UN Appoints New Interim Government for East Timor

DILI, East Timor, Oct. 20, 00 (CWNews.com) - The UN administrator for East Timor on Friday appointed a new governing council as a step toward a native elected government.

The East Timor National Council includes 36 members representing the various districts of the South China Sea island-nation, community and religious groups, and political parties. It will be responsible for drafting and passing legislation, said UN administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello. Vieira de Mello will retain executive control until election are held late next year.

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation in the world, invaded mainly Catholic East Timor in 1975 and annexed it the following year in a move not recognized by the United Nations. In August 1999, the region held a Jakarta-proposed referendum to allow Timorese to choose either autonomy within Indonesia or full independence. After the pro-independence results were revealed, pro-Indonesia militias, armed and backed by Indonesia's military, went on a rampage, killing hundreds and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the former Portuguese colony.

Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
20. oktober 2000