East Timor Independence Vote Preparations 🇹🇱

(29 Aug 1999) Indonesian/Nat

On the eve of polling day in East Timor's independence vote, United Nations monitors began preparing staff and voters on Sunday for the historic vote.

At a polling station in Dili, the capital, officials and voters were shown how the referendum should work.

As polling day approaches a crowd of nearly 600 Roman Catholic worshippers gathered for Mass at the home of Bishop Carlos Belo, the Nobel Laureate and East Timor's spiritual leader.

The recent violence in the Indonesian province of East Timor has underlined the importance of the presence of United Nations overseers for Monday's referendum on independence.

The U-N's job is to see that the vote is conducted in a fair and non-violent manner, but clashes in recent days between pro and anti independence factions have raised the stakes for Monday's ballot.

About 450-thousand voters are deciding on whether mainly Roman Catholic East Timor remains part of Muslim-dominated Indonesia as an autonomous region or takes full independence.

Vote monitors said they were making sure their staff were fully briefed on how to oversee and ensure a just and peaceful vote.

Both staff and prospective voters were shown on Sunday how the ballot would work, running through the processes of registration and voting.

International observers will be watching to see whether turnout is affected by the violent clashes in recent days.

Hundreds of journalists, observers and officials will also be on hand to witness the historic event.

The U-N accuses pro-Indonesia militia forces of inflicting a campaign of terror to keep voters likely to vote for independence at home out of fear.

On Saturday, Indonesian police representatives again denied U-N charges that they have turned a blind eye to, or even assisted bullying of pro-independence supporters.

They insisted they would arrest anyone caught with a weapon.

While the usual diplomatic wrangling continues, polling stations are busy getting ready for what will surely be one of the most crucial days in the territory's history.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We are doing the exercise, we are doing the training and we are doing a simulation for the local staff so they don't - so it (the vote) works properly."
SUPER CAPTION: Hiraramani Gnimiri, UN voting monitor

The monitors and voters are preparing in different ways.

At least ten people died in fighting over Thursday and Friday alone.

But others gathered to pray for peace the day before the crucial vote.

Several hundred of East Timor's Catholic majority gathered on Sunday attended a service at the home of Bishop Carlos Belo, the Nobel Laureate and East Timor's spiritual leader.

Belo himself was not there as he was conducting another mass over six hours away in the southwest town of Suai.

But the presiding priest read a message from Belo urging all Timorese to vote without resorting to any violence.

The presiding priest, who also read pleas for nonviolence from Pope John Paul the Second, told the crowd that Monday was an important day for all.

SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese/Bahasa Indonesian)
"We're all concerned about the situation and across the territory, we are urging people to work towards peace on voting day and beyond."
SUPER CAPTION: Reverend Domingos Sequeira

Bishop Belo has said he believes most voters want Indonesia and its estimated 20-thousand soldiers to withdraw peacefully and he has tried to foster dialogue between those for and against independence.

But the situation is far from calm in the capital.




SOUNDBITE: (Bahasa Indonesian)




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