Over 42 per cent of East Timorese population registered to vote: UN mission
More than 42 per cent of the East Timorese population - roughly 346,000 people - have been registered by the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in preparation for the territory's elections on 30 August, the UN mission said today.
According to UNTAET, Manatuto leads other districts with almost 68 per cent of its population registered. In Aileu, the registration is over 56 per cent, while three other districts - Ainaro, Same and Lospalos - have registered more than half of their estimated populations.
Currently, about 13,000 East Timorese are being registered every day, compared to approximately 2,000 when the registration process started on 16 March, the UN Mission said.
In other news, bilateral talks between UNTAET and Indonesia opened today in Denpasar, where the two delegations are discussing a wide range of issues, including the registration of refugees in West Timor, citizenship, maritime delineation, the situation of East Timorese students in Indonesia, archives, as well as bilateral air services, postal links and diplomatic missions.