Recife, October 24, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - A contingent of 49 soldiers from the 4th Army Police Battalion embarked from the Recife Air Base on Thursday (23) on a peace mission to East Timor. Around 400 people, including family members and authorities, accompanied the farewell ceremony for the troops, who will remain in East Timor for eight months.

This is the second time that the Battalion has dispatched soldiers to Timor. The first was in 2001, when 69 men spent six months there, performing services of patrol, vehicle escort, and security for authorities and installations.

What is new now is that, for the first time, the contingent includes a female officer. Captain Ángela Bezerra, a 40 year-old physician who underwent a rigorous selection process, will provide support for the troops and conduct educational activities in the health area for the Timor population.

The Brazilian Air Force Boeing 737 will only arrive in Dili, capital of East Timor, Saturday night (26). (DAS)