The United Nations Security Council by resolution S/RES/1272 (1999), establishes the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The Mission comprises three main components: governance and public administration; humanitarian assistance and emergency rehabilitation; and a military component with an authorized strength of up to 8,950 troops and 200 military observers. United Nations civilian police will be part of the public administration component with a strength of up to 1,640 officers.

INTERFET announces the establishment of a Detainee Management Unit to review the detention of those suspected of committing serious offences in the period after the arrival of the multinational force in East Timor.

Revised figures released by the Indonesian Government to UNHCR on 25 October in Kupang indicate there are 219,000 East Timorese currently in West Timor. The government says that 60 per cent of them wish to return to East Timor.

Acting SRSG Ian Martin says that humanitarian assistance and emergency rehabilitation are still the "major priority" in East Timor. Other key tasks are the re-establishment of basic services and law and order, with a functioning police force and a justice system.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announces the launching of a $21.6 million appeal to widen its ongoing emergency food distribution to displaced people in East Timor, and to start "food-for-work" rehabilitation projects in the strife-ravaged territory.

The Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for East Timor, led by the World Bank, is launched in Geneva to request $199 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs through June 2000. Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Sergio Vieira de Mello says that humanitarian agencies are working with the Government of Indonesia to enable up to 240,000 refugees in West Timor to make a free and informed decision on whether to return to East Timor. Indonesian President B.J. Habibie assures United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata that the Indonesian Government will cooperate fully in the management of the problem in West Timor.

The East Timorese repatriation continues with the first returnees arriving from Australia.

The last Indonesian Army troops (TNI) leave East Timor. The end of the 24-year presence is marked by a farewell ceremony attended by members of the Indonesian Task Force on East Timor, TNI, United Nations officials and Timorese resistance leader and CNRT President, Xanana Gusmão.

The interagency assessment mission led by the World Bank arrives in Dili and meets at UNTAET headquarters with Gusmão and Acting SRSG Ian Martin.

Hostile militia impede UNHCR efforts in West Timor refugee camps in the Atambua area requiring police intervention.

Militias opposing repatriation of East Timorese refugees step up intimidation along border areas between East and West Timor. UNHCR says it fears the situation will deteriorate further unless Indonesian officials step in to control militia activity.

Three United Nations Special Rapporteurs, namely, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbit rary executions Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on torture Nigel Rodley and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women Radhika Coomaraswamy, begin initial investigations on alleged human rights abuses in East Timor.

UNHCR expresses grave concern at continuing harassment by militiamen in West Timor of UNHCR staff, relief workers and refugees.

The World Food Programme (WFP) announces a massive effort to feed those returning from the western part of the island and other internally displaced people. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launches a new programme to repair East Timor's electric power stations.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for East Timor, Ross Mountain, meets in Jakarta with the Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, Admiral Widodo. The Admiral stresses that action will be taken to see that militia do not hinder the return of refugees. Acting SRSG Ian Martin visits Ambeno once again to finalize the influx plan for the enclave. UNHCR opens a second land route into East Timor from West Timor and plans to open a third. Displaced persons continue to stream back into East Timor by air, sea and land.

The Indonesian Army informs UNHCR that they will assist the Agency in extracting displaced people trapped in the Noelbaki camp in West Timor since the early stages of the refugee crisis.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) endorses an international inquiry into alleged human rights violations in East Timor. The Council votes 27-10, with 11 abstentions, in support of a resolution by the UN Commission on Human Rights to send experts to gather information on possible violations committed in East Timor since January 1999. ECOSOC's decision calls for an adequate representation of Asian experts on the inquiry panel, which will carry out its work in cooperation with the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights as well as the UN Commission's thematic rapporteurs.

More than 8,000 refugees head home over a period of three days as UNHCR opens new land and sea routes from West Timor. However, militias continue to frustrate UNHCR efforts to repatriate the 7,000 people at the Noelbaki camp.

The newly appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Transitional Administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello, takes up duties in East Timor. On his first day on the job, the SRSG holds talks with Xanana Gusmão and other prominent figures.

The repatriation of East Timorese continues, with large numbers crossing into Suai, Maliana and the Ambeno enclave.

At his farewell press conference, Acting SRSG, Ian Martin says that the United Nations and the CNRT have begun a dialogue on possible joint structures for future cooperation, and that discussions have set the tone for such cooperation between the two parties.

The five-member International Commission of Inquiry, led by Sonia Picado, on human rights violations in East Timor arrives in Dili.

The SRSG travels to West Timor where he and US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke witness the signing of an agreement between INTERFET and the Indonesian Armed Forces designed to speed up the return of refugees from West Timor.

UNHCR reports that despite continued harassment by militia, over 90,000 people have returned to East Timor.

UNHCR reports that militia activity on the western side of the border continues to hamper repatriation efforts. UNHCR is conducting a mass information campaign in West Timor to reassure refugees that they can return safely to East Timor if they wish.

The SRSG makes his first field visit as Special Representative to the western region of East Timor. He travels with Xanana Gusmão and CNRT members. Gusmão thanks the international community for its hard work, but says there is a need for closer cooperation between INTERFET, FALINTIL and the local community.

The SRSG signs the first of a series of legal instruments setting out the terms of UNTAET's administration of the territory. Regulation 1999/1 establishes the authority of the Transitional Administrator and the legal regime for the territory.

UNTAET says violence against suspected members of the militia is on the rise.

UNHCR announces the opening of a fourth repatriation corridor along the border with West Timor to speed the return of refugees. One thousand returnees have gone back through the new crossing since 1 December. UNHCR staff continue to be confronted daily by the militia.

José Ramos Horta, the Nobel Laureate, returns to East Timor after 24 years in exile. He is accompanied by the SRSG.

Independence leader Xanana Gusmão returns to East Timor from Jakarta where he held successful talks with the Indonesian authorities.

Indonesia announces its intention to reopen air traffic between Indonesia and East Timor and the release of 18 East Timorese prisoners.

The SRSG signs Regulation 1999/2 on the establishment of the National Consultative Council (NCC), a 15-Member joint East Timorese-UNTAET body, through which the representatives of the people of East Timor can actively participate in the decision-making process during the transition period.

UNHCR expresses concern over the worsening conditions faced by the refugees still in camps in West Timor, including the continuing pattern of harassment and intimidation by the militias and serious health concerns.

UNTAET establishes, by Regulation 1999/3, a Transitional Judicial Service Commission comprising five individuals, namely, three East Timorese and 2 internationals.

UNHCR says that an agreement has been reached with local Indonesian military authorities to separate militia members and their families from refugees in West Timor.

East Timor celebrates Human Rights Day. Four thousand youth gather in Dili stadium to hear the SRSG, Nobel Laureates José Ramos Horta and Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, who together call for an international war crimes tribunal for East Timor.

The SRSG holds meetings in Jakarta with high level Indonesian officials, including President Abdurrahman Wahid, the Foreign Minister, the Defence Minister and the Minister overseeing East Timor, focusing on East Timor's future relations with Indonesia.

Two alleged militia members are handed over to CIVPOL by FALINTIL after a shooting incident in the village of Aileu.

A United Nations donor conference held in Tokyo results in over $500 million in pledges to rebuild East Timor.

UNHCR says that returns to East Timor from West Timor have risen again to over 1,000 per day, after a sharp drop earlier in the month.

UN military observers find a mass grave in the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi. Eighteen burial sites are uncovered, some containing more than one body.

Forty-five Timorese journalists establish a professional association, rejecting all forms of censorship.

UNTAET formally takes control of Dili Airport. An Australian airline will begin flying three times a week to Darwin beginning 18 January.

UNHCR says that while just over 126,000 East Timorese have returned home, repatriations from West Timor continue to be hampered by militia there.

United Nations CIVPOL reports an upswing in crime in Dili and requests additional protective equipment.
UNTAET announces the imminent arrival of its first forensic specialist to begin work on the mass grave sites in Ambeno (Oecussi).

UNTAET, INTERFET and Indonesian military officials sign a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) intended to improve cooperation at the border between East and West Timor.

The SRSG appoints 10 judges to the Civil Judiciary.

The SRSG signs Regulation 2000/1 on the establishment of the Central Fiscal Authority in East Timor and Regulation 2000/2 on the use of currencies during the transition period in East Timor.

The NCC agrees that, as a step towards the establishment of a permanent civil service, UNTAET should pay a stipend to recruited civil servants while it carried out a cost-of-living survey to set a long-term salary scale.

Violence breaks out among 7,000 people waiting for job interviews with UNTAET, resulting in a number of injuries.

INTERFET reports clashes with armed militias crossing from West Timor into Oecussi.

UNTAET establishes the East Timorese Customs Service.

UNTAET promulgates Regulation 2000/7 establishing the US dollar as the interim official currency of East Timor.

United Nations CIVPOL reports that following recent violent incidents, UNTAET has increased CIVPOL presence in key areas of East Timor while working to establish a new Timorese police force.

The International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor, having found evidence of "serious violations" of human rights, recommends the setting up of an investigative and prosecutorial body and an international human rights tribunal, made up of both Indonesian and East Timorese judges, to receive complaints, conduct trials and sentence those found guilty.

The Secretary-General submits his first report on the work of UNTAET. He says that the humanitarian disaster which resulted from the violence after the popular consultation has been the most pressing crisis facing UNTAET.

INTERFET begins the handover of military authority to UNTAET.

The SRSG tells the Security Council that funds are needed immediately to avoid an outbreak of social strife and begin badly needed reconstruction projects. He also says UNTAET will focus over the next six months on ensuring the physical security of all East Timorese and their access to a fair judicial system, supporting UNHCR in repatriating refugees, establishing administrative structures and relaunching basic services.

UNHCR calls on Indonesian authorities to take immediate measures to stop a surge in violence committed against refugees and aid workers in West Timor.

The Secretary-General begins a two-day official visit to Jakarta, his first since taking office, and meets with Indonesian officials. While noting the Security Council's prerogative to consider alternative action if the Indonesian action lacked credibility, the Secretary-General tells the press that the Government has demonstrated its determination to uphold the rule of law and prosecute those suspected of involvement in atrocities in East Timor. He insists on full access by aid workers to the refugees in the camps.

In Jakarta, the Secretary-General meets with Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono to discuss the Jakarta Government's follow-up to its own inquiry into the violence in Indonesia, and the question of refugees in West Timor. Mr. Annan also meets President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

The Secretary-General arrives in East Timor for a two-day visit. He meets in Dili with the independence leader Xanana Gusmão, Nobel Peace Laureate Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, and Bishop Basilio Nascimento.

The Secretary-General tells the people of East Timor that the United Nations is working to rebuild their land and bring law and order to it. "We are here as your partners," Mr. Annan remarks to a crowd of 5,000 in the town of Liquica.

World Bank President James Wolfensohn, Xanana Gusmão, and the SRSG sign a grant agreement for the disbursement of $21.5 million over two-and-a- half years for community empowerment and local government projects.

UNHCR reports that militiamen stoned a team of UNHCR and International Organization for Migration (IOM) personnel in Atambua, damaging an IOM vehicle and disrupting a move to repatriate more than 1,000 East Timorese refugees. No one is injured.

INTERFET officially transfers its military command of the territory to UNTAET. The remaining administrative and financial transfers are to take place on 28 February.

The Security Council encourages Indonesia to institute a "swift, comprehensive, effective and transparent legal process," to bring to justice those responsible for the "grave violations" of international humanitarian and human rights law" committed in the territory. Council Members also note that the accountability of those responsible for the violations would be "a key factor in ensuring reconciliation and stability in East Timor."

After UNTAET, acting on behalf of the territory, had signed a memorandum of understanding on 19 January, extending the terms of the East Timor Gap Treaty with the Government of Australia, a $1.4 billion gas exploitation plan in the Timor Gap was approved.

The Universal Postal Union confirms the official status of the postal administration of East Timor under the authority of UNTAET.

UNTAET and INTERFET finalize administrative arrangements for the takeover of security responsibilities.

Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid visits East Timor. The President signs a communiqué with the SRSG, establishing, among other things, a border regime for the passage of people and goods between East Timor and Indonesia, cooperation on legal matters and continued support for East Timorese students wanting to study in Indonesian universities. The accord also allows unimpeded access on a special corridor between the Oecussi enclave in West Timor and other districts of East Timor.

UNICEF launches a major immunization campaign in East Timor to protect some 20,000 infants from serious diseases such as tuberculosis and polio.

Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced People Francis Deng visits East Timor and notes that the territory's internally displaced are returning to "total deprivation" as a result of the destruction and looting of their homes. Mr. Deng says that law and order, as well as an effective justice system, are badly needed in certain areas in order for people to feel safe enough to return. He adds that in many areas, there could be no guarantees for the returnees' security.

A series of armed attacks against United Nations troops and East Timorese people, leads UNTAET to declare western zones to be "high threat" areas.

UNTAET reiterates its previous call to Indonesian authorities to persuade pro-autonomy leaders to abandon antagonism and confrontation and opt for cooperation.

UNTAET reports an intensification of violence by militia along the border between East and West Timor.

The SRSG signs Regulation 2000/12 on the establishment of a provisional tax and customs regime for East Timor.

In Jakarta, the PKF Force Commander Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos and the Director of UNTAET's Political Affairs, Peter Galbraith, urge the Indonesian authorities to take a number of measures to put an end to the violence along the border with West Timor, including sealing the border, closing down militia training camps, disarming the militia and assisting the return of refugees to East Timor.

UNHCR reports that more than 1,000 East Timorese have moved out of the three major refugee encampments in West Timor's Kupang area to a transit centre in Kupang while arrangements are being made for their final destination. This is the largest movement from these camps since the repatriation programme began last October. More than 150,000 of the estimated 250,000 people who came to West Timor in the aftermath of last Septembers' violence have returned home.

UNTAET announces that ninety-two percent of the East Timorese children who attended primary school in 1998-99 have returned to classrooms.

UNTAET inaugurates a Public Service Commission to oversee the creation of a civil service and the appointment of permanent staff.

A police training college supported by UNTAET opens in Dili.

UNTAET and UNICEF officials meet to plan a joint effort to raise public awareness of the serious threat posed by unexploded ordnance.

The SRSG and the Indonesian Attorney General, Marzuki Darusman, conclude an eight-week interim agreement on the provision of mutual assistance in legal, judicial and human rights matters.

UNHCR warns against Indonesia's plans to end relief assistance to East Timorese refugees in West Timor after 31 March.

The Indonesian government extends for three months the deadline for the return of refugees and rescinds its decision to cut off humanitarian aid to the refugees, noting that it would instead request assistance from the international community.

The SRSG asks the Indonesian Defence Minister, Admiral Sudarsono, to control any "extremists" and stop the militia incursions into East Timor by Indonesian-based militia. The Defence Minister says that neither the Indonesian army nor the police are involved in supporting the militia groups in West Timor.

UNTAET, the World Bank and UNDP sign a grant agreement for $499,000 towards a project to create employment for the poorest communities in Dili.

UNTAET and Indonesia conclude the final text of the Memorandum of understanding on legal, judicial and human rights cooperation. The Agreement would facilitate joint efforts of UNTAET and Indonesia to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence in East Timor following the popular consultation.

UNTAET announces its decision to appoint East Timorese to top administrative positions within the new administration in Dili, namely as deputy district administrators and deputy heads of departments. The SRSG announces the establishment of new "District Advisory Councils" to allow East Timorese to voice their concerns on all key issues.

UNHCR says that the number of refugees returning from West to East Timor has dropped significantly this week despite "deteriorating" basic services and uneven food distribution in the Indonesian-run refugee camps in West Timor.

PKF Force Commander and the Commander of the Indonesian army in West Timor sign a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) covering security, boundary crossing, the passage of refugees and the provision of humanitarian assistance along the border between East and West Timor. The MOU confirms the previous Memorandum of 12 January, provides that neither side will be allowed to carry weapons across the border and specifies that both parties agree to cooperate in reporting and investigating boundary incidents.

UNTAET employs 1,000 people this week in clean-up projects funded by USAID. Other recruitment activities are also being carried out this week by the UNTAET Judicial Affairs Department, which has started hiring Timorese prison personnel to work in three of the country's detention facilities.

The first 10 sites regarded as part of the historical and cultural heritage of East Timor are marked as " protected" in a project that will eventually cover the entire country through a joint project by the UNTAET Department of Agriculture and the Japanese aid agency, JICA.

A $40 million plan to restore health services in the territory is finalized following a three-week assessment effort by an international team of experts. The three-year programme, which will be carried out by UNTAET, will focus on restoring access to basic services, developing health legislation and instituting management systems.

UNTAET and the United States Development Agency, USAID launch an emergency employment scheme to enable districts throughout the country to hire workers on a short-term basis.

PKF Commander and the Commander of the Indonesian Army agree that occasional problems such as air and land crossovers of the border should be resolved at the tactical level. PKF Force Commander tells the press that he is satisfied at the level of cooperation between PKF and the Indonesian Army.

Thirty demobilized combatants from the Indonesian Army return to East Timor from Kupang in West Timor in the third largest group of former military to return to the territory since last October. Earlier this month, 60 demobilized soldiers returned home to East Timor.

Deputy Legal Advisor to UNTAET, Hansjoerg Strohmeyer tells the press that 23 East Timorese prosecutors and judges are now serving at the district court level. He adds that the recent human rights agreement reached between UNTAET and Indonesia is an "invaluable support" to the territory' s emerging judiciary.

Prime Minister of Portugal, Antonio Guterres visits the Oecussi enclave, accompanied by the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Governance and Public Administration, Jean-Christian Cady.

The East Timor Postal Service is inaugurated in Dili, with the office's first letters sent to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the President of Portugal.

The Japanese Government donates funds to acquire 8,500 radio receivers in the areas covered by radio Voz de Esperanca, radio Kmanek and radio UNTAET. Lospalos and Maliana will also get receivers as they are the first places with a community radio station.

The first land border crossing between East Timor and Indonesia opens in Batugade. According to UNTAET, the crossing is to be staffed by five international customs and immigration officers and nine Timorese personnel.

UNTAET orders the arrest of all people carrying machetes in Dili, after gang violence injures five people over the weekend.

UNHCR reports that repatriation from West Timor has decreased dramatically over the past week due to increasing reports of harassment of some returnees inside East Timor.

East Timorese in West Timor opposing repatriation to East Timor stone a UNHCR team attempting to pick up around 100 returnees at a Kupang camp, damaging the vehicle. However, a former militia leader of AITARAK ("Thorn"), Eurico Guterres, appears before a large crowd of refugees and tells them they are free to return home. This is the first time that a militia leader has publicly urged refugees to go back to East Timor, according to UNHCR.

A new civil service campus opens in East Timor. The campus houses the Public Service Commission, the East Timorese Administration's Central Recruitment Office and the Civil Service Academy.

Two hundred East Timorese leave refugee camps in West Timor controlled by pro-Indonesian elements, for East Timor.

The Dili District Court opens its first public proceeding. The hearing begins one day after the SRSG signs a regulation stipulating that pre-trial detention will only be ordered for crimes that carry more than one year of imprisonment under the law. Under ordinary circumstances, a suspect may be held for questioning for an initial period of up to 48 hours within which the suspect should be brought before a judge or released.

At the opening of the Conference on the Reconstruction of East Timor, the Director of UNTAET's Political Affairs Office, Peter Galbraith suggests a period of co-government between UNTAET and the East Timorese prior to a full transfer of authority.

UNTAET broadcasts its first television programme in Dili. The new UN television station, "Televisão UNTAET", airs a one-hour magazine show with features, interviews, news, entertainment and public service announcements.

Intense flooding in West Timor kills at least 61 people. The disaster occurred after rivers flood over in Belu district, southeastern West Timor, and the resulting flash floods sweeps people away. The floods affect an estimated 100,000 persons, displacing close to 35,000. WFP begins to distribute food rations, while UNTAET troops attempt to repair the road linking the town of Suai to a nearby port.

Over eighty people are confirmed dead, most of them East Timorese refugees, in the intense flooding that continues to ravage West Timor. Some 21,000 people are estimated to have been displaced, 16,000 of whom are from 21 refugee camps for East Timorese in the Belu District of south-eastern West Timor.

The UN humanitarian efforts to flood victims continue, with the delivery of supplies to the hardest hit communities.

UNTAET and other organizations step up their efforts to access affected areas as the death toll from the floods in West Timor continues to rise, reaching 126 confirmed fatalities.

UNTAET and the World Bank sign a $12.7 million grant to help revamp the country's health sector.

An UNTAET team of four persons dealing with human rights and other judicial issues leaves East Timor for meetings in Jakarta with the Office of the Indonesian Attorney General, which is investigating five priority criminal cases that occurred in East Timor between April and September 1999.

The SRSG and Mr. Xanana Gusmão meet with the governor of West Timor to discuss how to speed up repatriation and increase trade on the island. Following the talks, the SRSG says that one way to foster repatriation is to promote a wider exchange of information through the media, by facilitating visits by journalists to the West to inform the refugee population about life in East Timor. On trade, the parties agree that a small delegation from East Timor would meet in West Timor with specialists from the Indonesian Government and the private sector to discuss how to increase trade and investment between the two parts of the island.

More than 500 women from across East Timor gather in Dili for the launching of the first national congress on women's issues, which aims to promote equitable development in national reconstruction.

UNHCR and other aid organizations suspend activities in three West Timor camps near Kupang following what it describes as several serious security incidents of threats and intimidation against its staff. UNHCR informs the Indonesian Government that it will not resume its activities in the camps, which have a total population of more than 24,000, without security guarantees.

UNTAET and CNRT agree on a new composition and structure for the National Consultative Council (NCC). The newly expanded NCC will have 33 members. The members will include 13 representatives from the districts, seven representatives from CNRT and three representatives from other political parties. Its other members will represent youth, women's and NGO groups, as well as the Catholic, Protestant and Muslim communities, professional and farmers' associations, the labour movement and the business community. All members, including the chairman of the NCC will be East Timorese.

An UNTAET infantry position at Aidabasalala, 30 km from the border with West Timor, comes under attack by a small armed group, causing damage to buildings, but there are no injuries.

At the opening of the two-day Donor's Conference in Lisbon, the SRSG urges the donor community to continue to provide funds for the UN's work in East Timor, highlighting the need for sustained aid during the territory's transition from relief to development.

In Lisbon, the donor community pledges its continued support for the reconstruction of East Timor and the new East Timorese administration, and endorses a work programme for the territory's development through December 2000. The donors indicate their support for closing the financing gap of $16 million for the next financial year.

The SRSG briefs the Security Council on East Timor. He predicts that the territory would be ready for elections, and possibly independence during the last four months of 2001. The briefing is followed by an extended debate in which representatives of more than 20 Member States participate.

The NCC adopts a regulation establishing a Transitional Cabinet comprised of four East Timorese and four UNTAET representatives.
The Secretary-General appoints Lieutenant-General Boonsrang Niumpradit of Thailand as Force Commander of UNTAET's military component, as of 19 July 2000.
The first 50 graduates of East Timor's Police Training College officially take up their functions as police officers.

The Transitional Cabinet holds its first meeting in Dili.

At a meeting between the SRSG, the UNTAET Force Commander and West Timor Commander, Major General Kiki Syahnakri, in Indonesia, it is agreed that an ad hoc committee, comprised jointly of the Indonesian army and the UN peacekeeping force, be set up to investigate the killing of the UNTAET soldier on 24 July.

UNTAET inaugurates East Timor's first Diplomatic Training Programme in Dili.