Japan will dispatch 14 monitors to East Timor between late August and early September to assist international monitoring of the election late this month for the territory's constituent assembly, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The Japanese group will comprise seven government officials and another seven people from nongovernmental sectors who will help ensure the election is conducted fairly and smoothly, the ministry said.
"The Foreign Ministry will fully cooperate with the smooth running of an international peace cooperation operation for carrying out election monitoring activities in East Timor," Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka told the Cabinet on Tuesday morning. In June, the government also decided to provide $1.191 million in emergency grants to the U.N. Development Program to help monitor the election and train local election administrators.
The poll takes place Aug. 30 -- two years after East Timor voted in a referendum to oust Indonesia from the former Portuguese colony. Voters this time will elect an 88-member assembly to decide on a constitution and the future form of government for East Timor ahead of its independence in 2002.
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