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East Timor News Digest 19 - September 23-29, 2002
| Transition & reconstruction |
Reuters - September 27, 2002
Irwin Arieff, United Nations -- The tiny Southeast Asian nation of East Timor, the first country to be born in the 21st century, won a seat at the United Nations on Friday, swelling the world body's membership to 191.
The UN General Assembly welcomed East Timor -- which gained independence four months ago after breaking away from Indonesia following a bloody conflict -- as its newest member by acclamation.
"We wish the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste [East Timor] and its people peace, prosperity and every success in their future, and I warmly welcome Timor-Leste to the United Nations," General Assembly President Jan Kavan of the Czech Republic said after the vote.
President Xanana Gusmao told the chamber he represented "a small people of great dignity and extraordinary bravery in the past, driven by total commitment to the present, and filled with great confidence in the future." "As it is told in our legend, we are today transformed and treading firmly on our land and sailing safely in our sea, for we are now identified as a sovereign and independent nation, as a member of the international community," Gusmao said.
Before independence, he spent 17 years as a resistance fighter against Indonesian rule and was jailed by Indonesia for seven years in the 1990s.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, congratulating the young nation as its flag was raised at UN headquarters, said East Timor's long independence struggle "showed that greatness among nations is not a matter of size or resources." "None of us who followed Timor- Leste's long struggle for self-determination can help being moved by this moment. None of us can forget the sacrifices made by the people or the courage of its leadership," Annan said.
The flag features a white star on a red, black and yellow background and symbolizes East Timor's quest for independence and peace.
The former Pacific territory joined the United Nations just weeks after Switzerland, which was approved on September 10 after the Swiss voted to seek membership in a March referendum. Independence for East Timor capped nearly three years of UN administration, centuries of colonization by Portugal and 24 years of occupation by Indonesia.
A UN peacekeeping mission remains active there as the country grooms new leaders to assume its responsibilities.
East Timor came under UN rule a few months after its people voted overwhelmingly in an August 1999 independence referendum to break free from Indonesia, which seized the territory in 1975 after Portugal pulled out.
About 1,000 East Timorese died after the independence vote when gangs organized by the Indonesian military went on a rampage, looting, killing and burning down buildings.
Australia, with Indonesia's consent, then sent in troops to establish order until the United Nations could organize a peacekeeping force to take over.
In a sign of their changing relationship, Gusmao noted that Indonesia, Australia and Portugal had joined in sponsoring East Timor's membership.
He told reporters after the General Assembly vote that he felt "overwhelmed by the difficult challenges before us" as well as proud of his country's achievements.
The half-island nation of 760,000 people is Asia's most impoverished, and the 20th poorest in the world.
Average life expectancy is 57 years, and East Timor's economy has been hard hit by a global coffee glut although the government hopes to spur development with the proceeds of offshore natural gas deposits.
Reuters - September 27, 2002
Dili -- East Timor becomes the 191st member of the United Nations on Friday, an historic day for the world's newest nation after a bloody transition from Indonesian rule, but East Timorese complain it will pass virtually unnoticed in their own land.
No flag-raising ceremony or traditional Timorese dancing or drum beating has been planned in the capital Dili or the outer reaches of the half island territory which has been under UN administration for more than three years.
Ordinary East Timorese expressed their dismay at the lack of fuss over the event and at the apparent apathy of political leaders.
"I am extremely disappointed with the government -- they have not been transparent in declaring or publicising it. I only heard about it from the radio and newspapers," said 55 year-old Gabriel da Costa. "We, the East Timorese, are proud of this day and I think it deserves a celebration," he added.
Also dissatisfied, 30-year-old Antonio Rangel said: "I'm really happy to hear East Timor finally becoming a member of the United Nations but I am awfully disappointed with the government as there is no ceremony to celebrate this big day."
The first act of East Timor's 88-member parliament after it was elected in April was to sign the UN Universal Declaration of Human rights and apply to join the United Nations.
The nation of 760,000 people is Asia's most impoverished, and the 20th poorest in the world.
The United Nations first arrived in the territory to run a ballot held on August 30, 1999, in which East Timor voted overwhelmingly to split from 24 years of often brutal Indonesian rule.
That result triggered a wave of violence by pro-Jakarta militia, backed by elements of the military, in which more than 1,000 were estimated to have been killed and thousands deported across the border into Indonesian West Timor.
The world body then set up one of its biggest missions to help restore peace and security and rebuild East Timor from scratch.
One UN official in Dili said because there had been a massive build-up to independence on May 20 this year when the UN handed over the reins of power, East Timor's membership with the world body seemed like a mere formality. "To most Timorese, UN membership is not a big deal at all. It was on the front page of both major newspapers today but no one is really talking about it.
Associated Press - September 26, 2002
New York -- East Timor's fragile peace will only hold if the international community continues to provide assistance and not abandon the country, said the fledgling nation's foreign minister.
East Timor, which gained independence from Indonesia through a United Nations-backed referendum in 1999, is desperately poor and heavily dependent on foreign aid.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly is to admit East Timor as the 191st member state. "Peace in our country is a reality, but it is fragile. If the donor community abandons the country now it could unravel," said Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor's foreign minister, speaking at a public discussion Wednesday about the challenges faced by his country.
Ramos-Horta said that more than 45% of East Timor's 850,000 people were desperately poor and more than 50% of the population was below 20 years old, and in need of education and jobs. He identified the setting up of a legal system right down to prisons as critical to his country's progress.
"If we don't address the issue of the judiciary then the whole issue of law and order will be at stake," he said, adding that offers to bolster the country's meager supply of 20 lawyers would be welcomed.
Despite bitter relations in the past, an independent East Timor has continued to foster ties with Indonesia. East Timor's large neighbor invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975, and ruled it with an iron hand until 1999, when a UN-sponsored referendum resulted in a vote for independence.
The plebiscite was followed by an orgy of violence when Indonesia-backed militias slaughtered hundreds and burnt down large parts of the capital -- Dili -- before an international peacekeeping force restored order. The United Nations took control of East Timor's administration as it began reconstruction, until the nation achieved full independence on May 20.
Ramos-Horta, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996 for his work to keep world attention on East Timor's plight, appealed to the donor community not to forget his country as new conflicts command world attention.
"East Timor could be dumped by the media and the donor community, that would be tragic because it would undo and undermine all the commitments, all the resources that were put into East Timor in the last few years," he said.
Lusa - September 23, 2002
The leader of East Timor's Catholic community, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, appealed Monday to Portugal`s people to give more help to his country, whose situation, he said, is "worse than before independence".
After a meeting with Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio in Lisbon, Belo told reporters, "There are problems with a lack of security, agriculture, unemployment and a need to boost teaching of Portuguese".
"We fought for 24 years for independence. But what type of independence is this. Now we are worse off than before", Belo paraphrased as the complaint he most often hears from Timorese since the country`s independence in May.
Belo, a 1996 joint Nobel Peace Prize winner, called to Portuguese companies and organizations to "support the people of Timor, as they need much".
"Up until 2005/6, when oil begins to come on flow in the Timor Sea, we will live on handouts and international solidarity", said the Catholic prelate.
Education, investment in agriculture, fisheries and business were the priority investment areas, Belo told Lusa, adding that he had asked President Sampaio for help in setting up a Portuguese TV channel or newspaper in his country, which becomes the UN`s 191st member this week.
Australian Associated Press - September 22, 2002
The Federal Defence Minister says Australian military commitment to peacekeeping in East Timor will be phased out over the next 18 months.
Senator Robert Hill was in Darwin yesterday to farewell soldiers heading to East Timor in a peacekeeping role. Included in the battalion is Alpha Company, manned largely by reservists.
Senator Hill says the current mandate in East Timor has a built- in reduction plan which should negate the need for Australian troops in the near future.
"This current mandate had a period of two years from independence and it has within it a formula for reducing numbers over that period of two years," he said. "So if you ask me now, I'd say that we wouldn't be planning for military deployment in East Timor after two years."off to say what New Zealand has done to compensate for its silence but it has done nothing for its own citizen and his family," he said. The document came from a 1994 partial document release, of which his family had not been informed. It revealed that the Muldoon government did not wish to take up Mr Cunningham's death with the Indonesians, but to leave it to Australia.
The document stated: "There would seem to be no clear cut case against Indonesia for any specific violation of International Law and as such there is no presumption for us to press a case in conjunction with Australia. We can expect that to do so would harm our own relations with Indonesia. Mr Cunningham, while a New Zealand citizen, was an Australian resident, was employed by an Australian organisation, was a member of the Australian Journalists Association, and his closest relatives live in Australia".
"This document has made us very angry, to see how quickly the New Zealand Government was prepared to ditch any responsibility for Gary," Mr Cunningham said.
| Timor Gap |
Sydney Morning Herald - September 26, 2002
Jane Counsel -- A former top executive with US oil and gas group Unocal is set to reopen the debate about the Sunrise gasfield in the Timor Sea by arguing its gas should be piped to East Timor, not Darwin.
John Imle, Unocal's former vice-chairman, argues that a deep-sea pipeline to East Timor is not only possible but cheaper than the options being debated by feuding Sunrise partners Woodside, Shell and Phillips Petroleum.
In a paper to be presented at the Joint Petroleum Development Area Summit conference in Melbourne tomorrow, Mr Imle, now an energy consultant, will quote figures from a recently completed study by INTEC Engineering which argues that, at any given flow rate, a pipeline to East Timor is a cheaper option.
"Not only is it feasible, it is economically preferable and advantageous to build a pipeline to East Timor and highly important for that nation," Mr Imle told the Herald.
The argument is at odds with what Phillips Petroleum, a partner in both Sunrise and the nearby Bayu-Undan gasfield, has previously told the Australian Government.
Phillips's former Darwin manager, Jim Godlove, told a 1999 Senate hearing that from an engineering standpoint it was impossible to pipe gas from the Bayu Undan field to East Timor. There is a deep-sea trench between Bayu-Undan and East Timor.
"The trench is too deep and too seismically active and the limits of technology simply prevent that," Mr Godlove said then. It is understood, however, that Phillips actually commissioned a study by petroleum engineering firm JP Kenny which concluded that building a pipeline to East Timor was feasible and estimated costs similar to INTEC's findings.
As part of its plans for Bayu-Undan, Phillips wants to bring the gas onshore at Darwin for use in the domestic market and possibly a second-stage liquefied natural gas (LNG) development.
Phillips was hoping that gas from the neighbouring Sunrise field, of which it owns 30 per cent, would also be piped to Darwin. However, it is locked in a dispute with Shell and Woodside, which prefer to develop Sunrise gas using a LNG processing plant floating on site.
Mr Imle, who is consulting for PetroTimor, argues that the location of an LNG processing plant in East Timor is actually better than both other options because it is even closer to Asian markets, further cutting the costs of gas delivery.
The INTEC study has costed a pipeline from Sunrise to the Suai area, on East Timor's southern coast, at $US317 million compared with the $US730 million estimated by Phillips for its Darwin option.
The feuding Sunrise partners have given themselves until October to decide on Sunrise's development options.
In addition to the development feud over Sunrise, the East Timorese government is still considering its legal options over pushing for a greater share of the tax take on the rich Timor Sea oil and gasfields.
The East Timorese want to grab 100 per cent of the tax revenue from the fields by pushing out the maritime boundaries with Australia to include the Sunrise field, 80 per cent of which is in Australia's exclusive zone. Phillips failed to respond to the Herald's inquiries yesterday.
Dow Jones News - September 25, 2002
Ray Brindal Canberra -- East Timor has been poorly dealt with by Australia and companies wanting to develop vast natural gas resources in the Timor Sea, John Imle, a former president and former vice president of US- based energy company Unocal Corp., said this week.
"I'm appalled at what Australia has done to East Timor on two counts," he told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview Tuesday, honing a message he will reiterate at a conference later in the week.
One count is the controversial issue of the yet-to-be-settled disputed maritime boundary between the two nations, he said. At stake are potentially huge royalties from energy production in the area. The other is a "total lack of any consideration" of East Timor's needs as a destination for the Timor Sea's vast natural gas resources and processing of the gas before it is exported, he said. "This is a huge injustice to East Timor," he said.
Imle is in Australia to address a conference Friday focusing on the Joint Petroleum Development Area, an area in the Timor Sea jointly administered by Australia and East Timor. He is speaking at the conference in his role as a consultant to PetroTimor Comphanhia de Petroleos SARL, a Portuguese-registered concern owned by Oceanic Exploration Co. of Denver. Portugal granted oil concessions to PetroTimor before Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor. The company is now trying to secure its lost property rights through Australian courts, he said.
East Timor formally became an independent nation May 20, and immediately signed the Timor Sea Treaty with Australia. The treaty is the fundamental document setting out how the economic benefits of energy developments in the Joint Petroleum Development Area in the Timor Sea are shared between the two. The treaty, which hasn't yet been ratified, was established without the setting of maritime boundaries between the two nations.
East Timor didn't establish maritime boundaries with Australia or any other nation and it didn't inherit any boundaries that existed prior to May 20.
Imle criticized Australia for agreeing to negotiate the boundary issue, yet withdrawing in March from the International Court of Justice, a body that could arbitrate the boundary issue. East Timor wants the boundary at the midpoint between the two nations, but Australia wants the boundary at the edge of its continental shelf, which would put it considerably closer to East Timor.
If the boundary is set at the midpoint, East Timor stands to reap a considerably larger flow of royalties from current and planned oil and gas production in the area. But if the midpoint boundary is accepted, Australia could lose billions of dollars in potential revenue from royalties from the proposed Greater Sunrise project on the eastern edge of the Joint Petroleum Development Area.
The Greater Sunrise gas field falls 20.1% within the Joint Petroleum Development Area, while 79.9% falls in Australian territory. Imle would also like to see some proposed natural gas pipelines from the Bayu-Undan and Greater Sunrise projects haul gas to East Timor for processing and re-export there. Bayu-Undan is operated by Phillips Petroleum Co., while Greater Sunrise partners are Phillips, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, Woodside Petroleum Ltd and Osaka Gas Co. Ltd.
At this stage, the proposed pipelines from these projects will run a much further distance undersea to Darwin in northern Australia, based on assertions the 3,000-meter Timor Trench offshore East Timor's southeast coast is too deep for such a gas pipeline to cross. But Oceanic paid for studies that show a pipeline from Bayu-Undan to East Timor isn't only technically feasible, but also economically better than a pipeline to Darwin, Imle said.
The risk factors on such investments must have been much higher several years ago, when East Timor "looked like a very dicey place," he said. These risks would have stopped project financing, insurance and indeed, any projects from proceeding, he said. But conditions in East Timor have changed, he added. The new nation now is peaceful, broke, desperately in need of government revenue, jobs, education and foreign investment, he said. Proposed gas projects could mean billions of dollars of direct foreign investment flowing to either Darwin or East Timor, he said. "There's no question about who needs it more," he said.
| News & issues |
Asia Intelligence Wire - September 26, 2002
Robson Seth -- "Kill the police" were the only words part-time soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Greg Hart, could understand, as he faced an angry mob of East Timorese dissidents.
The Christchurch financial adviser and former commander of the Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Territorial Regiment was travelling along a dark road in the Cova Lima District in July when his vehicle was forced off the road by an on-coming truck. The part-time soldier looked in amazement as dozens of East Timorese in military uniforms poured off the back of the truck that had stopped about 10m away.
The men were members of Combat Association 75 (CA75), one of several "issue-motivated groups" gaining in popularity amongst disaffected East Timorese.
When the group approached, Lieutenant Colonel Hart and his companion, Staff Sergeant John Hinton, got out of their vehicle, and drew their weapons.
"I saw them pouring off the back of this wagon, and they started charging. All you could see was militia uniforms, swords, and machetes. They were all yelling "kill the police", and there was a whole lot of Tetun [the local language] being yelled."
The group was angry, because one of their members had been arrested a few days earlier at the market in Suai.
"They were heading to the police station to break him out. I reckon they thought we were a police vehicle, and they were going to try and take us hostage," Lieutenant Colonel Hart said.
After a tense stand-off, the group backed off, getting back in their vehicle and heading for the Suai police station.
When they got there they rammed the gates, then threw rocks at the police station, and at United Nations vehicles in the compound. There were threats to kill the people in the police station.
NZ Battion 6's Fijian Company sent out an immediate reaction force of soldiers, who placed themselves between the rioters and the police. But the situation was not defused until the arrested man was conditionally released.
Later that day, New Zealand soldiers detained 44 men and 22 women. Hidden weapons, but no firearms, were found, along with military clothing. The ringleaders were shipped out to Dili for further questioning.
Lieutenant Colonel Hart said support for groups such as CA75 was fuelled by unemployment, and lack of infrastructure in East Timor. New Zealand peacekeepers were involved in community projects and training programmes, that would help alleviate the causes of unrest, he said.
"Our main concern was that we were leaving in November. We didn't want to create a dependency, which is a real problem throughout the world in peace-keeping operations. "We didn't want to leave a vacuum, where everything just stopped as soon as we left and you saw the foundations for future strife."
As Senior Liaison Officer with Batt 6 Lieutenant Colonel Hart kept in contact with other peacekeeping forces, UN agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and local authorities.
"When we arrived the battalion was starting to do projects for the local community. Rather than just get aid money for them from NGOs and build wells, we would teach the East Timorese how to get the aid money, get the supplies, and build the wells themselves." The battalion drew on the civilian skills of territorial soldiers to help the locals through education programmes that included conflict resolution, running a meeting, mechanical skills, and teaching skills.
Making the locals more self-reliant was difficult because the East Timorese did not have a culture of running things themselves. "Other people have been running East Timor for 400 years. The locals don't have the experience of being the boss."
Melbourne Age - September 26 2002
Sophie Douez, Canberra -- The Federal Government yesterday denied refugee claims to 168 East Timorese who fled the then-Indonesian territory seeking asylum in Australia almost a decade ago.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said that in the first decisions on about 1700 East Timorese refugee applications, none was granted approval to stay in Australia. A decision on the remaining applications, which were being processed, would be delivered in the next few months, he said.
Most of the group fled strife-torn East Timor in the 1990s, particularly after Indonesian soldiers massacred about 200 mourners in a funeral procession at Dili's Santa Cruz cemetery in November 1991. Many came to Australia on tourist visas and have lived and worked in the community while awaiting the outcome of their refugee claims.
Labor and East Timorese activist groups immediately called on the government to create a visa class to allow the asylum seekers to stay in Australia.
"It is reasonable to expect people who are found not to be refugees and so do not have a well-founded fear of persecution to return home when their country is safe and secure," Mr Ruddock said. In any event, the resolution of these applications allows these asylum seekers to move on with their lives."
The 168 people who have been refused the right to stay in Australia have 28 days to appeal against the decision through the Refugee Review tribunal. Mr Ruddock said decisions were made on a case-by-case basis.
The convenor of the Australian East Timorese Association of New South Wales, Andy McNaughtan, said allowing the asylum seekers to stay in Australia would help cement East Timor's stability, as there was little for them to return to there.
"Timor is in a very economically depressed and difficult position in which it cannot, at this stage, provide employment for people," Mr McNaughtan said. "People's families in Australia can give some kind of support to their families and help stabilise and support Timor. If they go home, they'll probably join the large body of unemployed with difficult immediate prospects."
Labor's immigration spokeswoman Julia Gillard said the East Timorese asylum seekers deserved special consideration from the government because most had lived in Australia for more than a decade.
"They fled real persecution, the delay in the resolution of their claims was due to the actions of the Australian government, they have lived for a very extended period of time in Australia and many have no real on-going connection with their former homeland," Ms Gillard said.
Activist Shirley Shackleton, whose husband Greg was one of five journalists murdered at Balibo in 1975, said the East Timorese asylum seekers were now "Aussies" because they had lived here for so long.
She questioned the government's conclusion that children born in Australia to East Timorese asylum seekers were East Timorese and had no greater rights than their parents. "Is there some sort of mean legislation that they rushed through with the Tampa legislation?" Mrs Shackleton asked.
| International relations |
Associated Press - September 27, 2002
New York -- On the eve of East Timor's joining the United Nations, the president of the former Indonesian-held territory said he would not advise other regions to use armed struggles as their route to independence.
"I will tell them to try everything to achieve a peaceful solution. We tried, we didn't only fight," East Timor's former resistance leader and new president, Xanana Gusmao, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
Gusmao's tiny nation, located on half an island amid the Indonesian archipelago, will be formally inducted into the United Nations on Friday.
In 1999, East Timor, gained its independence after a quarter century of iron rule under Indonesia through a UN-led referendum. Shortly after the plebiscite, Indonesia-backed militia killed hundreds and laid waste to the region, before an international peacekeeping force restored order. The United Nations took control of East Timor's administration as it began reconstruction, until the nation achieved full independence on May 20.
Separatists in Indonesia's westernmost Aceh province and other regions, including Papua province and the Maluku islands, are also struggling to follow in East Timor's footsteps.
Indonesia has given the rebels in Aceh until December to accept a proposal for autonomy. After that, it has said it will launch an offensive aimed at crushing them.
Gusmao said that armed resistance played a "fundamental role" in East Timor's independence struggle, but stressed that he would advise others in similar positions to "use all their capacities to forge a peaceful solution."
"It is difficult to have a military solution, they must do their best to achieve a peaceful solution. A peaceful solution can forge mutual respect and understanding," he said, adding that while he respected the claims of people fighting for their rights, he also respected Indonesia's integrity.
East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, echoed his leader's sentiments a day earlier during a public briefing, saying that no government in East Timor "will be adventurous enough to offer support for independence for Papua or Aceh."
Ramos-Horta advised the provinces to accept autonomy as a step toward achieving their goals, adding that Indonesia should also decline from using force against them.
Gusmao stressed that ties with Indonesia, which exports almost 80 percent of East Timor's supplies, were important to his desperately poor country. He said he "saluted" Indonesia for its democratic reforms and understood the difficulties the former invader was facing.
"We cannot forget that even though we have Australia as a close neighbor, the closest is Indonesia. We have to respect the processes in Indonesia," he said.
Radio Australia - September 26, 2002
[Indonesia is moving to settle its maritime border issues with East Timor and is keen to see Australia do the same, according to a senior government advisor. East Timor is keen to renegotiate its maritime boundaries with Australia to maximise its share of the rich Timor Sea oil and gas resources, a move Australia is resisting. Indonesia, however, is watching developments closely.]
Presenter/Interviewer: Karon Snowdon, Finance correspondent
Speakers: Professor Hasjim Djalal, a former ambassador and now a senior advisor on maritime affairs to the Indonesian government
Snowdon: Australia is keen to preserve the existing boundaries between itself and East Timor based on the Timor Sea Treaty signed earlier this year and which it says is fair to all sides.
The result is a 90 to 10 per cent split in East Timor's favour of the revenues from the joint petroleum development area. Those boundaries are based on the 1972 agreement between Australia and Indonesia, which created the Timor Gap and the division of resources.
While Australia and now it seems Indonesia will be happy to have the existing boundaries made the permanent borders, East Timor has indicated it might want to change them in order to access the larger and more valuable resources of the Greater Sunrise Field, which mostly falls outside the treaty boundaries. Complicating the picture is that while Australia owns the seabed resources of Greater Sunrise, the waters around it fall under Indonesia's economic zone.
Hasjim Djalal says Indonesia would expect to be consulted if there are any changes, making any negotiation a three-way affair and potentially a more complicated one, something Australia understandably wants to contain as much as possible.
Professor Djalal says there have been some constructive moves in Indonesia to negotiate its separate issues with East Timor, and says Australia should just sit down and get on with it too.
Djalal: Now how I were to negotiate with East Timor? I should refrain from expressing my views, but if you ask me is Indonesia asking for renegotiation of the boundary between Indonesia and Australia on the seabed as well as economic zone, my answer is that so far I have not heard anything on that from the Indonesian side.
Snowdon: So would Indonesia be most comfortable with as much as the status quo remaining?
Djalal: Well yes but whatever status quo we have that must be agreed upon and I'm not so sure why we cannot find an agreement as quickly as possible, but you have to sit down on that one to agree.
Snowdon: Would you be urging Australia to get on with the job and negotiate as soon as possible with East Timor?
Djalal: Yes, again I must refresh what I cannot say anything for Australia, but I would urge Indonesia and East Timor to sit down. I would urge Indonesia and Australia and East Timor also sit down to discuss the matter. But whether Australia and East Timor will sit down and agree on a boundary, that's for them to decide.
Snowdon: And from Indonesia's point of view what's most important having boundaries established and settled and having the matter finalised or Indonesia being part of the negotiations if there is economic benefit to be had through a shifting of boundaries?
Djalal: Well as I said already the fixing of the boundary is important for all of us but then the second thing is whether in the existing arrangement Indonesia has interest, the answer is very clearly yes. The second thing is in the agreement of 1997 there is already the principle that some of your seabed resources are in fact under Indonesian economic zone as we have agreed, and the agreement says that the parties will consult so that it will not prejudice the right of the others. Now my feeling is of course that Indonesia and Australia will have to consult on that one.
Snowdon: So Australia does have to sit down at the table with Indonesia?
Djalal: I think so yes.
Snowdon: And as soon as possible?
Djalal: Yes, so that there will be no misunderstanding in the future.
Kyodo News - September 26, 2002
Dili -- East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta has said that despite his country's 24-year struggle for freedom from Indonesian rule, it would not support independence movements in Aceh, Papua and other restive parts of Indonesia.
Ramos-Horta made the remarks to the Asia Society in an interview ahead of East Timor's acceptance as the 191st member of the United Nations on Friday, according to a transcript released by the East Timor Foreign Ministry.
"There is no sensible and rational government in East Timor, now or in the future, as there is none anywhere in the world, that could tell the Acehnese and the Papuans that we support their right to secede from Indonesia. We just cannot do that," he said.
Ramos-Horta said it is not only a matter of pragmatism -- taking into account East Timor's future relations with its giant neighbor -- but also wider diplomatic implications. "We have to be very careful," he said. "If the Acehnese and Papuans are given the right to secede, even though they have been part and parcel of Indonesia now for as long as they have, then where would we stop in terms of other Third World nations that are plagued with the same situations."
Acknowledging that Papuans and the Acehnese have "legitimate grievances," Ramos-Horta said the autonomy proposals offered by Jakarta are "more advanced than similar proposals in many developed countries." "We can only pray that the autonomy proposals ... will be fully implemented," he said.
| East Timor press reviews |
UNMISET - September 19, 2002
Parliament President, Francisco Guterres announced that UNDP would provide technical equipment like electricity, phone and Internet connection to the Parliament building. Mr. Guterres made this announcement yesterday after meeting with UNDP's resident representative. He said that in order to better perform their duties a seminar and a workshop will be put together by UNDP on capacity building. "UNDP is willing to provide support for the next three years," said Francisco Guterres as reported by Suara Timor Lorosae.
Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister, Jorge Teme stated that his department is not aware of terrorists in East Timor. Mr. Teme said when terrorists are mentioned people automatically connect them to Al-Qaeda group. He said that terrorists could belong to other groups not necessarily to Al-Qaeda.
In a separate article MP Jacob Fernandes (FRETILIN) rejected the rumors that there are terrorists present in the country.
STL reported that Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Josi Ramos-Horta met his Indonesia counterpart, Hassan Wirayuda in New York yesterday and exchanged views about the Jakarta Ad'hoc tribunal.
Dili District Tribunal yesterday sentenced a man to 3 years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 6-year old girl in Same.
Secretary of State for Tourism, Environment and Investment, Jose Teixeira informed that the bill on investment would be presented at the next council of ministers meeting scheduled for 30 September. Mr. Teixeira hopes that the bill will be passed by March next year to encourage investments in this country.
STL reported that ETPS officers are getting tough on mini bus drivers and passengers. It says police officers are yelling at bus drivers who are over-loaded with passengers and demanded that all passengers be seated.
Timor Post front page carries a story headlined Villarosa: "We are not scared of terrorist threats". It says the United States Charge de Affairs in East Timor, Shari Villarosa stressed that the threats to the Americans and the Australians has not scared them and the American people are prepared to face the terrorists. Ms. Villarosa said despite these threats the US embassy continues to recruit more people to be part of the embassy.
PM's spokesperson told journalists that PM Mari Alkatiri is schedule to meet with Singapore's Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong and Minister Lee Khuan Yew today. Finance Minister, Maria Madalena Boavida Brites, Foreign Affairs Vice-Minister, and Josi Teme are part of PM's delegation.
The Director of Foreign Affairs department, Olimpio Branco said East Timor government at the moment can only afford to establish a few embassies due to financial difficulties. Mr. Branco added that these embassies would also employ certain number of people. He noted Vice-Foreign Minister, Josi Luis Guterres is the only one working in New York but hopefully in the next 3 to 4 months he will be joined by another diplomat nominated by the government.
Commission 4 of the National Parliament invited church representatives to discuss the Timorese citizenship's rights. TP reported that although the government had already decreed law on illegal gambling, police officers are finding it difficult to detect it because gamblers are practicing it underground.
East Timor athletes are scheduled to depart to Busan, South Korea on 26 September to participate in the Asian Games. They will return on 16 October. Three Timorese will participate in the paralympics games.
It is reported that a pilgrimage will be held this Saturday and Sunday to Mount Ramelau organized by former Salesian students. Bishop Basilio will celebrate Sunday mass, which is schedule for 9am.
September 20, 2002
Timor Post and Suara Timor Lorosae both carried a front-page photo of President Gusmco being welcomed by a Maori elder through the traditional way upon his arrival in New Zealand.
TP reported on an interview with the Minister of Internal Administration, Rogerio Lobato who stressed that he had presented the government's concern to the Australian embassy. The Minister said Australia must coordinate with the government and UN before putting containers in various areas because it is a sovereign country's land. Mr. Lobato said that during his meeting with PKF FC Major General Tan Huck Gim apart from security he also raised the problem of illegal entry of people in East Timor. The Internal Affairs Minister said some of these come with other intentions.
TP reported that National Parliament Commission C, met with World Bank representatives to discuss various important issues including the control of rise in prices as well as investment interest rates from banks.
Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Francisco da Silva Benevides has been quoted as saying that the government cannot establish the price on coffee in Timor Leste because the standard prices on the International markets has not been yet adjusted reported Timor Post.
STL reported that in the last 3-years of operating in East Timor, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has facilitated the return of around 200,000 Timorese refuges from West Timor.
MP Maria Paixao (PSD) observed that 20 of September has been acknowledged by the Timorese people as the liberation day. Ms. Paixco reminded that this was the day that International Force For East Timor (INTERFET) arrived in the country.
The Head of UN Resident Coordination Unit, Mehmet Yilmaz announced that the United Nation Development Award 2002 is aimed at recognising a Timorese national who has been successful involved in the advancement of sustainable human development, alleviation of poverty and institutional capacity building in East Timor.
STL reported that a press statement released by CPD-RDTL/Fretilin Movimento said members of the group did not participate in the public hearing of National Parliament Commission "A" on nationality because the invitation was sent to individuals and not to CPD-RDTL as an organisation. Vicente Faria pointed out that UNMISET representatives, present at the debate, felt that the proposed bill is useful however it did not provide better suggestion on how the bill can be further improved.
Director of the Department of Land and Transport, Basilio M.X. Texeira stated that currently there are around 1200 taxis and 300 minibuses. Mr. Texeira explained that soon his department would send out letters to public transport owners to limit the transport in Dili and focus in operating in the districts.
STL reported that Diarrhea has become an epidemic in Oeccussi District.
September 23, 2002
Suara Timor Lorosa'e front page reported on a ceremony held by UN PKF to award South Korean contingent (ROKBATT) with UN medals in Oecussi district. The awards were presented by Force Commander, Major General Tan Huck Gim last Saturday.
It is reported that Minister of Internal Administration, Rogerio Lobato will present a list of about 500 former Falintil and resistant veterans to the National Police of East Timor on Tuesday for recruitment.
Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak stated that FDTL members and those who intend to join the army should take into perspective the service of the nation and not the low salaries. Abilio Jose Osorio Soares, the former governor of East Timor during the Indonesian occupation has confirmed that some Militia members were provided with weapons by the Indonesian army.
ETPF Commissioner, Paulo Martins informed that police only facilitated the detention of 24 trucks carrying sandalwood last week. Mr. Martins said the next process would be handled by the Forestry department.
Timor Post's front page carried a photo of a mass celebrated in Mount Ramelau on Sunday. Above the photograph headline reads: "The church had the power to shape East Timor's destiny. On this article the Bishop of Baucau, Basilio do Nascimento said that many people used the church because of its power as an institution in East Timor, to remove the former rulers. They used the church power as a means to pass on information to the people. The Bishop added, " East Timor is on a different path now and the mindset of the people has altered."
Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, Armindo Maia said that University students should not carry out acts of violence, like they did during the Indonesian occupation of the country.
East Timor Police Commissioner, Paulo Martins said the sandalwood obtained from trucks which were caught transporting them illegally last week is currently being stored in a warehouse in order to avoid the possible sale of this commodity.
It is reported that captain Domingos da Camara known as Amico has resumed his duty. Colonel Lere Anan Timor said that various reasons were presented by the captain for his resignation. Amico said that FDTL salaries are low and it's hard to sustain the family. Another aspect is the health problems. Until now, he still has bullets in his body. Another problem presented by Captain Amico is his intellectual capacity. He said he can handle his job despite the fact that he never obtained any formal education as he joined the army at a when he was very young. Under orders from President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, Xanana Gusmco who also heads the supreme forces, Captain Amico has now returned to his post, reported TP.
Ministers of Internal Affairs, Rogerio Lobato announced that selected East Timor Police Officers will soon attend aviation training in Angola.
Oecussi residents are requesting that the Indonesian customs officers in West Timor allow them to commute between East and West Timor for free.
September 24, 2002
Suara Timor Lorosae's front page quoted Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Teme as saying that East Timor already has its own passport but Members of Parliament have not discussed it yet.
In its front page, the newspaper carried a photo of former Indonesian public servants waiting outside the government office yesterday to get more information about their pension payment. Minister of Internal Affairs, Rogerio Tiago Lobato informed that the payment would be in early October. Timor Post also carried the same story Prime Minister spokesperson's, Josi Guterres announced that Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri and a delegation composed of Minister and Vice-Minister of Finance and the Secretary of State left to New York today to attend the ceremony of East Timor's admission to the UN on 27 September. Timor Post also carried the same story.
Australian embassy is still under tight security. It is also reported that about 4 Al-Quaeda members are currently in East Timor capital, Dili.
STL carried a photo of ETPS officers' graduation last Saturday. In this article Commissioner Paulo Martins was quoted as saying that a total of 2041 Timorese are now serving as East Timor Police Service officers in the country.
Vice-Minister of Justice, Manuel Abrantes yesterday presented a bill on land and properties (STL refer to as Appropriate and Concerns) to the parliament. Timor Post also carried the same story saying the Minister emphasized regulations concerning land and property in the country.
Timor Post front page carried a photo of former Indonesian public servants in front of the government office demanding their pension payment.
TP editorial focused on the decision made by Minister of Internal Administration in selecting ETPS officers to be trained in the aviation area in Mozambique. (Kind note that in yesterday's Timor Post, it was said that the venue of training would be in Angola) Commissioner Paulo Martins stressed that it is a good initiative by the government but more information is needed about the training. Mr. Martins said the officers can also get the same training in neighbouring countries like Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand. He asked if "they is a tendency" referring to rumors that the "Mozambique gang" is dominating the RDTL cabinet, starting with Prime Minister position, ministers in the cabinet, secretaries and advisors.
An article on TP front page read, Bishop Basilio: The leaders must explain the program to the people. The bishop of Baucau said 100 days of independence has passed and there is no clear program from the government to present to the people. Bishop Basilio added, with independence, the leaders must first put the people's interest above theirs.
Vice Director-General of the Forestry Department said the sandalwood case has been handed to East Timor Police to be resolved.
September 25, 2002
Suara Timor Lorosae and Timor Post front page carried a photo of the Timorese delegation to the Asian Games together with Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri. STL reported that around 30 athletes would be participating in the games. Speaking to the journalists after a meeting held with the competitors, Mr. Alkatiri said, "You are putting East Timor's name for the first time in an Asian event, you must show that we can also do it in this event." In a separate article Mr. Alkatiri said, "Sports is important in a country".
Vice minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jorge Teme announced that his colleague as a Vice-minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Luis Guterres would become an East Timor Ambassador to UN. Mr. Teme said that Jose Luis Guterres would present his credential letter to UN Secretary General Nation, Kofi Annan on 27 September.
It is reported that East Timorese people are really happy and proud that East Timor is finally becoming a member of the United Nations reported Timor Post.
MP vice-president, Francisco Xavier Amaral (ASDT) was quoted as saying that the admission of East Timor to the UN on 27 September is a special time for building national unity with a strong spirit among the Timorese.
The Head of Dili District Tribunal Administration, Jose Gomes announced that 2 International lawyers, Luis Antero and Sylver Nukamanzina, working in the Serious Crime Unit would return to their countries at the end of the month.
Jorge Teme stated that Ireland is only accepting workers with Portuguese and European Union passports. Mr. Teme was referring to those Timorese who have left the country to work in Ireland.
TP reported that about 14 Portuguese military personnel (PORBATT) and three Brasilian doctors yesterday provided medical treatment to residents of Atsabe, Ermera District.
September 26, 2002
Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri stated that East Timor would not side with United States on Iraq attack Mr. Alkatiri said the problem is between the two countries and East Timor government interfere reported Suara Timor Lorosae.
STL front page carried a photo of Prime Minister Alkatiri, Minister of Finance Minister Boavida, Minister for Telecommunications and Public Transport, Ovidio de Jesus on their visit to the Bayu Udan oilrig.
A box story with a photo of SRSG, STL Chief-Editor, Salvador Soares and other staff read: Kamalesh Sharma paid a visit to STL complex. It reported that it was SRSG first visit to STL office. In the middle page STL carried another photo of Chief-Editor, Salvador Soares greeting SRSG upon his arrival at the newspaper compound.
FDTL Chief of Staff, Commander Colonel, Lere Anan said East Timorese should be proud with the admission of East Timor into the UN because soon the RDTL flag will hoisted in the UN Compound.
Members of Parliament began voting on the proposed bill on nationality. Articles 1-5 have been approved unanimously. Article 6 of the bill raised intense debate among the different political parties but was passed with majority of votes from FRETILIN.
STL reported that on 22 September, CPD-RDTL members elected Francisco Freitas as the new Secretary-General to replace Jacob Freitas who decided to quit the organization. CPD-RDTL coordinator, Antonio Aitahan Matak has requested that accusation be stopped on his group as creating instability in the country. He added that his organization already presented a report to the UN Independent Commission and to the Security Council currently in East Timor. He would like to know the progress of UN security in the country.
Timor Post front page reported that students demanded management change and lower university fees during the dialog between the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Armindo Maia held in Dili yesterday.
It is reported that the second group of around 427 former Indonesia civil servants will receive their pension payment on the 2nd of October at BNU in Dili.
TP reported that at least 63 buffaloes have died due to an illness.
[Drafted by UNMISET Spokespersons Office]