May 6, 1999
Ballot Question: East Timorese voters at home and abroad will be asked two questions in the August 8 ballot:
''Do you accept the proposed special autonomy for East Timor within the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia?'' or ''Do you reject the proposed special autonomy for East Timor, leading to East Timor's separation from Indonesia?''
The ballot papers will include symbols for illiterate voters. Voters: Voters must be 17 or older. They must have been born in East Timor, or have at least one parent who was born there, or be married to someone born in East Timor or with a parent born there.
Security: The Indonesian authorities will ''ensure a secure environment'' for a free and fair vote. A number of UN security guards will be deployed to protect UN personnel, and a number of international civilian police will advise Indonesian police before and during the voting. No figures were given.
Education: The UN will make available the text of the main autonomy agreement in Tetun, Bahasa Indonesia, Portuguese and English. UN officials will also conduct an information campaign explaining the content of the proposal and the implication of an ''accept'' or ''reject'' vote.
Campaign: The UN will supply a campaign code of conduct for supporters and opponents of the proposal. The governments of Indonesia and Portugal may not participate in the campaign, which will run from July 20 to August 5.
Observers: Indonesia and Portugal can send an equal number of representatives to observe the ballot. Other international observers will also be present.
Registration: Eligible voters will be registered between June 13 and July 17 in 200 centres in East Timor and in places outside the territory with large Timorese populations, such as Jakarta, Lisbon and Sydney. Those same centres will be used for the actual polling.
