Transition & reconstruction

Continued UN, international aid a 'vital necessity': Annan

Lusa - October 11, 2002

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a report on East Timor Thursday, stressing what he termed "the vital necessity" of continued UN aid for the world's youngest nation.

Annan also urged donor countries and institutions to continue their support for Dili to "maintain successes achieved and to aid [East Timor] on its path to development, with a view to self- sufficiency". Among priorities listed in the report, which covers the final phase of the UN transition administration, July 2001 to May 2002, Annan underlined the repatriation of refugees still in Indonesian West Timor -- for security "on both sides of the border".

"The great challenge" facing Dili and its partners, he said, was spurring economic development in a country with 40 percent of a population of 800,000 living in "the most absolute poverty", on less than 55 centimes per day.

The secretary-general's report, released in New York, underscored "notable progress" achieved under the UN administration in the "restoration of essential services", namely in the relaunching of infrastructures destroyed in the closing days of Indonesian occupation. UN peacekeepers had assured the necessary "environment of security" to allow "reconstruction and development activities", Annan said.

The next step for East Timor

The Boston Globe - October 5, 2002

Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo -- My native East Timor became the 191st member of the United Nations last week. We reached this milestone after a 24-year war in our island nation that left few families unaffected. Justice and common sense dictate that positive lessons be drawn from these tragic events, not only for my people but for many others throughout the world.

In September 1999, East Timor was turned into an inferno. Indonesian forces and the militia groups they created were seeking to reverse the result of a free election held under the auspices of the United Nations in which the people of East Timor, a beautiful, mountainous island nation about the size of Connecticut, voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia.

The orgy of violence was orchestrated by the Indonesian Army. Militias went on the rampage, killing at least 1,000 people and perhaps more, among them many promising young leaders. Even before 1999, the combined effects of Indonesia's 24-year occupation of East Timor had claimed the lives of one-third of our original population of less than 700,000.

East Timor was left a smoldering ruin after the independence vote, with hundreds of buildings razed, much infrastructure, and the meager possessions of most people destroyed. Hundreds of thousands were forcibly uprooted. Many were killed as they fled. Three years later, my people remain deeply traumatized.

The UN Security Council demanded that the perpetrators of the crimes of 1999 be brought to justice. With the recent acquittals in an Indonesian court of military and police officials charged with allowing the mass slaughter of parishioners and priests at a church in the town of Suai in September 1999, this has not happened. The Security Council must look for credible alternatives to achieve justice, and this should include an international tribunal.

Other forms of justice for the victims and their families have also been lacking. East Timorese who lost everything have received no compensation for the devastation that took place in 1999, which might have been averted had international peace keepers arrived earlier than they did. Nonetheless, it is critical to recognize that without the arrival of peacekeepers, our people would have faced annihilation. Still, the destruction could have been prevented, and was so huge that many places, especially in the countryside, remain devastated. Even before 1999, we were one of the poorest nations in the world.

I am grateful for the work of the United Nations in helping to reconstruct our country. But, as in Afghanistan, many homes are still shattered ruins, and disillusionment is spreading. To address this, the Timorese need help to rebuild, feed their families, and find ways to sustain themselves over the long term. With about 80 percent unemployed in East Timor, people should be put to work in reconstruction. Unemployment, especially among the young, breeds unrest. And what we need after all this tragedy is stability.

I hope that the United States and other nations can find ways to provide additional aid to East Timor. We appreciate what the United States has already done, applying tough pressure and providing logistical support to facilitate the entry of international peacekeeping troops in 1999; this rescued my people from doom. Moreover, visits to East Timor by US troop ships have not only helped in rebuilding schools and repairing massive damage to water systems, they also have helped protect us from further attack, sending a crucial signal of US support to those with hostile intent.

What will come next? In Indonesia, as elsewhere, what people perceive is of paramount importance. With recent moves to restore US military assistance to Indonesia as part of the war against terrorism, it must be ensured that those behind the 1999 atrocities do not believe they can resume violent acts in East Timor or commit crimes elsewhere with impunity. The future of my long-suffering people, and the people of Indonesia itself, depends upon the message the Indonesian Army hears from Washington.

Unfortunately, for many years the Indonesian military received nearly unquestioned support from the United States and many other nations. It is therefore imperative that the military receive the right signal now, an unmistakable sign of support for the human rights of ordinary citizens that should be sent to all abusive regimes.

In time, with the right combination of justice and Indonesian acceptance of East Timor's independence, there can be forgiveness and ultimately reconciliation.

[Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo is the Roman Catholic bishop of Dili, East Timor. He shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.]

West Timor/refugees

East Timorese refugees face food shortage

Jakarta Post - October 8, 2002

Jakarta -- Nearly 400 displaced East Timorese sheltering in West Timor have been forced to eat leaves for the past month as they cannot afford to buy rice, a government official says.

The government resettlement coordinator for Boneanak, Ali bin Don Dura, said on Monday that 388 people from 72 families living in Boneanak, West Kupang, would starve if the government did not provide immediate aid.

The refugees have been forced to eat leaves of kosambi, a plant the seed of which is commonly used as traditional herb medicines, Ali was quoted by Antara as saying.

"We have asked for a share of 250 tons of rice assistance from the Italian government given to the provincial and regency administrations, but to no avail." He said the local administration had refused to provide the rice for bureaucratic reasons. The person in charge of approving rice distribution was in Jakarta while the Kupang social affairs office required approval before it could send the rice.

The local government had also rejected Ali's request because the East Timorese people in Boneanak were no longer considered refugees.

The Indonesian government stopped all official assistance to the refugees on August 31. Ali said the refugees had never received assistance from the provincial social affairs office since they arrived in Boneanak on April 18.

Boneanak is also home to 92 local families who are also facing a food shortage. Local residents have given 5,000 square meters of land to the refugees for farming.

"We have cleared the lands but it's difficult to obtain seedlings of corn or other produce. We hope the provincial agriculture office can provide us with some seedlings," Ali said.

The refugees had tried to earn money by selling coral reef, which fetched Rp 12,500 per cubic meter. Others ran grocery businesses but had been bankrupted due to bad debts.

Ali plans to seek help from local Wirasakti Military Command chief Col. Moeswarno Moesanip, who moved the refugees from temporary camps to Boneanak.

The number of East Timorese refugees sheltering in the province of East Nusa Tenggara stands at about 33,000, scattered throughout Kupang, Atambua, and districts in Flores, Alor and the Sumba islands.

They were part of around 250,000 people who fled the violence that followed a ballot which resulted in independence for East Timor in 1999.

East Timor President Xanana Gusmao is planning to visit the province for a second time to encourage the remaining refugees to return home and to accelerate the reconciliation process among the East Timorese.

The Indonesian representatives office in Dili, East Timor, reported that Xanana would visit Atambua and Kupang from October 20 to October 24.

"The refugees problem could pose a hurdle in the relations between the two countries but it can be resolved with Xanana's visit because the refugees can choose repatriation or resettlement to other regions in Indonesia," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda said.

He expected the East Timor refugee problems would be resolved by the end of the year.

Timor Gap

Treaty ratification boost political risk in East Timor

Australian Associated Press - October 8, 2002

Karen Polglaze, Canberra -- Australian ratification of the Timor Gap Treaty could increase the risk of political instability in East Timor, a parliamentary committee was told today.

Consultant to resources company Oceanic/PetroTimor John Imle said the treaty was a classic example of an uneven deal between unequal partners. The stability of East Timor, which was in Australia's interest, was heavily dependent on the early creation of jobs, Dr Imle said.

Former members of pro-Indonesia militia groups needed something to do, and quickly. "The present plan of development is a classic example of an uneven deal reached by uneven counterparties," he said. "In my experience, this will eventually increase the political risk. The most urgent problem for East Timor at the moment is its lack of jobs."

Dr Imle, an expert in the development of gas projects in emerging nations, said ratification should be slowed down so East Timor could seek independent advice and hold public hearings. One important factor in job creation would be where the resource came onshore.

Darwin was pushing for a pipeline to its shore, but the operators could load the liquefied natural gas directly onto boats from the platforms at sea. If the LNG were to be piped, it would be cheaper to take it to East Timor, Dr Imle said.

Fear of political instability, not technical difficulties, was the real reason for rejecting East Timor, but that had lessened with independence, he said.

"East Timor has been and is still being rushed, to close the door once more by ratifying the treaty and a development plan that takes the gas not to their shores but to Darwin," he said.

The treaty divides royalties from oil and gas resources in part of the Timor Sea 90:10 in East Timor's favour without drawing maritime boundaries.

Because the two nations are so close, their exclusive economic zones overlap, so boundaries have to be negotiated -- but not necessarily before ratification. Where the line is drawn could significantly affect East Timor's future as it has few other discovered natural resources and is otherwise little developed.

PetroTimor is seeking up to $2 billion compensation from the federal government, the Joint Petroleum Development Authority and Phillips Petroleum for the loss of Timor Sea concession rights it acquired in 1974 under Portuguese colonial rule.

ACTU warns on Timor Sea Treaty

Australian Associated Press - October 4, 2002

Adam Morton, Melbourne -- Australia will have to step in and "sort out" East Timorese politics within five years unless the Timor Sea Treaty is balanced, the ACTU said today.

ACTU international manager Alan Matheson told a Federal Parliament Treaties Committee hearing in Melbourne that it was in Australia's national interests to ensure the treaty benefited the newly independent East Timor.

The treaty was unique because East Timor was reliant on revenue from oil and gas in the Timor Gap, he said.

"There can be no doubt from all our contacts in East Timor that this is an issue of considerable anxiety," he said. "I believe if we don't get the treaty right we will have the Australian government up there in five years trying to sort out governance."

The committee is hearing submissions on the treaty, due to be ratified next month, which will carve up energy resource revenue from the gap.

East Timorese private sector groups urged the committee not to ratify the treaty at a hearing in Darwin yesterday, arguing new maritime boundaries were needed.

The Uniting Church today told the Melbourne hearing the treaty should not be ratified in its current form. Uniting Church spokesman the Reverend David Pargeter told the hearing the East Timorese believed Australia was "robbing" them under the terms of the treaty.

Mr Pargeter said East Timor had no other income and had to accept whatever Australia offered. "What prevents us from putting ourselves in the shoes of the East Timor government who are being required to choose between little and nothing?" he said. "Many East Timorese see the situation as a wealthy, powerful nation robbing a weak and impoverished one."

The committee is hearing submissions around the country before the treaty is ratified by the Australian parliament.

United States-owned Phillips Petroleum is waiting on ratification of the treaty, having set a November deadline to start work on a pipeline from its Bayu-Undan gas field to Darwin.

Human rights trials

Soldiers among attackers in 1999 Dili incident: witness

Agence France Presse - October 8, 2002

An East Timorese man, wounded in an attack on a refugee-packed compound in Dili in April 1999, told a court here that Indonesian soldiers were among the attackers.

"I am certain that the TNI [the Indonesian armed forces] launched the attack because I recognized several people among the attackers as being TNI members from the Maubara [subdistrict]," witness Florendo de Jesus told the rights trial at the Central Jakarta district court.

De Jesus, 21, a student from the East Timor capital Dili, was testifying at the trial of Lieutenant Colonel Endar Priyanto, a former East Timor military chief, for gross human rights violations in the former Indonesian-ruled territory.

When asked to identify the soldiers among the attackers, the witness gave six names whom he said were all soldiers serving in the Maubara subdistrict. "One of them is my own uncle, Jose Matheus," de Jesus said.

He also insisted that the incident on April 17, 1999, could only be described as a one-sided attack and not a clash between two East Timorese factions as the defendant had alleged.

"It was an attack and not a clash," de Jesus said of the events which began shortly after noon. He said a car had initially tried to ram the main gate of the residence of pro-independence leader Manuel Viegas Carascallao, where de Jesus and some 200 other refugees had sought shelter and protection.

When this failed, a truck broke down the gate allowing the attackers to storm the house. At least 12 people were killed in the attack, including a son of Carascallao.

"I tried to jump the fence and run but some men came after me and I was wounded by a machete slash on my back," said de Jesus, one of the few East Timorese willing to testify at the Indonesian rights court.

Others have declined to testify in Jakarta, mostly citing fears for their security.

Priyanto is one of 18 military and police officers, officials and civilians who have faced charges of gross human rights violations for failing to prevent or stop massacres by subordinates in Dili in April and September 1999.

In widely criticised verdicts, the court has already acquitted six officers including the former police chief and sentenced the former governor to just three years in jail. The others are still on trial.

Pro-Indonesian local militias, who were armed and organised by the Indonesian military, launched a brutal campaign of intimidation before the August 1999 vote to break away from Indonesia and a revenge campaign afterwards. An estimated 1,000 people were killed. The trial continues next Monday.

Indonesia

Indonesia, East Timor agree on assets conversion

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2002

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta -- Indonesia and East Timor agreed on Tuesday to convert Indonesian assets in East Timor, mostly corporate assets, into equity investment in the newly born state.

Concluding the first joint commission meeting on Tuesday, the delegations of both countries agreed to further discussions within the next six months.

"Both parties agreed in principle to find innovative settlement on corporate assets through conversion of those assets for Indonesian investment including joint ventures," a joint statement issued after the meeting said.

Speaking at a press conference with his counterpart Jose Ramos Horta, Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said the equity would then be managed by a future joint venture company between Indonesia and East Timor.

The assets in question ranged from buildings to gas stations belonging to Indonesian state-owned companies. The proposal to transform the assets into equity came from the Indonesian side.

East Timor, meanwhile, proposed that both countries reduce the number of troops on both sides of their border, with Indonesia agreeing to the proposal. The two countries also agreed to discuss and settle land borders within a working group. This group would meet in November to determine the demarcation lines.

They also agreed to discuss future cooperation in legal and judicial issues. "The meeting took note of the importance of the two countries working together to make every effort to finalize an agreement on cooperation in legal and judicial matters," the statement said.

The meeting deferred talks on resolving other contentious issues such as those on sea borders, traditional people's movement across the borders and pension funds for East Timorese civil servants and soldiers, who were working for the Indonesian government before the territory voted to separate from Indonesia in 1999. Discussion on maritime borders would start in the first half of next year.

On people movement and trade between East Timor and Indonesian- controlled West Timor, the two countries agreed that it would be conducted under Indonesian regulations until a new arrangement was reached.

Regarding refugees, both parties agreed problems would be settled by the end of the year. East Timor president Xanana Gusmao, a former independence guerrilla who spent seven years in an Indonesian jail, is due to visit West Timor later this month to encourage more refugees to return home.

East timor agreed on Tuesday to preserve the Seroja cemetery where Indonesian soldiers killed in East Timor are buried, at the expense of the Indonesian government and give Indonesians access to the compound. The next round of talks are expected to be held in Dili, East Timor.

East Timor wants less military at Indonesia border

Reuters - October 7, 2002

Jakarta -- East Timor said on Monday it wants its land border with Indonesia to be gradually de-militarised and hopes all frontier disputes with its former ruler can be solved by next year.

The tiny territory voted overwhelmingly to split from Jakarta's rule in 1997 but the vote unleashed an orgy of killing by pro- Indonesia militia gangs, some of whom still exist in the border areas.

After the vote the militia herded around 300,000 people across the border into Indonesian West Timor and although most of these have now returned, security is tight on both sides of the frontier.

"The East Timorese government attaches great importance to continuing the process of border demarcation. I would like to suggest that we agree on a line that constitutes the border by mid-next year," Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said at the opening session of a two-day meeting with Indonesian officials.

"It's the common vision of President Xanana Gusmao and our government that our relations develop in such a way that we can come to a gradual downsizing of the military on both sides of our border," the minister said, in discussions that will also focus on trade and other issues.

Besides the militia threat along the 50 km land border, some East Timorese still stay in the few remaining refugee camps in West Timor due to fear of retaliation back home because of their past links with Jakarta.

East Timor, a former Portugese colony, formally celebrated its independence on May 20 and was accepted as the 191st member of the United Nations late last month.

The United Nations, which ran the territory after the 1997 vote and until formal independence, estimates around 1,000 people were killed in the mayhem surrounding the independence ballot.

Although the United Nations has now transferred power to the new government, led by independence hero Gusmao, a peacekeeping mission remains there as the country grooms its new leaders.

The half-island nation of 760,000 people is Asia's most impoverished and the 20th poorest in the world.

During his opening remarks Horta also said East Timor sought a free trade area uniting its people in the east and the Indonesians on the west side of Timor island, which lies 2,000 km east of Jakarta.

News & issues

Xanana says he'd resign if he could

Associated Press - October 10, 2002

Lisbon -- East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao says he would like to quit but will stay in the job to help his recently independent country grow. "If I could, I'd quit today," Gusmao said in an interview published Wednesday in daily paper Diario de Noticias.

"I keep telling my people that I was pushed into being president, I was chosen by them, but I don't want to be president. But they can count on me to defend their interests," Gusmao was quoted as saying.

Gusmao, 56, took office five months ago in the former Portuguese colony. A popular freedom fighter against Indonesian occupation, Gusmao was reluctant to contest the country's first presidential election. He said he preferred to spend time on his hobbies such as photography and writing poetry.

Gusmao was on a five-day state visit to Portugal to appeal for investment in East Timor where more than 45 percent of the 850,000 people are desperately poor and more than 50 percent of the population is younger than 20.

The United Nations ran the country for two years after 1999 when an overwhelming majority of East Timorese opted for independence from Indonesia, which had occupied the former Portuguese colony in 1975.

That transitional period should have been a time of preparation for full independence, Gusmao said, but the time was mostly spent "ensuring security and filling an administrative vacuum."

While in Portugal, Gusmao was due to undergo treatment for a back problem.

Horta doubts Australian troop misconduct

Reuters - October 5, 2002

Yogyakarta -- East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta said on Saturday he doubted allegations Australian troops tortured pro-Jakarta militiamen and shot one in the head during a peace mission in the territory in 1999.

The Australian military revealed two years ago it was investigating alleged misconduct by its elite Special Air Service (SAS) over an ambush near East Timor's border town of Suai in which two militiamen were killed and others captured.

But the incident was thrust back into the spotlight on Thursday by reports that UN investigators had exhumed the bodies of the two militia members and would investigate allegations one of them was shot or kicked in the head.

"I don't think there was any torture or any deliberate harm done [to the militiamen]," Ramos-Horta told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting between six Southwest Pacific nations in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

But the former Timorese independence campaigner said he had full confidence in Australia's military to probe the matter. "If the information is well founded, they will take the necessary action within Australia," he added.

The allegations threaten to sully the highly-praised role Australia played in leading a United Nations force in East Timor after a vote for independence from Indonesia sparked violence by pro-Jakarta militia.

The UN, which ran the territory after the vote and until formal independence in May this year, estimates around 1,000 people were killed in the mayhem.

The investigation is examining allegations over the cause of one of the men's deaths on October 6, 1999, and claims some of the prisoners were treated brutally and tortured during interrogation. The UN exhumed the bodies as part of a routine procedure into violent deaths.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was accepted as the 191st member of the UN late last month. Although the UN has transferred its local powers to the new government, its peacekeepers are still active there.

International relations

Gusmao calls for Lisbon's foreign policy know-how

Lusa - October 7, 2002

East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao called Monday for Portugal to strengthen the "bridge" connecting his country and the European Union, adding that Lisbon`s backing would be invaluable in developing Dili`s embrionic foreign policy.

Gusmao, on day three of a five-day trip to Portugal, was addressing the all-party commission on European affairs and foreign policy of the Lisbon parliament. The Timorese leader briefed the 28-member commission on his country`s foreign policy aims, particularly those relating to the United States, Australia, Indonesia and Portugal.

Timor, said Gusmao, had been admitted as an observer to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries. However, the new nation's leaders are relatively inexperienced and Gusamao confessed that they had been "alarmed" at the sheer demands and complexities of international affairs.

Gusmao told the commission, led by former foreign minister Jaime Gama, that Timor needed Lisbon`s advice and help in the conducting of its foreign affairs. The Community of Portuguese- speaking Countries (CPLP) was important to Timor, said Gusamo, "not for what it could make possible, as all looked to Portugal and Brazil", but for "being another voice".

Earlier, Gusmao had lunched with Portuguese bankers and businessmen to discuss increased investment in Timor. Fisheries, tourism and telecommunications were key areas of interest for Portuguese investment, Gusmao had said before the lunch.

Opposition angry at US troop agreement

Melbourne Age - October 8, 2002

Jill Jolliffe, Dili -- A leader of East Timor's parliamentary opposition has described an agreement regulating conditions for US troops in the territory as "an affront to East Timorese sovereignty".

Leandro Isaac, of the Social Democratic Party, said he would demand that Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta justify his stand to parliament when he returns from an overseas trip this week.

The Status of Forces Agreement was signed last Tuesday during President Xanana Gusmao's first official visit to Washington. It established a legal framework for relations between East Timor and American soldiers based here. Under the agreement, US soldiers are exempt from prosecution by Timorese courts.

An American embassy spokeswoman described the deal as "a standard legal agreement we have with all countries where American troops are based". She said that the "very small" US contingent in East Timor was not part of the UN peacekeeping unit, making a separate agreement necessary.

Mr Isaac said his party supported defence ties with the US, but the agreement had been signed without any foreign policy debate and without previously consulting parliament.

The Social Democratic leader said it was the second such agreement signed with the US without consultation. He said the first treaty, concerning immunity from prosecution for American soldiers under the newly established International Criminal Court, contradicts East Timor's treaty obligations.

"A week after we subscribed to the Rome Treaty for the International Criminal Court, the government granted immunity from prosecution by the court for American soldiers based here," he said. Mr Isaac said the stand undermined East Timor's opposition to immunity from prosecution for Indonesian soldiers accused of crimes in the territory in 1999. "We are arguing that they should be tried by an international court, but this reduces our credibility," he said.

East Timor press reviews

East Timor Press Review - October 7-11

UNMISET - October 7, 2002

Suara Timor Lorosae' s front page carried a photo of six foreign ministers from Southwest Asia and Pacific Forum: Jose Ramos-Horta (Timor-Leste), Blas Ope (Philippines), Sir Rabbie Namaliu (Papua New Guinea), Phill Goff (New Zealand), Hasan Wirayuda (Indonesia) and Alexander Downer (Australia) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia meeting, 5 October.

It is reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta and his Indonesian counterpart, Hasan Wirayuda are scheduled to officially open the two-day Joint Commission meeting between East Timor and Indonesia in Jakarta today.

Member of Parliament Pedro Costa of PST party was quoted, during last Saturday's discussion on land and property, as saying that a law should be made based on people's aspiration.

On his recent meeting with President Xanana Gusmco, Portuguese President, Jorge Sampaio said that Portugal is ready to continue its support to Timor-Leste.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri was quoted as saying that the SOFA agreement should not be perceived with a narrow perspective.

Land and Property Director, Pedro Sousa said that all assets claimed by Indonesia should not be sold and leased.

Jacinto Alves, members of the Commission on Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CRTR), was quoted as saying that CRTR cannot report its activities to the National Parliament as requested by some of Parliamentarians.

The newly established University of Maulear is scheduled to be officially opened tomorrow It is reported that around 265 students are expected to enroll for the first academic year.

At least five doctors are now placed in Intensive Care Unit at the National Hospital in Dili to anticipate the shortage of doctors previously experienced by the hospital during the month of September reported Suara Timor Lorosae.

It is reported immunization has been given to babies and children under five once a week (Fridays) due to shortage of nurses at the National Hospital Silveiro Baptista Pinto, a lawyer from the local Human Rights NGO, Yayasan Hak was quoted as saying that electricity and legal system are two different issues. He said one can repair the electricity system, it is easy to do so but not the legal system. Regarding the legal system he said, there is a need to look into components such as officers upholding the law, legal instruments, among others.

In closing conference on agriculture at East Timor National University recently, Minister of Agriculture, Estanislau Silva said that East Timor need to work with internationals to improve the conditions of the agriculture sector.

The head of Aileu District Health Department, Jose dos Reis was quoted as saying that malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory diseases, ISPA have been spreading throughout the district.

No Timor Post newspaper today

October 9, 2002

Suara Timor Lorosae reported that ETDF Commander, Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak was part of the East Timor delegation, accompanying Primer Minister Mari Alkatiri on his official visit to Mozambique.

East Timor Police Commissioner, Paulo Martins was quoted as saying that former Falintil and Clandestine members will be prioritized in the upcoming police recruitment.

The issue of illegal immigrants became the topic at yesterday's discussion, organized by East Timor NGOs umbrella organization, NGO Forum. The discussion, opened to the public, was aimed at providing suggestions to the Government in tackling the problem.

In a separate article, Member of Parliament, Jose Barros of Democratic Party, PD expressed his disappointment that most of the country's economy has been taken over by foreigners. Whoever considers to invest in East Timor, he said, must be those whose capital can develop and employ Timorese.

Commenting on the Indonesian Government's proposal to use its assets as a joint venture capital for both countries, few members of Parliament said that the matter depends on the agreement of the Joint Commission.

Member of Parliament, Clementino dos Reis Amaral of KOTA party was quoted as saying that the asylum seekers have no right to acquire Timor Leste citizenship. Timor-Leste, he said, only gives protection to the asylum seekers when their lives are under threat. He added that once the conditions in their countries return to normal, they could go back.

It is reported that the position of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation is currently vacuum after former Vice Minister Jose Luis Guterres took up the post as East Timor Ambassador to UN and US recently.

STL reported that Dili residents are currently facing problems of clean water. In a separate article, it is reported that Dili water pipe lines are under repair.

A total of 58 electricity centers are operating throughout East Timor. Out of these centers, 33 generators operate in all sub- districts.

Director of Livestock Division, Domingos Gusmco was quoted as saying that lack of veterinary staff is becoming an obstacle in preventing cattle diseases.

East Timor Lawyers' Association, AATL, today, carried out a strike in front of Dili District Court building in protest against the execution process for the recent Border Control Division case.

University of Sydney's Professor of Economics and Politics, Tim Anderson was quoted as saying that international financial institutions such as IMF and World Bank, and Asian Development Bank can be a threat for the economy of Timor-Leste. He said these institutions are carrying out work that can destroy the potency of East Timor.

STL quoted Member of Parliament, Leandro Isa'ac of Social Democratic Party, PSD as saying that his party does not support the signing of SOFA agreement between East Timor and US. He noticed that the Government has carried out many contradictory policies.

It is reported that the Division of East Timor Electricity is currently socializing the policy of payment for the use of electricity power throughout all districts and sub-districts.

Timor Post's front page carried a photo of Srilankan refugees leaving East Timor.

It is reported at least 25 Sri Lankan refugees, who stayed in East Timor for almost three months, returned to their country yesterday. Organization of International Migration (IOM) facilitated the return. The refugees thanked East Timorese community, UNPOL and East Timor Police Service for their help while in East Timor.

East Timor Lawyers' Association, AATL called upon the donor countries to stop giving legal assistance to East Timor because there was no execution for the Border Control case.

TP quoted Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hassan Wirahuda as saying that there is a need for East Timor to adapt in order to become a member of ASEAN.

Member of Parliament, Vicente Faria of Fretilin party welcomed President Xanana Gusmco's call for East Timorese living in Portugal to come back to East Timor to assist in developing the nation.

On the process of recruitment for East Timor Police officer, Security Director of East Timor Public Administration, David Ximenes said that the Government should embrace all youth, and avoid the practice of Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism.

TP reported that many shops closed in Dili closed their business due to the high tax and consumers decrease.

During the official opening of the newly founded University of Maulear on Tuesday, 8 October, Vice Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth, Maria Rosaria Corte Real said that through education, poverty could be reduced in East Timor.

Head of Manufahi District Health Department, Francisco da Costa was quoted as saying that children followed by adults are suffering from diarrhea and skin diseases in that area.

October 8, 2002

Suara Timor Lorosae's front page carried a photo of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josi Ramos-Horta and his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirajuda greeting each other prior to the Joint Commission meeting between Indonesia and East Timor yesterday, 7 October.

In a separate article, Mr. Ramos Horta was quoted as saying that with the demilitarization between the border of Indonesia and Timor-Leste, it is expected that all conflicts related to the borders between the two countries is resolved by next year.

STL reported that President Xanana Gusmco had a luncheon meeting with Portuguese business and banking communities on 7 October with the aim of attracting investment for East Timor.

A few Members of Parliament questioned the criteria of police recruitment due to the fact that few candidates who did not pass the admission test were called in to for training, but not those who passed the test.

The National Parliament discussed nine national problems; police recruitment, drinking water, transportation, education, housing and land, cutting of sandalwood, the theft of cows, SOFA agreement, and East Timor workers overseas.

Member of Parliament Maria Paixco of Social Democratic Party, PSD said that in order to properly manage Timor Gap project, there is a need for the Government to train East Timorese youth.

It is reported that Indonesia Government proposed to have proposed that its assets left behind in East Timor should be used as a joint modal between the two countries.

Dili University Rector, Lucas da Costa was quoted as saying that as an independent country, East Timor has the right to nationalize all Indonesian and Portuguese assets.

East Timor Attorney General Longuinhos Monteiro confirmed the perceptions of the people saying that Jakarta Ad-hoc Tribunal tends to be a political nuances.

Director of East Timor Study Group, Joco Mariano Saldanha said that being a member of UN, East Timor, automatically asked to adapt and being active in the international community circle. This new position, he said, is merely a conditional factor, not a determined one, and it comes as no surprise.

Director of East Timor Fishing, Narciso Almeida de Carvalho said that in the last 50 years, East Timor Sea habitat experienced a large scale.destruction.

In a separate article, Mr. Almeida de Carvalho said that Asian Development Bank and Portuguese Bank, BNU have assisted with a total of 1 million US dollar in the reconstruction of Hera Fishing Port.

President of National Republic of East Timor, Flaviano Pereira strongly criticized the policy taken by President Xanana Gusmco and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josi Ramos-Horta on SOFA agreement signed recently in US. Mr. Pereira said, "The policy was taken without any consultation with the Parliament. This kind of policy should have been taken in presidential system not in parliamentarian system as used by East Timor government now".

It is reported that East Timor will officially become a member of the International Police during the annual Security Council meeting of the body to take place in Cameroon from 21 until 26 October 2002.

Primer Minister Mari Alkatiri said that after becoming IMF member, East Timor has the right to borrow money from the institution.

Timor Post quoted President of National Parliament, Francisco "Lu-Olo" Guterres as saying that many ministers are not carrying out their duties based on the people's aspirations.

President Xanana Gusmco, in his meeting with the East Timorese community in Portugal, stated that, "being independent does not mean serving only ourselves but the people".

It is reported that 6 American medical specialists arrived in Dili yesterday to provide medical assistant services in curing the respiratory illness.

Member of Parliament, Jose Andrade (Bobonaro District Representative) said that Maliana residents' lives are now back to normal because the issue of Colimau 2000 group no longer exists.

With the signing of SOFA agreement means that US military legal impunity in East Timor undermines the dignity of East Timor as a nation, STL quoted the Coordinator of Women's group, ETWAVE, Olandina Caero as saying.

In order to increase the quality of East Timorese food with its traditional flavor, there is a need to modernize it, said Head of Agriculture Department of Jupiter University, Miguel da Silva Quintco.

Member of Parliament, Eusebio Guterres of Democratic Party, PD said that until now there has not been any good result on "Timor Gap treaty" because of political intervention from the dominant party, Fretilin.

General Coordinator of Micro Economics of East Timor Discussion Forum, Alcino de Sa Viana Pires says East Timor income is still under the standard line, with the amount of 0,5 percent only.

Manufahi District Administrator, Filomeno Tilman said announced that residents at Feriksare village, Alas Sub- District requests the Government, specially the Department of Forest to plant sandalwood in the area due to its potential for growing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josi Ramos-Horta expects Indonesia to l give its support for East Timor to become ASEAN member, reported TP.

October 11, 2002

Suara Timor Lorosae front page carried a photo of both President Xanana Gusmco and Portuguese Primer Minister Durco Barroso while being interviewed by the Portuguese state TV, RTP.

STL quoted Portuguese newspaper, Diario de Noticias as saying that President Xanana Gusmco would quit any time now as President because was not his own will, but the people's.

Member of Parliament, Antonio Ximenes of Christian Democratic Party, PDC said that he is ready to proof that there was mismanagement in the police recruitment process.

MP Maria Paixco questioned that if President Xanana withdraw from his post due to health condition, should there be a new election or just wait for him to recover.

Director of Civil Security, David Ximenes was quoted as saying that the security for all government institution buildings throughout East Timor is in the hands of his department.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josi Ramos-Horta admitted that some agreement have been reached regarding Indonesian assets during the recent Joint Commission meeting in Jakarta.

STL reported that MP Arlindo Margal of PDC would be East Timor Ambassador to Indonesia quoting Foreign Minister, Ramos-Horta as saying.

Secretary of State for Labor and Solidarity, Arsenio Bano said that it would take time to thorough discuss the labor code.

Nelson Belo, the Judicial System Monitoring Program spokesperson noted that since the beginning, witnesses accurate testimonies at the Jakarta Ad-hoc trials has not been used as reference for consideration in the trials.

MP Clementino dos Reis Amaral of KOTA party urged the Government and the public defenders to sit down and discuss the Border Control case, because it is given a bad impression for the legislative and judiciary bodies.

MP Eusebio Guterres of Democratic Party, PD noted that the Timor Sea Treaty signed on 20 May 2002 was not transparent because the people of East Timor did not know the content of the treaty. STL quoted Vice President of National Parliament, Francisco Xavier do Amaral as saying that when working on agricultural land the Government should facilitate equip the farmers.

Timor Post's front page carried a photo of President Xanana Gusmco, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josi Ramos- Horta and US Secretary of State, Colin Powell at the ceremony of the signing of SOFA agreement between East Timor and US.

On SOFA agreement, Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta said that the agreement does not involve military base in East Timor. It focuses on the effort to create a better relationship between the two countries now and in the future.

In a separate article, Mr. Ramos Horta was quoted as saying that East Timor and Indonesia is trying to reduce military force presence in the border by 2004.

Commenting on the recent call by East Timor Lawyers Association, AATL for donor countries to stop giving legal assistance to East Timor, Secretary General of KOTA party, Manuel Tilman said that all actions by East Timor citizens should be based on the law and not on emotions.

In a separate article, AATL Chairperson, Benevides Correia Barros was quoted as saying that Constitution public defenders will soon be established with the aim of processing the Border Control case in the court.

Joco Mariano de Sousa Saldanha, Director of East Timor Study Group stated that high unemployment and prices of goods for daily needs in East Timor, is forcing East Timorese seek for in another countries like Ireland.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Josi Ramos-Horta is happy that he has been nominated to receive the Honorary Doctor Degree from Dili University, reported TP.

It is reported Dili traffic routes will soon be changed, said Director of Land Transportation, Basilio M.X. Teixeira.

Opposition parties at the Parliament are expecting to obtain formal report on the Border Control case, TP quoted MP Leandro Isa'ac of PSD as saying.

Indonesian Republic has agreed with the appointment of Arlindo Margal as the East Timor Ambassador to Indonesia, said Foreign Minister Ramos-Horta.

Member of Parliament, Clementino dos Reis Amaral said that the Proposed Bill on Land and Immobile Properties is discriminatory.

A new airline company with the name Kakuak Airlines will soon operate in East Timor, said Director of East Timor Civil Aviation. The airlines, he said, has fulfilled the criteria to carry out the work.

Vice Minister of Health, Luis Lobato said that the recent National Immunization Campaign on polio was successful.

[Drafted by UNMISET Spokesperson's Office]