No subject

(1,630 people) accommodated at Mega Belia Camp in Bitung. Among them 119 
families still have properties in Ternate while 111 families have already sold 
their properties with the intention for not to return back to Ternate. 

Provincial Government of North Maluku requested supports from the Central 
Government to accelerate allocation of development funds for infrastructure and 
facilities for the newly created districts. Besides infrastructure improvement 
projects the province also requested for budget allocation for the post 
conflict activities. 

Health 
IMC continue providing health services and mobile clinics in Kao-Malifut, 
Bacan, Tobelo, Galela, Bere-Bere, and Daruba sub-districts and during the 
reporting period treated over 1017 patients. 

IMC medical personnel conducted information campaign on Malaria and monitored 
the use of bed net in Rao Island of Morotai Selatan Barat sub-district. IMC 
also distributed TBA (Traditional Birth Attendant) kits and baby weighing 
machine between the TBA and Midwives in Gulo, Gol Gol and Dim-Dim villages of 
Kao sub-district. 

Education 
SC-UK introduced and distributed some books for children containing local 
stories and learning matters in various locations of the province. The activity 
involved 36 children in each target school and each grade/class represented by 
6 children. 

Others 
UNOPS/UNDP conducted a workshop on Reconstruction of Housing and Public 
Infrastructures on 14-15 July 2003 in Bukit Pelangi Hotel, Ternate. The 
Workshop organized by provincial Kesbang Linmas and participated by all 
relevant government offices, INGOs, Local NGOs. 

7. WEST TIMOR 
(No reports/Updates are available) 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UN Official: East Timor Govt Needs More Trained Personnel
Associated Press
TOKYO, July 17, 2003

The biggest stumbling block facing East Timor a year after gaining independence 
is a lack of trained personnel to run its administration and police its 
streets, a senior U.N. official said Thursday.

"It's not money that is needed - it is trained manpower in every sector of the 
government" said Sukehiro Hasegawa, deputy to the U.N. special representative 
to East Timor.

Hasegawa was in Tokyo to brief Japanese officials on progress made by the U.N. 
mission charged with policing and rebuilding the former Indonesian territory, 
which was devastated in riots by militias loyal to Jakarta after voting for 
independence in a 1999 referendum

The world's newest country is badly impoverished, with unemployment around 80% 
and a shattered infrastructure, while armed gangs linked to the militias 
continue to kill and pillage.

But Hasegawa said that the most pressing issue for President Xanana Gusmao's 
government and the U.N. support mission was building a civil administration and 
a police force from scratch with a population shut out of positions of power 
for much of East Timor's history as a Portuguese colony.

"In Cambodia intellectuals were wiped out, killed by Pol Pot," he said. "In 
East Timor they didn't exist because Portuguese rulers didn't bother to train 
or bring up the local population."

The U.N. official said training administrators, judges and police officers was 
a top priority.

Another pressing issue is rural development. East Timor's economy is almost 
completely dependent on aid from foreign donors, little of which has trickled 
down to people living outside urban areas.

"I think the biggest economic challenge is to bring the benefits of 
independence, recovery and rehabilitation to the countryside," Hasegawa said.

But the U.N. official said he was confident that a deal between East Timor and 
Australia to share revenues from a natural gas field that lies between them 
would provide a huge lift for a nation whose only industry is coffee growing.

East Timor's share is estimated at $3 billion over the next 20 years.

Hasegawa said security remains a concern and the U.N. mission had slowed a 
phase-down of peacekeeping operations. There about currently about 3,500 
peacekeepers on East Timor, which shares an island with Indonesian West Timor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Business News
July 19, 2003
Rupiah weakens, but remains 'within range' 
Dadan Wijaksana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The rupiah fell to Rp 8,320 against the U.S. dollar on Friday, the lowest rate 
since early June as investors cashed in gains from the recent rise in the 
currency, traders said.

The move was also driven by the strengthening of the dollar against major 
currencies in the region following positive assessment of the U.S. economy from 
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.