Independence struggle

East Timor: How rule of terror failed

Far Eastern Economic Review - July 11, 2002

[Deliverance by Don Greenlees and Robert Garran, Allen & Unwin.]

John Mcbeth -- Only a week before the August 30, 1999, referendum that would decide East Timor's future, a former Indonesian Special Forces officer -- a veteran of the 1975 Indonesian invasion -- asked a Western journalist which way he thought the vote would go. The retired general looked incredulous when told the vote would probably be for independence. "Do you really think so?" he asked, as if the thought had never occurred to him.

In many ways, the reaction of many Indonesians to the outcome of the referendum remains a puzzle. Why did Indonesian officials believe that the East Timorese, after suffering more than two decades of hardship and abuse, would elect to remain in Indonesia under an expanded form of local autonomy?

For some so-called intelligence officers, it was simply a case of faulty arithmetic: Multiply the number of (mainly pro-Indonesian) civil servants and militiamen by the average size of an East Timor family. But for many others, it was clearly a belief that the intimidation and harassment that had worked over the years would work again.

Deliverance, written by journalists Don Greenlees and Robert Garran, will serve as a benchmark for future books on the end to Indonesia's 25-year rule of terror in East Timor. Greenlees, Jakarta correspondent for The Australian newspaper, and Garran, the paper's Canberra-based political editor, provide new insights into how Indonesia's then-President B.J. Habibie finally decided on the referendum, and the events that preceded and followed the vote.

The book is both a policy record and detailed account of what happened on the ground, and it provides convincing evidence that Indonesian officials set out to corrupt the referendum. Not surprisingly, however, it falls just short of establishing who was responsible for ordering the subsequent killings and destruction in East Timor.

The authors debunk widespread reports that a letter sent to Habibie by Australian Prime Minister John Howard -- proposing that Habibie review East Timor's status -- was the main motivation for the president's decision to offer the East Timorese a free choice. They point out that two years before, Habibie and his advisers had been contemplating such a step. The day before the original Howard letter arrived, Habibie, who felt trapped by a problem that couldn't be solved, asked foreign policy adviser Dewi Fortuna Anwar: "Why should we remain a captive of East Timor? Why don't we just let them go if they no longer want to stay with us?"

Greenlees and Garran examine the culpability of former armed forces chief Gen. Wiranto, Coordinating Minister Feisal Tanjung and military intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim. None of them have been charged with any war crimes. Wiranto argues that if he were guilty, then the same would haveto apply to Gen. William Westmoreland for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.

The massacres in East Timor, however, were planned and systematic. Greenlees and Garran focus on a 13-page document -- stamped "Secret" and signed by Wiranto -- outlining a contingency plan to be put into effect in the event of an unfavourable outcome of the vote for Indonesia , which foresaw "with considerable accuracy" the level of destruction and chaos to be unleashed on East Timor. Other intelligence suggests Feisal Tanjung may have played a greater role in directing the violence than anyone outside the Indonesian military suspected at the time.

To this day, many Indonesians blame Habibie and the international community -- and Australia in particular -- for the great harm done to their country's image by the Timor catastrophe. Few accept that the loss of East Timor and the shame brought on Indonesia rests almost solely with the Indonesian military and the brutal 25-year rule it imposed on the former Portuguese territory.

Most Indonesians have little knowledge of what transpired during those 25 years. East Timor wasn't a topic Indonesians discussed. Many believed Jakarta was doing the East Timorese an enormous favour by pouring money into the impoverished territory, neglected for so long by the Portuguese.

The Indonesians' disbelief and resentment over the loss of East Timor stemmed from nationalist sentiments. The majority continue to believe the story put out by their generals that the United Nations rigged the vote and should be held responsible for the horror that followed.

The only senior Indonesian officer to openly acknowledge the truth of what happened has been the newly-retired deputy army chief, Lt.-Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, a former East Timor commander who had the unenviable job of handing over control of East Timor to the UN. "Winning hearts and minds of the people is key in a guerrilla war, and we strayed from this philosophy," he said in a recent interview. "That's why we lost East Timor."

[John McBeth writes for the Review from Jakarta.]

Birth of a nation

Born in the wrong era

Inside Indonesia - July-September 2002,

Mansour Fakih -- My first visit to East Timor was early in 2000. The towns were still smoldering, and the atmosphere was tense. I was shocked, angry, and so disillusioned. I never suspected my own people could have done such a thing.

Outside the church in Suai the candles were still burning. There were flowers, and people said: this is where the priests were massacred. At night, I watched videos people had recorded of the abuses as they took place. A large number of them, many by amateurs, and they showed that the military was involved.

Here we were, Indonesians training human rights observers and educators who would be placed in every district of East Timor -- a great experiment in democracy. My country had been one of the biggest human rights abusers of the twentieth century. All the examples in our training were taken from Indonesia.

When I went back to Indonesia there was nothing in the news about what Indonesian soldiers had done in East Timor. People were regretful, not for the abuses committed by their army, but because the East Timorese had chosen to leave Indonesia. This completely missed the point. So far, no lessons have been learned about what happened in East Timor.

The next time I went there was in early 2001. There had been a big change.

Not the frustration of a year before, but an enthusiasm among the non-government organisations (NGOs) to help write the new constitution. I have been an activist for many years in Indonesia but I had never seen this before, and was most impressed. I was asked to help some women who wanted to introduce women's rights into the constitution. The political parties didn't have this on their agenda, and none of us really knew what to do.

They were not professional lawyers or even human rights advocates. But they were so committed. We workshopped about domestic violence. Then they discovered the UN Women's Convention. They studied it and took eleven clauses to put into their constitution. They then went back to their home districts and lobbied everyone they could find. They asked us to make their posters and campaign T-shirts in Yogyakarta. In the end four or five clauses got into the constitution! They were delighted, because it had been by their own effort. Now they want to watch if this constitution will improve their lives.

That is East Timorese democracy. People in Indonesia often think democracy is just about avoiding riots during elections. But it's about human rights literacy, and about women's involvement in drafting the constitution, to name just what I have seen.

World Bank model

On my third visit last April I met with NGOs who were thinking about advocacy after independence. What's your advocacy agenda? I asked them. They didn't really know. We discussed whether East Timor should join the World Bank. There is a debate about that. Some think we should be realistic, and it's OK to have debt, while others disagree. The NGOs do not yet have an agreed position. Some feared East Timor could become like Indonesia -- mired in debt. Others agreed that East Timor could be forced to adopt the 'World Bank model', but felt it couldn't afford not to enter into debt because 'we have no money'. But all were worried that a free-market economy could be in conflict with the ideals that lay behind the independence struggle.

Women want the state to protect women's rights, everyone wants the state to protect their economic rights, but in the 'World Bank model', the state is powerless to protect. It is not permitted to subsidise.

So we asked ourselves: What would happen to the people if the state were to become so indebted it lost its power to protect? In fact the NGOs were in a difficult position, because many of them were helping the World Bank carry out 'community empowerment programs' in the villages. People welcomed the World Bank money. The Bank was just like the Church, they said -- it cares for people. But in fact this is just another form of Structural Adjustment Program. This is the World Bank's way of preparing people for the free market, for privatisation of state facilities and an end to subsidies. The World Bank is aggressively lobbying the government to take on debt. They see East Timor as a clean slate, a model of what can be achieved with free market methods.

It is true that East Timor has been destroyed and badly needs money. East Timor needs to be rescued. But there are sources other than debt. For the European Union, for example, a few tens of millions of dollars is peanuts.

Indonesia has a moral responsibility towards East Timor. Without talking the legal language of war reparations, Indonesia needs to acknowledge it must pay East Timor back for all the infrastructure it destroyed in September 1999 -- from telephones to electricity supplies. Other neighbours also need to be generous.

East Timor needs cash, not debt. Once there was the Marshall Plan, and the Colombo Plan. These were government-to-government grants. The World Bank was actually born in this era of state-led development -- it was the Keynesian reaction against the free market. But today all that is regarded as in conflict with the principles of good governance. There must be no subsidies -- everything is to be financed by debt.

East Timor has already or will soon ratify four international conventions -- on women, on children, on civil and political rights, and on economic and socio-cultural rights. East Timor is more advanced than Indonesia in all these areas. All these conventions place the state in the role of protector to the people. But if East Timor enters the World Bank, and after that the World Trade Organisation (WTO), its obligations will soon be in conflict with its responsibilities under these conventions.

East Timor was born at the wrong moment. It was conceived from ideals of social justice, human rights. It was to be a state that would protect the people's rights. Its constitution is very socialistic. It took over in its entirety clause 33 from the Indonesian constitution, which specifies that all natural resources are managed by the state on behalf of the people. But this is the era of free markets, of liberalism, of corporate globalisation -- what a contrast with the spirit of the East Timorese struggle! We outsiders always supported East Timor in that spirit. We are mistaken if we think the struggle is now over.

We need a new global solidarity movement to rescue the baby! Otherwise the people will soon be disappointed as the real economic policy becomes clear to them. They will feel betrayed and lose their trust in Xanana and his government. At least during the Indonesian colonial period there were public health clinics -- this was after all a period of state-led development. But now there has to be competition and user-pays. People could become nostalgic for the past!

The new state of East Timor is under attack. The NGO community needs to support it. Let us not wait until it is too late. The message to the World Bank should be -- leave East Timor alone! But the global solidarity movement should not leave East Timor alone. East Timor can become an alternative, just like we hoped Nicaragua would become an alternative in the 1980s.

[Mansour Fakih directs the NGO Insist, in Yogyakarta.]

Transition & reconstruction

East Timor seeks 'least developed' status

Asia Times - July 12, 2002

Thalif Deen, United Nations -- East Timor, the world's newest nation, will ask the United Nations to designate it a "least developed country" (LDC).

This status is conferred upon the poorest countries in the world and provides some preferential trade and aid treatment. East Timor, a former Portuguese colony that was annexed by Indonesia, became an independent country in May.

Constanzio Pinto, East Timor's charge d'affaires and ambassador- designate to the United States, said his country plans to seek LDC status as soon as it formally joins the United Nations.

John Miller of the New York-based East Timor Action Network said it would be in the country's interest to become an LDC. "They will be entitled to certain concessions from the European Union and other donors," he said.

As an LDC, East Timor will be eligible for several economic benefits, including increased aid, concessionary loans and lower tariffs for its exports.

Under the European Union "Everything but Arms" initiative, all of East Timor's exports, excluding military equipment, would enter the 15 EU member states duty-free. This concession currently applies to all 49 LDCs.

The number of LDCs has increased from 24 in 1971 to 49 last year. Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, the UN undersecretary general for LDCs, said it would be "appropriate" for East Timor to file its application after becoming the 190th UN member state, probably this September.

Of the existing LDCs, 34 are in Africa. The remaining 15 include nine in Asia, five in the Pacific, and one in the Caribbean.

In a study released last month, the UN Development Program (UNDP) said that East Timor would be among the world's poorest countries in terms of finance and human development.

East Timor's human development index -- based on life expectancy, educational attainment and income per person -- is on a par with three other LDCs: Angola, Bangladesh and Haiti.

According to UNDP figures, East Timor's per capita income is about US$478. The average life expectancy is 57 years. Nearly half the population of about 800,000 survives on less than 55 cents a day. More than half of all adults in the country are illiterate, and more than half the country's infants are underweight.

However, the rising number of LDCs is interpreted by a number of diplomats and officials as a major setback to developing nations whose economies have taken a severe beating from growing debt problems, declining commodity prices, increased tariff barriers and the debilitating aspects of economic globalization.

Chowdhury said the UN system and the international community have focused on LDCs for decades, assembling conferences and adopting programs of action to improve these nations' economic and social prospects.

Despite these good intentions, the situation has not improved, Chowdhury added. A yardstick for success, he argued, would be a decline in the number of LDCs by the time a fourth international summit on their situation and prospects is held, possibly in the next decade. So far, the only country that has graduated from the ranks of LDCs is Botswana.

The UN's Committee for Development Policy (CDP), which sits in judgment over which countries should be given LDC status, has also identified the Republic of Congo and Ghana as meeting the criteria for addition to the list.

The thresholds for inclusion are: population of less than 75 million; per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of less than $1,000; Augmented Physical Quality of Life Index (combining health, nutrition and education) of less than 59 (out of a possible total of 100); and an economic vulnerability index (EVI) of less than 36. A country has to meet all these criteria to be designated an LDC.

The CDP has identified 16 additional countries that meet some, but not all, of the criteria: Cameroon, China, Cote d'Ivoire, North Korea, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Democratic struggle

The peaceful action at the US Embassy was proper

Suara Timor Lorosa'e - July 10, 2002

Thomas Freitas, Dili -- Activists from the NGO La'o Hamutuk and others were disappointed by Manuel Carrascalao's statement in Tuesday's edition of STL that "Foreigners can not come here to provoke conflict amongst East Timorese."

This information was given by Thomas Freitas, a coordinator of the peaceful action in front of the United States Embassy last Saturday.

"We do not agree with what Manuel said," expressed Freitas. In his opinion, the peaceful action carried out in front of the US Embassy was proper and right, especially the demands that were forwarded in the action which were not in contradiction with any principles of democracy.

"In this peaceful action, we called on the US, which was celebrating the 226th anniversary of their independence, to apologize for their involvement in the 24 years of Indonesian military occupation. We also asked the US government not to renew military ties with Indonesia and also not to block the process of an international tribunal for war crimes in East Timor," he said.

He clarified that in this peaceful action, there were not a thousand demonstrators as Manuel Carrascalao stated. "We were only a few dozen people and it is true that there were some foreigners. There were three foreigners. We did not shout or scream. We only lit candles and held posters and then we left," he clarified.

He explained that the three foreigners at the action were US citizens who were part of the struggle for East Timor's self- determination in other countries throughout the struggle for independence. In his opinion, their presence in this peaceful action was proper because as US citizens they have a right to protest their government, and they were not trying to provoke conflict amongst East Timorese, as stated by Manuel Carrascalao.

He explained that the foreigners' presence there fit with the US embassy's invitation to celebrate the nation's independence. "Once more, activists are very disappointed with what was said by Manuel Carrascalao because the involvement of the three Americans there was a demonstration of their solidarity and they also have played an important role in the Maubere people's struggle during 24 years of Indonesian occupation in Timor Leste. Their involvement in this action was not to provoke conflict," he stated firmly.

West Timor/refugees

Brussels grants two million euros to aid refugees

Lusa - July 9, 2002

The European Union is to give humanitarian aid worth nearly euros 2 million to East Timorese refugees still living in camps in Indonesian West Timor, it was announced Tuesday in Brussels.

The assistance includes food aid for the severely malnourished and supplementary feeding for nearly 10,000 children and 1,700 pregnant or breast feeding women.

Water will also be distributed to more than 26,000 refugee sites and 5,000 families -- including refugees and vulnerable locals -- will receive plastic sheeting, hygiene kits and children's clothing.

The euros 1.9 million aid funds, released by the European Commission, will also be used by the UN refugee agency to help the voluntary return of Timorese refugees in other parts of Indonesia and for family reunifications.

UNHCR expects 25,000 more Timorese to return home

Jakarta Post - July 11, 2002

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang -- The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expects to see half of the remaining 50,000 East Timorese refugees currently taking shelter in neighboring East Nusa Tenggara to enter the repatriation program.

A UNHCR representative in Indonesia, Bob White, said on Wednesday that to promote the program, the world body had planned a regular visit of East Timor people to the refugee camps scattered across the Indonesian province and vice versa.

"We hope that through the exchange visits at least half of the remaining refugees will return home by the end of the year," White said after a meeting with Governor Piet A. Tallo.

UNHCR will stop its humanitarian mission in West Timor at the end of this year.

Provincial administration data has revealed that some 20,000 East Timorese were repatriated between September 2001 and June 2002.

White is visiting East Nusa Tenggara to talk with the provincial administration about priority measures to deal with the refugees, who have been taking shelter in the province for almost three years.

"Technically, repatriation remains the most important of our priority measures, although the possibility is wide open for the Indonesian government to resettle the refugees," White said.

Indonesia has set an August 31 deadline for the East Timorese to choose between repatriation and resettlement.

The Office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and the Udayana Military Command have planned to build 800 houses across East Nusa Tenggara for East Timor refugees who wish to remain in the country.

Outgoing Udayana Military commander Maj. Gen. Willem T. da Costa said on Tuesday that the houses would mostly go to families of former East Timorese servicemen and civil servants.

"The construction project is aimed at accelerating the refugee settlement program, which has continued unabated for almost three years," said Willem, who will move to Bandung as the head of the Army's staff and command school.

The houses will be built in Kupang, Belu, North Central Timor and South Central Timor regencies. Willem said 62 East Timorese who had joined the Army had expressed their intention to leave Indonesia for their homeland.

Responding to reports of some 1,500 unreturned East Timorese children, White said UNHCR was still working with both the Indonesian and East Timor governments and nongovernmental organizations to reunite them with their parents.

He said the world body had found it difficult to detect the whereabouts of the children as they were scattered in various places.

UNHCR has learned that the children have been placed in orphanages across the country since 1999, when violence engulfed the former Portuguese colony following the UN-administered independence vote.

Refugees rally over Japanese humanitarian aid

Jakarta Post - July 10, 2002

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang -- Dozens of people claiming to represent thousands of East Timorese refugees sheltering in camps in West Timor rallied at the gubernatorial office in the regional capital of Kupang on Tuesday to demand a quick disbursement of US$5.38 in humanitarian aid from the Japanese government.

The group, calling themselves the Presidium of East Timor Refugees, urged the provincial government to pressure Jakarta to use the funds to feed the refugees, who they claimed were starving.

Coordinator of the demonstration, Hukman Reni, told The Jakarta Post the refugees did not intend to challenge Jakarta's policy, but they questioned the Indonesian government's slowness in addressing the refugee problems.

"Over the past week, refugees have been suffering from hunger. It is no longer a threat but a serious reality after two people who lived in refugee camps in Tuapukan and Noelbaki died," Hukman, an advisor of the refugees, said.

Indonesia has set an August 31 deadline for some 50,000 East Timorese refugees who remain in shelters across the province to choose between repatriation and resettlement. Jakarta has stopped supplying humanitarian aid due to financial constraints. About 250,000 East Timorese streamed into neighboring West Timor after violence ravaged their homes in the aftermath of the independence vote to split from Indonesia in 1999.

Social affairs assistant to the provincial secretary, Stanis Tefa, said the local government had forwarded the refugees' demands to the National Refugees Settlement Coordinating Body in Jakarta.

"We just execute Jakarta policies. It's up to the central government whether the Japanese aid will be disbursed to help the refugees," Stanis said.

A deputy to the coordinating body's chief, Budi Atmadi Adiputro, said in his letter to Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf Kalla, dated July 3, that the Japanese humanitarian aid would be used mainly to repatriate the refugees and to help them develop their resources. The money has been placed in an account with state bank BNI in Harmoni, Central Jakarta, Budi said.

Following widespread concern about the use of the aid, Japanese government treasury official Yasuhiro Sugata will arrive in Indonesia on Wednesday to review the use of its use. His visit has been arranged by the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia.

Timor Gap

New nation declares maritime boundary with Australia

Radio Australia - July 12, 2002

[East Timor's fledgling parliament has made a key decision about the nation's borders which could be the first big test of its relations with Australia. Its declared a maritime boundary with Australia that would give East Timor full ownership of lucrative oil and gas deposits that now fall inside Australian waters .. in the process, putting the two countries on course for a political collision.]

Presenter/Interviewer: Anne Barker, Darwin

Speakers: Don Rothwell, Sydney University.

Barker: It's a high stakes gamble that could bring vast wealth to a struggling nation or end in an international legal wrangle. East Timor has formally staked a claim to huge oil and gas reserves that Australia counts as its own, and on a trade visit to Darwin, East Timor's President, Xanana Gusmao, put his nation's cards squarely on the table.

Gusmao: We are not asking for less or more than the international law allows us to claim.

Anne Barker: East Timor's parliament has approved legislation that puts the maritime boundary with Australia 200 nautical miles from the Timorese coast, well beyond the halfway mark. It takes in all of the lucrative Sunrise field, 80 percent of which is now in Australian waters, and other vast reserves Australia partly or wholly owns.

Jonathan Morrow heads the East Timorese government's Timor Sea office in Dili.

Morrow: Well there's nothing in international law that requires us to limit our claim to a halfway mark. All East Timor is doing is making the maximum claim to which it is entitled under international law.

Barker: Do you agree that it could be seen as provocative?

Morrow: No, I don't believe that the Australian government will see that as provocative. All we're doing is exercising the right of any newly independent nation, which has no maritime boundaries.

Barker: In Australia's eyes, its own territorial waters extend to the edge of the continental shelf, conveniently north of the seabed's biggest spoils. It all depends now on the extent of Australia's goodwill and international law expert, Donald Rothwell, believes Australia has the upper hand.

Rothwell: The Timor Sea Treaty concluded back in May between Australia and East Timor does in fact recognise that there is continuing obligation to negotiate a permanent boundary between the two countries. But of course we know, that Australia has removed itself from the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and as a result it will impossible for East Timor to force this case into the ICJ.

Barker: So who's going to ultimately win?

Rothwell: Well that's a very difficult one to say at the moment. I think that there is certainly some prospect of East Timor trying to launch some litigation against Australia, whether that litigation would be successful or not remains to be seen. But it's quite clear that, as I said, from this action that East Timor is not going to step down or step away from this particular dispute.

Timor leaves a gap in marine demands

The Australian - July 13, 2002

Nigel Wilson -- East Timor's decision to pursue maritime boundaries that might include substantial Australian oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea will not derail talks aimed at defining the legal and commercial position of the Sunrise gas reservoirs.

The new country's parliament in Dili has formally approved legislation defining the parameters of its maritime zones, including an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf that may extend up to 200 nautical miles from East Timor's coast.

But whether East Timor will claim the full Sunrise reservoir containing up to 8.4 trillion cubic feet of gas or Australia's biggest producing oil field at Laminaria is not clear. No formal claim on these reserves has been made.

The Sunrise project is based on the Greater Sunrise gas/condensate fields in the Bonaparte Basin, about 400km northwest of Darwin. It is owned by Woodside, Phillips, Shell and Osaka Gas.

Australian Government sources said yesterday they understood the East Timorese legislation did not assert East Timor's maritime zone did, in fact, extend the full 200 nautical miles. "Rather, these are the parameters within which boundaries with East Timor's neighbours may be defined," one source said.

A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the move was consistent with East Timor's previously announced positions. "Australia acknowledges East Timor's right to seek a permanent maritime boundary delimitation with Australia, and will listen to what East Timor has to say," the spokesman said.

As Australia in March withdrew from the International Court of Justice's jurisdiction on maritime boundaries, East Timor's claim must be settled by negotiation rather than litigation.

Australia, which maintains the boundary should remain at the deepest point off the continental shelf, would lose its 79.9 per cent share of the Greater Sunrise gas field if the East Timorese proposal was accepted.

And Laminaria, which is owned 50 per cent by Woodside with Shell and BHP Billiton Petroleum each having 25 per cent, could be affected if the boundary of Joint Petroleum Development Area contained in the Timor Sea Treaty signed on May 20 was extended only 6.5km to the west.

In Darwin yesterday Northern Territory Chief Minister, Clare Martin, urged Canberra to quickly resolve the maritime boundary question. "What oil and gas producers need is certainty, and certainly from the Australian point of view and the East Timorese point of view, it's got to be done quite quickly," she said.

In Dili next week, Australian and East Timor officials are scheduled to meet to discuss the so-called unitisation agreement for Sunrise.

The talks are aimed at providing certainty concerning the field's administration, the development plan, gas sales agreements and clarification of where production gas will be valued for taxation purposes.

Australian government and company officials say there is no evidence that East Timor will not honour their commitment to complete negotiations for the international unitisation agreement by the end of the year.

Dili aims to claim full maritime boundaries in Timor Sea

Lusa - July 9, 2002

East Timor's parliament approved a draft bill Tuesday on maritime borders, paving the way for the ratification of the potentially lucrative Timor Sea oil and gas treaty, signed in May by Dili and Canberra during the new nation's independence celebrations.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Timor's main negotiator of the oil treaty, told parliament that the new legislation would define a continental shelf and establish an exclusive economic zone, extending for 200 nautical miles from the Timorese coast.

"This is a very important day in the history of East Timor. This legislation will establish Timor's claims to the largest possible sea borders, in accordance with international law", Alkatiri told the Dili parliament.

Alkatiri, who also heads the majority Fretilin party in parliament, said the new bill would confirm Dili's claim to not only oil and gas, but also fish resources. The draft legislation was approved by 77 of the 88-seat legislature, with one MP abstaining and ten being absent.

Timor's intention to claim its full maritime boundaries, instead of those previously defined for it by Australia and Indonesia, means some areas of the Timor Sea will be jointly claimed.

The new legislation was "normal" for a new country like East Timor, Alkatiri said in a press release, and was similar to existing laws in both Indonesia and Australia, he added.

"In area where there could be overlapping, we hope to begin calm and swift negotiations with the parties involved", said Alkatiri.

"East Timor is a small country, recovering after decades of occupation, and our neighbors are strong and rich. However, I believe that Indonesia and Australia will be fair in the negotiations", Alkatiri added in the communique.

Justice & reconciliation

No amnesty for crimes against humanity, says Timorese bishop

Catholic News Service - July 8, 2002

Dili -- Amnesty should not be offered to those responsible for crimes against humanity during the violence that surrounded East Timor's 1999 bid for independence, said Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo of Dili.

In a pastoral statement released in late June, Bishop Belo said amnesty could be offered to those who committed less serious offenses because newly independent East Timor's fledgling justice system could not bear the cost of prosecuting all offenders.

"However, persons who committed the most serious crimes such as mass murder, even for political reasons, should not be eligible for an automatic amnesty," he said.

Amnesty has emerged as a controversial topic in East Timor as the country tries to move from its violent, bloody past toward a peaceful future. Many want the militias responsible for the wave of violence during the UN-sponsored independence vote in 1999 prosecuted.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the aftermath of the referendum. Rape and other human rights abuses also were used by the militias, who were financed and trained by the Indonesian military, as a tool to thwart independence supporters.

In addition, entire villages were reduced to rubble as the militias burned, looted and destroyed most of East Timor's infrastructure. Bishop Belo said amnesty should not release the perpetrators from their financial obligations to repay for property they destroyed.

President Xanana Gusmao, East Timor' independence hero, favors amnesty for those accused of the violence, saying it offers his country the best path to peace and stability.

But Bishop Belo said a general amnesty would deny justice to the victims and their families. "An automatic amnesty for all past offenders would be unjust to those victims and their families who have suffered most. It would also risk our new nation falling into denial and forgetting our past," he said.

Bishop Belo said the amnesty issue could undermine East Timor's progress if left unsettled. "It is true that there is a lack of skilled human resources in East Timor while there are many basic needs yet to be dealt with. But we must bear in mind that justice is one of these basic needs to be fulfilled; that justice was our main goal in our struggle for freedom," he said.

Bishop Belo, co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize, said the East Timorese government had a responsibility to its people to investigate and prosecute those who committed crimes against humanity.

"Insufficient human and financial resources in our institutions of justice cannot be used as an excuse to forgo litigation of perpetrators of high crimes against humanity," he said.

"On the contrary, it is precisely for these reasons that we should strengthen our institutions of justice so that the rule of law may prevail in our land, rather than the rule of power of occupation times," he said.

In a formula for amnesty, Bishop Belo said those accused of the most serious crimes could be offered a "special amnesty" if the victims, their families and local community were agreeable and if the accused fulfills conditions selected by the community.

However, if the person commits a crime after being granted amnesty, that person should be prosecuted for all crimes retroactively to 1999, the bishop said.

The bishop said crimes committed prior to 1999 should be offered general amnesty because East Timor's judicial system would lack resources and the ability to obtain the evidence needed for a credible conviction.

Human rights trials

Jakarta asks for prison sentence for former Timor governor

Associated Press - July 12 2002

Prosecutors yesterday demanded that East Timor's former Indonesian-appointed governor be sent to prison for 10 and a half years -- just six months more than the minimum sentence for crimes against humanity.

Abilio Soares is one of 18 Indonesian military and government officials charged over violence that left more than 1,000 people dead and wrecked East Timor after it voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999.

He was the first of the group to hear his possible fate. Soares, who has denied any wrongdoing, said nothing as the prosecutors' demand was read out.

"This is about the best we can hope for," said Agung Yudhawiranata, who is monitoring the trials for the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy. "They either can set him free or give the minimum. If they set him free, people will be very upset." Under Indonesia's human rights laws, Soares could still potentially face a death sentence if found guilty as judges are under no obligation to follow prosecutors' requests.

Jakarta is under intense international pressure to punish those responsible for the destruction of East Timor after a UN sponsored independence referendum in August 1999. Critics are sceptical, however, that any of the defendants will taste proper justice.

Judges will hear from Soares' defence lawyers next week and then issue a verdict.

Prosecutors today reiterated that Soares was guilty of failing to prevent pro-Jakarta militias from taking part in four massacres.

"During the trial, we found that the defendant knew that his subordinates ... were paying the [militiamen]," prosecutor Harry Ismi said. "The governor did not prevent them from committing widespread and systematic violence and he has not shown any remorse for his actions."

In a separate human rights trial today, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas told the court that ex-President B.J. Habibie had authorised the 1999 referendum because he was tired of the international criticism Indonesia had to endure for its occupation of East Timor.

"Habibie said it would be better to lose East Timor now rather than fund it and face continuous condemnation for the next five to ten years," Alatas said at the trial of former East Timor police chief Timbul Silean.

Alatas also insisted it was the police, not the military, who were responsible for security in East Timor in 1999.

"It is clear that the [Indonesian] police had the responsibility to maintain security and order all over East Timor because we rejected the presence of foreign forces," Alatas said. He did not, however, link Silean directly to any of the violence.

Former minister says post-ballot violence not expected

Sydney Morning Herald - July 12 2002

Two former top Indonesian ministers told a human rights trial yesterday that a savage outbreak of militia violence in East Timor in September 1999 caught the Jakarta government unawares.

Feisal Tanjung and Ali Alatas, respectively the top security minister and foreign minister at the time, said the government did what it could to contain the violence after the announcement that an overwhelming majority of East Timorese had voted for independence.

"The police had already performed their duty well but they were not able to handle [the unrest] because of the immensity of the problem faced," Tanjung said.

"It was a condition of chaos which was very difficult to face ... It was uncontrollable because the number of police and soldiers were insufficient," he said, testifying at the trial of former East Timorese police chief Timbul Silaen.

Silaen is one of 18 officers, officials and civilians either on trial or due to face trial for gross human rights violation in the runup to and aftermath of the August 30 ballot organised by the United Nations.

Silaen is accused of failing to control his subordinates and to halt five massacres of civilians in April and September 1999 in which more than 100 died.

At another trial before the rights court today, prosecutors recommended a 10 year and six month jail for former East Timor governor Jose Osorio Abilio Soares over the same charges. A verdict has still to be passed in his case.

Tanjung said the campaign and the vote itself had gone smoothly. "The number of policemen were enough to handle the usual number of violations but when chaos like this erupted, it was no longer sufficient," he said.

Tanjung, 62, also played down some of his responsibilities at the time. He said his chairmanship of a team -- to "safeguard the implementation" of a May 1999 agreement between Indonesia, Portugal and the United Nations on the holding of the vote -- was only coordinative in nature.

He said he could not give details of security arrangements in East Timor during and after the polls since that was the responsibility of then-defence minister and military commander General Wiranto. Tanjung and Wiranto are not among those due to face trial.

The local militiamen and some Indonesian military units waged a campaign of intimidation before East Timor's vote to separate from Indonesia and a violent scorched-earth revenge campaign afterwards. At least 1,000 East Timorese are estimated to have died and whole towns were burnt to the ground.

Many witnesses and defendants at the rights trials have portrayed the militia violence as outbreaks of spontaneous fury. Rights groups and others have said senior Jakarta officials organised and directed the militias.

Former foreign minister Ali Alatas told the trial the authorities had expected some "disappointment" after the announcement of the poll result but had not expected such unrest to break out. "There will be winners and losers and the losers, I was certain, would not accept the results," Alatas said.

He said he had warned the concerned ministers and senior officials after the poll that based on initial reports, the pro- Indonesians appeared to be losing and that security should be tightened. "But I think, no one expected the magnitude [of the reaction]," he said.

Indonesia

Gusmao does not back independence in Aceh and Irian Jaya

Australian Associated Press - July 11, 2002

Rod McGuirk, Darwin -- East Timor President and former freedom fighter Xanana Gusmao today said he did not want to see the Indonesian provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya win independence.

His comments followed his Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta's advice to activists in the two trouble spots to settle for autonomy from Indonesia.

Mr Gusmao said East Timor respected Indonesian sovereignty over the two provinces while acknowledging human rights abuses.

Asked if he would like to see them independent, Mr Gusmao replied: "No". "We respect every aspiration; we would like to see a peaceful solution," he said.

"Of course as people of a country which has just come from violence and war, we would like to see more a course in dialogue, a positive approach to solve the question.

"Of course, we know what is [sic] human rights violations, but in political terms, we respect the sovereignty and integrity of Indonesia. "

He would not speculate on whether the two provinces would eventually win their independence, saying he was not a fortune- teller.

But he had reminded Indonesia that if the military had accepted his proposal for United Nations intervention in East Timor in 1983, the past 16 years would not have been wasted.

Mr Gusmao and Dr Ramos-Horta's comments on independence for Aceh and Irian Jaya appear out of step with Bishop Carlos Belo who has declared solidarity with their independence struggle.

Dr Ramos-Horta said the East Timorese had based their independence case on their separate legal status as a Portuguese colony invaded by a foreign power.

"No government in this country should ever be imprudent or foolish enough to offer sympathy or support for Papua or Aceh's quest for independence," he told Fairfax newspapers. "They should accept Jakarta's autonomy offer -- it is genuine."

News & issues

Police seize trucks containing smuggled sandalwood

UNMISET Media Briefing Notes - July 9, 2002

Dili -- UN Police officials today announced they have seized two trucks loaded with sandalwood apparently destined for sale outside East Timor.

Officials would not disclose where the sandalwood originated but said there has been a recent upsurge in cases of this type. A number of people are being questioned in relation to the incident.

UN Police Commissioner Peter Miller said today that education is a critical element in helping East Timor preserve its sandalwood resources.

"We should all be concerned about this increasing illicit trade and strive to raise national awareness about the consequences of deforestation," Miller said.

"The East Timorese people must realise that resources such as sandalwood and coral are a unique part of their heritage, and show the outside world that they are serious about preserving them," he added.

Meanwhile, the ETPS has concluded its quarterly recruitment drive with the selection of 250 men and women who will soon begin a three-month basic training course at the Police College in Dili.

The training will include instruction in democratic policing standards, investigating procedures, legal issues, patrol procedures and policing skills. Following this first phase, the recruits will undergo three more months of field training and a final six-month probationary period.

Nearly 2,000 trained ETPS officers are currently in the field with a projected target of 2,830 by the middle of next year.

Health & education

Low HIV rate could easily escalate, warns health minister

Lusa - July 8, 2002

East Timor`s minister of health has said that his country has all the conditions necessary for the outbreak of an Aids epidemic and urgent measure are needed to prevent this.

Rui Araujo, currently attending a world conference on HIV/AIDS in Barcelona, said that Timor possessed "all the ingredients" needed for a serious epidemic.

Poverty, street children, unemployment and prostitution all existed in Timor, and the present HIV rate of 0.64 percent was just "the tip of the iceberg", Araujo told ABC Radio in Australia on his way to Barcelona.

Dili's health minster said that this figure was based on inadequate analysis and limited research. The Timorese health authorities were making all efforts to involve the whole nation, including the church, parliament and even the president in an awareness raising measures, said Araujo.

The Timorese health ministry will shortly launch a nationwide campaign, including the distribution of condoms, a voluntary testing and counseling service and a case notification program, said Araujo.

The Dili representative of the United Nations Development Program, Phillips Young, said last week that as Timor was "a country practically not affected by Aids", it had "a priceless opportunity to avoid a major epidemic".

The first Aids case was notified in Dili in December, 2001. Currently, there are six confirmed cases in Timor: three of Aids (one death) and three HIV poistive, according to Dili`s health authorities.

International relations

Who is important to East Timor?

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation - July 12, 2002

[The following letter to the the Sydney Morning Herald editor was issued by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Dr Jose Ramos-Horta.]

The Editor, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney July 11, 2002

Dear Sir,

In "Pragmatic East Timor says China is its closest ally" (SMH July 11 2002), the position of the East Timorese Government and of my own were not fully represented.

In the interview with your Correspondent, I made the following comments to each specific question asked. I recall some points.

On China, I said that my government wishes to develop "the closest possible relationship" with China. No mention was made of China being East Timor "closest ally".

No two countries are more important to East Timor than our two closest neighbors, Australia and Indonesia, and my President and Government have spared no effort in cementing this very important relationship.

We are also forging bi-lateral ties with our other neighbors, namely the other ASEAN countries, as well the Republic of Korea and Japan.

I was asked to comment on the relationship with Portugal and I responded by stating that if it were not for Portugal's decisive contribution East Timor would not be free today.

We attach equal importance to our relations with the European Union as a whole, the Nordic countries, and the US, all of whom have contributed enormously to peace and our economic development.

Our very basic stance is to seek friends with a view towards enhancing our independence and economic well-being.

On the human rights front, I stated that as a rule I prefer discreet diplomacy in trying to address problems of conflict and human rights rather than lecturing others.

Jose Ramos-Horta Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation East Timor

Clash looms in over choice of ambassador to Canberra

Melbourne Age - July 12, 2002

Jill Jolliffe -- An argument over who is to be East Timor's first ambassador to Australia could lead to a showdown between President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.

Former Melbourne tram driver Abel Guterres is the first choice of Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta and Mr Gusmao, but has apparently been vetoed by the Prime Minister who is backing Antoninho Bianco, a Jakarta-educated Fretilin member who has occupied key positions in two governments led by Mr Alkatiri.

In an interview yesterday with The Age, Mr Horta said the choice of ambassador was "still to be agreed between the President and the government -- various names are floating about".

However, in an interview on June 13, Prime Minister Alkatiri was adamant that Mr Bianco had been nominated, a statement confirmed by Mr Bianco, who said he expected to present his credentials in October.

Confronted by this declaration, Mr Horta said the nomination could not be presented "as a fait accompli", stressing that the final say rested with President Gusmao who has to ratify diplomatic appointments.

East Timor says China is its closest ally

Sydney Morning Herald - July 11, 2002

Jill Jolliffe, Dili -- East Timor's Foreign Minister, Jose Ramos Horta, has put pragmatism ahead of human rights in his first foreign policy statement, describing China as the new nation's "closest possible ally".

Mr Ramos Horta said Dili wanted China's friendship as a "superpower, and economic powerhouse" and because it was the only Asian permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

And Mr Ramos Horta, who visited Beijing in 2000 with the now President Xanana Gusmao, said he would "not lecture other countries on their human rights records".

In a statement that also advised Acehnese and Papuan activists to accept autonomy status from Indonesia, he said East Timor was hoping soon to open diplomatic relations with China, which now occupies the largest embassy in Dili's diplomatic quarter.

Mr Horta said there were also historic reasons for preferring China. It had been the only international power to recognise the short-lived republic declared by the nationalist Fretilin party in November 1975.

One of the justifications Indonesia gave for its invasion weeks later was that Fretilin's leaders were under Maoist influence and were aiming to set up a communist state in the region.

Mr Ramos Horta said there were no ideological reasons behind the stand. "Does anybody believe China is still a Marxist-Leninist country?" he asked, adding: "The Chinese of today are more preoccupied with conquering markets than influencing anyone politically."

The 52-year-old minister has been foreign policy spokesman for the East Timorese nationalist movement since 1974, when he first approached Jakarta to discuss East Timorese aspirations to self- determination.

The 1996 Nobel Peace Prize winner also spoke about the conflict in the Indonesian provinces of Papua and Aceh.

"No government in this country should ever be imprudent or foolish enough to offer sympathy or support for Papua or Aceh's quest for independence," he said. "They should accept Jakarta's autonomy offer -- it is genuine." He said the East Timorese had based their independence case on their separate legal status as a Portuguese colony invaded by foreign power.

Indonesia would "fight to the bitter end" to preserve Papua and Aceh because defeat would represent "the real break-up of Indonesia", he said.

Mr Ramos Horta also pursued a pragmatic line on the trials in Indonesia of military officers charged with human rights violations in East Timor in 1999.

"For the first time in Indonesian history, serving military officers are being brought to trial ... I'm prepared to be very sympathetic. Let's wait and see." he said.

East Timor press reviews

July 8-12, 2002

July 12, 2002

Timor Post front page reported on the attack on police officers in Suai by allegedly former Falintil members. MP Josi Manuel said only PKF, FDTL and the Police could act on it not the Parliament.

TP reported that former East Timor governor Abilio Soares has been sentenced to ten years and six months in the prison by the Prosecutor-General I Ketut Murdika in Jakarta Ad Hoc Tribunal.

Minister of Internal Affairs, Rogerio Lobato said that new elections must be held for the district administrators.

ASDT and FRETILIN will have to work together to decide on the head of Aileu district administrator because the majority of August 30 2001 voters of that district are from ASDT.

A student has reportedly said that pupils in the district do not have access to media information but she hopes the government is aware of it and will do something about it.

The head of the Dili District Court, Aderito Tilman was quoted as saying that the decree letter addressed to the government on the judges and prosecutors contract has been signed by President Xanana Gusmco, Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri and the Minister of Justice, Anna Pessoa.

The paper ran a story on the Sea Emperor ferryboat that it has not been operating between Dili, Atauro and Oecusse because it ran into corals and has a leakage.

TP reported that misunderstanding led to demonstrations by many Ermera residents against a police officer of that district.

The 2 trucks carrying 30 tones each of sandalwood has been detained by police officers in Hera and the case is under investigation by the forestry department.

Egidio de Jesus, the Secretary of State for Electricity and water supply said after the installments of the 3000 board meters in the 13-Districts, bills will be charged monthly in order to sustain the electricity. In a related story, the residents of Baucau have agreed to pay their electricity bill.

Many journalists are reportedly disappointed with police officers because they could not interview an officer regarding a recent incident in Gleno, Ermera district. They were told only the Police spokesperson can be interviewed.

MP Joco Gongalves (PSD) has reportedly said the Economy and Finance Ministry announced cuts to allowances although the budget allocated to members of parliament is yet to be used.

Another MP Clementino Amaral (KOTA) stated that if a solution is not found on the sea boundaries between Australia and East Timor the only option is to appeal to the International Tribunal.

It was reported that many Timorese are working overtime in their maze field to produce more crops for commercial sale but they do not know who to it sell to. Xanana Gusmco proposes a Foreigners Investment Committee to encourage trade with the East Timor economy. The announcement was made yesterday during the International Economy Forum in Darwin, reported TP.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Rogerio Lobato says the government has clear information about the Kolimau Group 2000 and says there are a few people who are trying to provoke instability in the country.

Suara Timor Lorosae's front page reported on the head of UNMISET Kamalesh Sharma addressing the World Population Day commemoration in Dili as saying that the young generation of East Timor have to work hard to develop the country because the future of the nation lies in their hand. Mr. Sharma presented the awards and certificates from UNFPA to the winners of the World Population Day Poster Contest

The vice minister of the Minister of Justice, Domingos Maria Sarmentos informed that the Suai court will soon begin its services but cases under process from that district in Dili will not be moved.

STL reported that about 300 Oecussi residents have waited for almost a week -- for the ferry that stopped operating due to technical problems -- to return home.

It is reportedly that AIDS has spread in East Timor mainly through young people who have engaged in relationship with foreigners infected with this ailment.

The Malaysian Olympic Committee is currently in East Timor to meet with the local Sport Confederations representatives and learn more about the country's sport facilities.

July 11, 2002

Suara Timor Lorosa'e ran a story on the protest rally held yesterday in front of the National Parliament by hundreds of former Indonesian civil servants. After a dialogue between the crowd and three MPs, a group of 10 protesters was allowed in to the building for a 30-minute meeting Lu Olo.

STL reported that President Xanana Gusmco and Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Ramos-Horta will attend an investment seminar and expo in Darwin to promote investment in East Timor.

Police in Maliana are reportedly unable to cope with the activities of the Kolimau 2000 group that has been stealing and generally frightening people in the area.

Fifteen cases of rape were reported to the police in Dili between the months of January and June.

A Comoro resident has reportedly complained that frequent power cuts have caused damage to his electrical appliances.

Many passengers in Oecussi have reportedly been left stranded and angry because the ferry connecting the enclave and Dili has been experiencing problems.

MP Vidal Riak Leman (PSD) stressed last Tuesday in a Parliament plenary session that heads of government should be able to accept criticism and take into account the concerns of barefoot citizens.

STL ran a story on HIV/AIDS in East Timor and how people, especially youth, can avoid it. The article says that HIV/AIDS has become a serious issue ever since foreigners came to East Timor.

A shop owner in Suai is quoted as saying he has not been officially notified about any sales tax increase.

Police and the Rapid Response Unit are stopping vehicles without license plates.

STL says that there is much more crime in East Timor than in previous times.

Refugees in West Timor are complaining that they have not received aid provided by Japan.

July 9, 2002

The Timor Post today reported that the purpose of a Joint Commission between Indonesia and East Timor is to settle various relevant issues in a transparent manner.

Three thousand new electricity meters will reportedly be installed in Dili residences in the near future. Meanwhile, residents of Liquiga district say they are now ready to pay their electricity bills

High school students with low final exam marks will reportedly not be eligible to enroll at the National University in Dili in the upcoming academic year.

The Baucau district court has reportedly suspended its activities because judges and prosecutors have yet to agree on new contracts.

In an opinion piece the Timor Post says that some Indonesian politicians will use the issue of Indonesian assets in East Timor and the Timor Sea Arrangement in order to win votes in the upcoming elections.

Suara Timor Lorosae reported that President Xanana Gusmco yesterday received the diplomatic credentials of the new Australian ambassador, Gerard Paul Foley.

MP Clementino dos Reis Amaral (KOTA) said that political leaders should be held legally accountable for what happened in East Timor between 1974 and 1999.

STL is back on-line after a period of almost two years. Readers can access the site at: http//www.suaratimorlorosae.com

STL reported that 1,500 East Timorese refugee children have been "sold" to orphanages in Indonesia.

The request by refugee representatives led by Joao Tavares for transit centers in each of East Timor's 13 districts should be carefully considered, MP Jose Andrade (Bobonaro district representative) is quoted as saying.

Thirty-nine workers from the East Timor Plumbing and Gas Company demonstrated in front of the office of the Secretary of State for Labor and Solidarity yesterday demanding improved working conditions.

Residents of the Metiaut area of the capital are complaining of poor housing conditions and a lack of public transport.

STL also reports on what it says is a court crisis in Baucau district. Many Timorese are reportedly not happy with the current state of affairs. The Rector of Dili University, Lucas da Costa, is reportedly urging the government to increase the national meat supply.

The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Estanislau da Silva, yesterday opened a three-day workshop to look at agriculture development plans for the next year.

Minibuses owners are reportedly happy with the business generated by the route schedules supplied to them by the government and the police.

A group of 25 youth have initiated a rice cultivation program on a 1.3-hectare lot in Liquiga district.

STL quoted Manuel Carrascalco as saying that an anti-US demonstration held in front of the US embassy's 4th of July celebration was probably organized by foreigners even though some East Timorese took part.

July 8, 2002

The Timor post ran a front page story on Saturday's meeting in Batugade between government representatives and a refugee group headed by Joco Tavares at which the refugees called for the creation of transit centers in each district for former pro- Indonesian supporters.

The government is reportedly under pressure to dismantle a youth group in Bobonaro district called Kolimau 2000 because the group's members are ordering schools to close down and preventing churchgoers from attending mass.

A traditional healer, Antonio de Araujo Cortereal, says the eucalyptus tree needs to be protected because it is useful for medicinal purposes.

A health clinic in Becora has reportedly treated more than 50 cases of malaria in the past month.

Roads around East Timor have reportedly been damaged due to heavy load vehicles.

In an editorial the Timor Post says that street children are victims of economic problems at home and that the government must do something to combat the problem.

A group of youth in Letefoho, Ermera district, has sent a letter requesting the Minister of Education to allow them to voluntarily teach a group of students whose teacher is currently in jail for beating up a pupil.

Suara Timor Lorosae, STL, also ran a front page story on the Batugade meeting between government representatives and Tavares. MP Jacob Fernandes, who attended the meeting, said it had been conducted in a very positive atmosphere and that the agenda for next meeting will focus on human rights abuses and serious crimes committed in East Timor in 1999.

STL reported that Special Representative of the Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma paid a visit to the Commission of Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) office in Dili and stressed that it is one of the most important institutions in East Timor and has the support of the United Nations.

Comoro market is reportedly strewn with rubbish and is beginning to smell badly.

Hotels in the capital have reportedly slashed their prices by half and restaurants are claiming a 50% drop in business since many UN personnel left the country.

Meat vendors in the capital say local beef sales are threatened because of imported meat.

Economics students at Dili University say they are finding it very difficult to learn the Portuguese language.

The owner of a photographic studio in Dili said he had to spend over $800 dollars to set up his business but is now earning some US$250 a day because there is not much in the way of competition. Separately, vendors at Becora market are reportedly selling their goods outside the area stipulated by the municipality. This is causing traffic problems.

STL reports that militias are not training to attack East Timor.

STL ran a story on the UNDP's statement, issued Friday, that quoted UNDP Representative Phillips Young as saying that East Timor still has time to prevent a major HIV/AIDS epidemic.

[Drafated by: Ceu Brites UNMISET Spokesperson's office]