United Nations Administered East Timor

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East Timor
Timor-Leste (
Arabic)
东帝汶 (Chinese)
Timor oriental (French)
Восточный Тимор (Russian)
Timor oriental (Spanish
)
1999–2002
Coat of arms of East Timor
Coat of arms
Transitional
Administrator
 
• 1999–2002
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Chief Minister 
• 2001–2002
Mari Alkatiri
History 
25 October 1999
20 May 2002
Area
• Total
15,007 km2 (5,794 sq mi)
Population
• 
947,000
CurrencyUnited States dollar
ISO 3166 codeTL
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Indonesian occupied East Timor
East Timor

United Nations Administered East Timor refers to the period between 25 October 1999 and 20 May 2002 when East Timor was administered by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor as a United Nations protectorate.

Background

East Timor was colonised by

International Force for East Timor was deployed to the territory to bring the violence to an end. Indonesia formally rescinded its annexation on 19 October 1999 and a United Nations transitional administration was subsequently established on 25 October 1999 by Security Council Resolution 1272 to administer the territory until independence
on 22 May 2002.

Administrative history

Initial administrative arrangements

A fifteen member National Consultative Council was established in December 1999 by UNTAET REG 1999/2,[1] and served as a forum for East Timorese political and community leaders to advise the Transitional Administrator and discuss policy issues. The Council had eleven Timorese members and four international members. A Transitional Judicial Service Commission was also established to ensure representation of East Timorese leaders in decisions affecting the judiciary in East Timor. The Commission was made up of three Timorese representatives and two international experts.[2]

First transitional administration

In July 2000 the membership of the National Consultative Council was expanded to 36 members including, one representative from each of the 13 districts of East Timor, and the body was renamed the National Council.[3] All the members were now Timorese and represented the main political parties and religious communities of East Timor. The National Council became a legislature style body and had the right to debate any future regulations issued by UNTAET.

The following month an executive body, the Transitional Cabinet, was formed comprising four Timorese members and four international members.[4][5]

Progress was made in the development of a judicial system with a Prosecutor General's Office and a Defender Service established. District Courts and Court of Appeal were also established.

A voter registration process was completed during this period and preparations were made for elections to a Constituent Assembly that would prepare East Timor for independence expected in 2002.

Second transitional administration

Elections for an 88-member Constituent Assembly[6] were held on 30 August 2001, the second anniversary of the autonomy referendum, which resulted in a majority of seats for the Fretilin party. The Assembly nominated a transitional Council of Ministers[7] the following month. The Council of Ministers had 24 members and was led by transitional Chief Minister Mari Alkatiri.

The Constituent Assembly completed work on a draft constitution and this was promulgated in March 2002,[8] the Assembly would serve as the parliament of East Timor following independence.

Presidential elections were held in April in which Xanana Gusmão was elected president of a future independent East Timor.

East Timor became an independent state on 20 May 2002.

Office holders

Transitional administrator

Sérgio Vieira de Mello served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for East Timor (Transitional Administrator) during the period East Timor was administered by the United Nations.

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Election Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
- Ian Martin
n/a 25 October 1999 19 November 1999 25 days n/a
1 Sérgio Vieira de Mello
(1948–2003)
n/a 19 November 1999 20 May 2002 2 years, 182 days n/a

Chief minister

Chief Minister of East Timor
between September 2001 and May 2002.

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Election Term of office Political party
Took office Left office Time in office
1 Mari Alkatiri
(born 1949)
2001 20 September 2001 20 May 2002 212 days Fretilin

Elections

The following elections were held during United Nations administration:

Local government

Map of the districts of East Timor.

During the period of United Nations administration, East Timor was divided into thirteen districts:[9]

  1. Lautém
  2. Baucau
  3. Viqueque
  4. Manatuto
  5. Dili
  6. Aileu
  7. Manufahi
  8. Liquiçá
  9. Ermera
  10. Ainaro
  11. Bobonaro
  12. Cova Lima
  13. Oecusse

Each district was headed by an UNTAET appointed District Administrator supported by District Advisory Councils with representation from political parties, the Catholic Church, women and youth groups.[10]

Security and law enforcement

Security was initially provided by the

FALINTIL
was officially disbanded as this time with many of its members joining the new defence force.

Initially law and order in East Timor was maintained by an international

East Timor Police Service was established in August 2001.[12] Prisons were established at Dili, Becora and Gleno. A Serious Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Detachment
also existed to investigate human rights abuses during the period of Indonesian occupation and its immediate aftermath.

  • Emblem of INTERFET
    Emblem of INTERFET
  • Patch of the East Timor Police Service 2001-2002
    Patch of the East Timor Police Service 2001-2002

International relations

Liaison Offices

The following countries opened Liaison offices in East Timor during the period of United Nations administration:[13]

Sport

Four East Timorese athletes participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics and two athletes participated in the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.[14]

Media and communications

UNTAET public information

The UN-led interim administration maintained a local FM radio station, "Radio UNTAET", a TV station, "TV UNTAET" and published a fortnightly newsletter known as "Tais Timor" in English, Portuguese, Tetum and Indonesian.[15]

Postal services

The United Nations transitional administration established an East Timor Postal Service in April 2000 with post offices opening in Dili, Baucau and at Comoro Airport. Two postage stamps with the inscription Timor Lorosae / UNTAET were first issued on 29 April 2000, in red for domestic mail and blue for international mail.[16][17][13]

  • UNTAET East Timor domestic and international postage stamps
    UNTAET East Timor domestic and international postage stamps
  • UNTAET East Timor first day cover 29 April 2000
    UNTAET East Timor first day cover 29 April 2000

Telecommunications

Portuguese Timor used the international dialing code +672 until 1975.

Australian External Territories. Initially after the end of Indonesian occupation, the code +672 9 was used following an agreement with the Government of Australia and telecommunications provider Telstra.[19]
East Timor was later assigned the code +670.

See also

References

  1. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 1999/2 On the establishment of a National Consultative Council". Un.org. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 1999/3 On the establishment of a Transitional Judicial Service Commission". Un.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  3. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 2000/24 On the establishment of a National Council" (PDF). Un.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 2000/23 On the establishment of the Cabinet of the Transitional Government in East Timor" (PDF). Un.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  5. ^ "UNTAET, East Timor shape new cabinet and legislative body" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2022.
  6. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 2001/02 On the election of a Constituent Assembly to prepare a Constitution for an independent and democratic East Timor" (PDF). Un.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  7. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 2001/28 On the establishment of the Council of Ministers" (PDF). Un.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  8. (PDF) from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  9. KiB
    )
  10. ^ a b "UN's Annan hails legal, human rights agreement with Indonesia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2022.
  11. ^ "UNTAET – Regulation No. 2001/01 On the establishment of a Defense Force for East Timor". Un.org. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  12. ^ United Nations Transitional Administration Administration in East Timor. "Regulation No. 2001/22: On the Establishment of the East Timor Police Service" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022 – via peacekeeping.un.org.
  13. ^ a b "UNTAET, Indonesia sign agreement on border issues" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 September 2022.
  14. ^ "East Timor trailblazers symbol of unity for Olympic world". 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Tais Timor – Newspaper". www.gov.east-timor.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2001. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Indonesian President Visits East Timor" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Postage stamp territories – East Timor – www.postoveznamky.sk". Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  18. ^ White Book Archived 26 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine, Volume 2, Part 1, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee, International Telecommunication Union, 1969, page 30
  19. ^ Telstra is reconnecting East Timor to the world, Telstra, 21 February 2000

External links