East Timor: police officers suspected of rape will enjoy no immunity, UN official says

The United Nations will provide no special protection to two UN police officers currently in detention in Dili in connection with the alleged rape of an East Timorese woman, the head of the mission in the territory said today.

Commenting on the arrest yesterday following an alleged incident that took place at a Dili hotel where the woman was employed as a cleaner, Sergio Vieira de Mello, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, said the two suspects would enjoy no immunity. "This proves that in East Timor, no one is above the law," he stressed.

Noting that the Police Commissioner has ordered an immediate investigation into these "grave allegations," Mr. Vieira de Mello, who heads the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), said, "We are treating this matter very seriously."

The Prosecutor ordered that both suspects be detained - one in a UN security compound and the other under house arrest - for 30 days pending further investigation. The victim is being treated at a hospital.

Meanwhile, UNTAET announced today that leaders of the political parties registered to take part in the upcoming Constituent Assembly elections were scheduled to sign a Pact of National Unity this Sunday.

The signing will take place at a ceremony called "Peace, Tolerance and Democracy Celebration," which is expected to attract high-level Timorese leaders, representatives of non-governmental organizations and thousands of local people.

The 14-point Pact of National Unity, which will guide the electoral campaign activities for the 30 August elections, calls for non-violence, the unconditional acceptance of the August 1999 popular consultation results, and respect for the results of the 2001 elections.