U.N. envoy pledges justice in Timor-Leste

United Press International

DILI, Timor-Leste, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The U.N. envoy to Timor-Leste has promised fair treatment in the U.N. investigation of violence that shook the nascent country this spring.

In a statement released Wednesday in the capital, Dili, the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general in Timor-Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa, said "the international community is aware of, and will respond to, the aspirations and demands for justice, fair and equal treatment of everyone alleged to have committed a criminal act during the period preceding and leading to the violent incidents in April and May of this year."

The crisis in Timor-Leste was sparked in late April by the firing of 600 striking soldiers, comprising a third of the armed forces.

The ensuing violence killed at least 37 people and displaced some 155,000, or 15 percent of the country's population, from their homes.

The United Nations has already launched an independent inquiry into the precise circumstances surrounding the incidents, said Hasegawa, adding that the investigation's commissioners will arrive in Timor-Leste next week.

The report on this investigation was slated for Oct. 7, with a delay being due the long process of conducting many criminal investigations. The special representative asked citizens to exercise patience, tolerance and to respect democratic principles based on the rule of law.

Achieving stability prior to the general elections next year is vital for the continued success of democracy in Timor-Leste, Hasegawa said. A task force made up of troops from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Portugal is currently in the country.

Hasegawa urged the Timorese people "to start the reconciliation process with their neighbors and fellow citizens -- whether they happen to be from the eastern or the western districts -- and to work together to achieve whatever democratic reforms they may desire."