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East Timor
Interim government set
First step toward independent rule
The UN administrator for East Timor appointed a new governing council in October, as a step toward a native elected government.
The East Timor National Council includes 36 members, representing the various districts of the island-nation in the South China Sea. The membership of the council also ensures representation of various civic and religious groups and political parties. The new body will be responsible for drafting and passing legislation, said UN administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello. Vieira de Mello himself will retain executive control until elections 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 that was never 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. The violence ended only when UN forces intervened to restore public order.
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