U.N. Assumes Control of E. Timor

The United Nations formally assumed control of East Timor on Tuesday, a key step in the devastated territory’s transition to independence after nearly a quarter of a century of Indonesian rule.

The U.N. transition team acknowledged that it faces huge challenges as the international community moves from keeping the peace to rebuilding a society ravaged by violence that broke out last month after East Timor’s independence referendum.

In the wake of a rampage by pro-Indonesian militiamen, more than 400,000 East Timorese are still displaced, either in hiding or in camps in Indonesian-controlled West Timor. Building materials are in short supply, and the rainy season is setting in.

Virtually all the territory’s institutions--schools, courts, police--will have to be started almost from scratch.