GENEVA (12 February 2008) – CARE, the largest international non-government organisation in Timor Leste (East Timor), reports that the situation in Dili remains calm following the violent events of Monday 11 February that injured Timor Leste's President José Ramos-Horta and left rebel leader Alfredo Reinado dead.
CARE staff in Dili are continuing to review the situation closely, encouraged by the fact that the capital has remained calm since yesterday's violence.
‘Activity in the streets has been a little quieter than normal, but businesses are still open, people are shopping at the markets, cars and minibuses are transporting people around and children are going to school,' said CARE's Acting Country Director Hana Mijovic. ‘It seems that Dili residents are trying to get on with business as usual.'
The CARE office is located in the Bairo Pite neighbourhood of Dili, which is a generally poor area with high levels of unemployment and lack of opportunities for young people. Bairo Pite was one of the hardest hit areas during the 2006 crisis, when numerous homes were destroyed and many residents were, and remain, displaced.
‘CARE is working with the Bairo Pite community through our peace building and outreach project. The project supports community groups and local organisations, empowering them to work together to identify peaceful means for conflict resolution, thus reducing the risk of future violence,' said Ms Mijovic. ‘CARE remains dedicated to working with people across Timor Leste through long-term programs to improve their safety and well-being and to assist them to rebuild their society in the face of volatile events.'
Following the crisis in 2006, CARE responded to the needs of people who fled their homes to camps in Dili by providing support to camp managers, humanitarian coordination, water trucking, child protection activities and community outreach in neighbourhoods particularly affected by violence.
CARE has been operating in Timor Leste since 1994, with a focus on long-term sustainable development projects, including food security and drought preparedness, children's education and rights promotion, community health and nutrition, and community infrastructure and income generation. CARE has responded to emergencies in 1999 and 2006/2007.
For more information, please contact:
Bill Dowell, CARE International, Geneva, [email protected] or Georgie Barker on 03 9421 5572 or 0409 567 686.