Dili – East Timor on Tuesday got a favourable write-up in a United Nations human rights report that pointed to progress four years after unrest that killed nearly 40 people, despite some continued problems.

The report, part of a UN mission to help stabilise the young country, highlighted increased accountability for national police officers, improvements to the justice system as a result of training and upgrades to facilities.

The UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) also said steps had been taken towards accountability for crimes committed during the 2006 internal unrest, which began with a conflict in the army and then spread.

About 37 people were killed and 150,000 displaced in the first several months, the report noted.

All cases recommended by a UN Commission of Inquiry have been taken up for investigation and as of June five trials were completed and two trials were underway, the report said.

"When we launched our annual human rights report last year, I stated that Timor-Leste was doing far better than average in a number of human rights areas and that continues to be the case," the UN mission's rights chief, Louis Gentile, said in a statement.

"For example, we recorded no cases of torture or enforced or involuntary disappearances during this reporting period."

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, gained formal independence in 2002 after a 24-year Indonesian occupation estimated to have caused the deaths of as many as 200,000 people.

Despite the upbeat comments, some abuses persist, with regular reports of ill-treatment and excessive use of force by the security forces and only limited progress in criminal cases against security personnel.

Trial proceedings were consistently delayed and presidential commutations allowed the release of convicted members of security forces who then returned to service.

"The challenge remains of ensuring effective accountability for the small percentage of police officers and military personnel who continue to use excessive force against their fellow citizens," Gentile said.

Nearly all of UNMIT's more than 1,550 uniformed personnel are police, and one of the mission's major tasks is to conduct a comprehensive review of the security sector, training and strengthening the East Timor national police.