MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Officials from the Australian Government's overseas aid agency, AusAID, will visit West and East Timor this week to assess the current humanitarian situation, particularly as it affects internally displaced people.
The AusAID officials will meet with provincial authorities in Kupang (West Timor) as well as district authorities in the West/East Timor border area where many IDPs are reported to have gathered. They will also have discussions with local communities and non-government organisations, as well as representatives of UNAMET, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), along with other agencies involved in providing relief assistance to IDPs and others.
The problem of malaria was raised during my recent visit, and I have asked the AusAID mission to identify other activities that Australia could support to tackle the disease. Up to 150 UNAMET staff have been affected. Australia has already provided supplies of Doxycycline for UNAMET personnel as part of medical kits as well as individual mosquito nets.
The AusAID mission will review current arrangements within UNAMET for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of malaria amongst UN staff and, if appropriate, make specific recommendations for additional Australian support.
The health sector is a key component of the Australian Government's development cooperation program for East Timor, and a number of planned initiatives will assist more broadly with malaria care and prevention in the future, particularly in rural areas.
This mission is part of Australia's continuing program of assistance to the people of East Timor in the lead-up to the ballot at the end of this month on East Timor's future status. Australia has already provided relief assistance to internally displaced people to the value of $500,000 through Caritas and local non-government organisations following an assessment mission in March this year. This has assisted some 11,000 people.
More recently, $176,000 was provided to an Indonesian NGO, the Kalyanamitra Foundation, for relief assistance to IDPs. In addition, three vehicles have just been shipped for use by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) as part of their assistance program for displaced persons.
Media contacts:
Innes Willox [Ministerial] (02) 6277 7500 / 0419 206 890
Matt Francis [Departmental] (02) 6206 4960 / 0417 683 126