even with its limitations,because it’s the dominant national lan-guage. There are even people who think itshould be English given that it is the lan-guage of international commerce.Sico: Tiu, is there any on-going discussionon the official language?Tiu: Well, recently there was a languageconference run by a local NGO calledFundasaun Naroman with the cooperationof IMPETTU. The conference was called“The Official Language for the New TimorLorosa’e.” As you might expect, there wasboth criticism and support for Portuguese,as there was for Tetun. It was also suggest-ed that the Portuguese language be thetemporary official language until Tetun isready to be adopted as the official lan-guage. And then, of course, there was asuggestion to retain the Indonesian lan-guage as the official language since somany people in East Timor speak it, and aproposal that a national vote ultimatelydetermine the language.Sico: So much opinion, so little decision, ehTiu?Tiu: True enough my friend, but remem-ber, I haven’t told you anything more aboutthe official language than that Xananathinks it should be Portuguese in the inter-im, as, by the way, did the Fretilin nation-al congress recently. But the NationalConsultative Council (NCC), the highestdecision-making body in East Timor, hasn’teven taken a decision yet on the question,so don’t go spreading rumors.Sico: Okay, Tiu, that’s wise advice andthanks for the help on clearing things up.Tiu: Adeus, and I look forward to chattingwith you guys again soon, and, hopefully,it’ll be in the official language of TimorLorosa’e, whatever that turns out to be.

TTiiuu aannsswweerrss qquueessttiioonnss aabboouutt......

East TTimor’s oofficial llanguage

East TTimorese PPrison SStaff iin TTraining

Prisons at Becora and Gleno are nowrenovated and operating, and a vigor-

ous training program is underway to trainprison officers. On 18 May, six prisonofficers on loan from the New ZealandCorrections Department began a one-week training course for 26 newTimorese at Becora prison in Dili. All offi-cers will continue to get four hours ofadditional training per week while on thejob. Mark Fletcher, a prison officer withthe New Zealand training group teachescontrol and restraint measures (above) toEast Timorese newest prison staff. Sixother New Zealanders are scheduled totrain East Timorese in Baucau.

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