The Government is following the situation in East and West Timor closely. I am pleased to be able to report that the situation is stabilising and conditions are improving. Almost all the country has now been rendered secure by INTERFET with only the border areas remaining on high alert, particularly the south-west where the Irish Defence Forces contingent is operational.
The deployment of INTERFET created the security conditions needed to allow the return to their homes of East Timorese displaced in West Timor and other parts of Indonesia, and within East Timor itself. While it is still proving difficult to get accurate figures on the numbers of displaced people, latest reports suggest that approximately 150,000 people are being accommodated in camps in West Timor. There is a steady flow of returns from the camps in West Timor and other parts of Indonesia and the UN reports that there has been a total of 107,700 returns to date. In addition those who had taken refuge in the territory's mountains and forests are now returning to their towns and villages.
East Timor remains very much in the immediate post-emergency phase of the crisis and at present international efforts are focused on meeting basic needs. The main priority is shelter with the monsoon season about to start and 85,000 homes damaged or destroyed. The arrival of the monsoon season has also increased health risks and efforts are being made to rehabilitate hospitals and health centres throughout the region. The rains have also signalled the arrival of the planting season, which creates an urgent need for seeds. In the longer term, structures will have to be put in place in order to ensure as smooth a transition to the reconstruction phase as soon as possible.