Global Policy Forum

By Geoff Spencer

Maliana, Indonesia - Following weeks of violence, uncertainty and delay, UN workers began registering voters Friday for an August ballot to determine the future of the restive province of East Timor.

The vote will decide whether the largely Roman Catholic province should declare independence from Indonesia or become an autonomous region within the Muslim-dominated country, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. Under Indonesian rule, impoverished East Timor has endured years of protests, guerrilla warfare and human rights abuses.

About 100 prospective voters lined up Friday at a community hall in Maliana, a violence-wracked town 35 miles southwest of East Timor's capital, Dili. ''I want to vote on our future. But I can't tell what I will vote for. It's a secret,'' said Everest Lopez, who had lined up to register. He and the others clutched Indonesian citizenship cards along with church baptismal certificates or other identification documents required for registration.

Most centers across the half-island territory reported small and orderly groups gathering to register.

But the start of the 20-day registration process also revealed how deeply the independence question has polarized the province's 800,000 inhabitants. Just hours before 200 voter registration offices were to open, an anti-independence militia group attacked pro-independence supporters in East Timor's rugged southwest. One militia member was killed and at least two people were wounded in the fight in Zumalai district Thursday night. Four nearby registration offices were shut down and about 200 scared villagers fled their homes.

Similar deadly clashes between the two sides, as well as recent attacks and threats against UN personnel, have forced UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to delay the referendum process twice. Dozens of civilians have been killed and an estimated 14,000 people have left their villages because of violence.

Annan said Friday the ballot will proceed despite anti-independence militants' attempts to stop it. ''The ballot will go forward. Attempts have been made to derail it, but we are unintimidated and unimpressed,'' Annan said Friday during a visit to the Czech Republic. Annan told the UN Security Council in a letter Wednesday that he would decide in 10 days if things had calmed down enough for the ballot to proceed on Aug. 21 or 22.

''We have said that in going ahead, the security situation is far from adequate as yet and that is something we will keep constantly under review,'' said Ian Martin, the British head of the UN Assistance Mission in East Timor. ''The early signs are encouraging. But we don't have anything like a full picture,'' Martin said.

Independence activists and diplomats, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stanley Roth, say there is evidence that some sections of Indonesia's military have helped anti-independence militias terrorize potential voters. Roth, who took a helicopter tour of two troubled areas with UN officials Friday, said the possibility of more violent attacks and a low registration turnout could affect the chances of the ballot going ahead. Still, he was cautiously optimistic and praised the United Nations for its handling of the referendum. ''So far, it seems to be off to a good start,'' said Roth.

Indonesian President B.J. Habibie has pledged to respect the results of the referendum.