Dispatch of Civilian Police Officers to the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET)

June 29, 1999

In response to a request from the United Nations, the Government of Japan decided on June 29 (Tue.) to dispatch three civilian police officers to the United Nations Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) based on the International Peace Cooperation Law. After leaving Japan on July 4, the three officers will have four-day training in Darwin, Australia, and arrive at Dili in East Timor on July 9. They will be stationed at different places to work for about two months and return to Japan in early September. While in East Timor, they will carry out duties including giving advice to the Indonesian police on their duties.
The legal status of East Timor has long been in contention. This year on May 5, however, the Government of Indonesia, the Government of Portugal, and the United Nations agreed to have a direct balloting in August to ascertain the will of the East Timorese people on the proposed constitutional framework providing for special autonomy. In order to organize and conduct the direct balloting, the United Nations Mission in East Timor was established on June 11 in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1246, comprising political, electoral, civilian police, military liaison, information, administrative/financial and human rights components. The mission will last until August 31.
Japan intends to support as much as possible the efforts for a peaceful solution to the East Timor issue. Besides this dispatch of three civilian police officers, Japan has already decided on the dispatch of a political affairs officer, a 10.11 million-dollar contribution for the U.N. Trust Fund, and assistance in kind of 2,000 radio sets.

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