West Timor/refugees

Editorial: Help undo injustice

Northern Territory News - November 22, 2002

Federal Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock knows how to kick a man when he's down. About 1500 East Timorese -- more than 80 of them long-time Territorians -- are in danger of being deported.

They have been told to get out regardless of how long they have been here and even if they have children who were born in Australia.

Territorians, to their credit, have rallied around the East Timorese, arguing that they have become an integral part of our community. In short, they are Aussies now.

Rather than making soothing noises, Mr Ruddock accuses the asylum seekers of getting into Australia by "deception". He dismisses them as "unlawful citizens" who would have been sent straight back to East Timor if they had not applied for refugee status.

All this may technically be true. But the outburst exposes Mr Ruddock's mindset -- he is not sympathetic to the asylum seekers' cause, regardless of how justified that cause is.

And the Minister fails to mention that the East Timorese did not flee their country because they fancied a change of scenery. They were involved in the independence movement and fled because they were in danger of being killed by the Indonesian military.

Even someone as literal-minded as Mr Ruddock should be able to understand that.

The Territory Timorese need all the help they can get if they are not to be wrenched from what has become their homeland and sent packing.

The CLP's Dave Tollner and Nigel Scullion are clearly embarrassed by all this. That's why they have been so quiet of late.

They should forget their politicial allegiances for a while and start doing something about making sure 84 of their constituents are not the victims of gross injustice.

Senate calls for Ruddock to grant visas to Timor refugees

ABC News - November 21, 2002

The Senate has endorsed a motion recognising the plight of the East Timorese refugees and has called on the Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock to grant special visas on humanitarian grounds.

Northern Territory Labor Senator Trish Crossin proposed and moved the motion.

A NT law firm has offered to take on some of the cases involving more than 80 Darwin East Timorese told to leave the country on a pro-bono basis.

Charles Yuen is a licensed migration lawyer and says he has made the offer because he believes the East Timorese have the right to fight the Federal Government's rejection of their refugee applications.

Mr Yuen says he is willing to negotiate his fee. "What I'm offering initially are for those who have financial difficulties in paying my normal fee that I'd be happy to reduce it down to half or they could agree to a lump sum that's within their own budget to pay for, and for those who are really needy, I'd be happy to do it absolutely free -- no charge," Mr Yuen said.

East Timorese face deportation

Green Left Weekly - November 20, 2002

Sarah Stephen -- Fatima is a widow and grandmother who has been in Australia for 10 years, living with her family who are financially supporting her. She has no remaining close family in East Timor and has grown very close to her grandchildren here. However, her case for refugee status has been refused and she is now appealing to the immigration minister, Philip Ruddock.

Francisco arrived in Australia in 1994, aged 17, having survived the 1991 Dili massacre. He was not permitted to study at university or TAFE because of visa restrictions. Instead, he found employment in the hospitality industry and worked long hours to provide for himself, his widowed mother and large family in East Timor. If he is forced to return to East Timor, he would have no job, no financial support and no way to contribute to the well-being of his family. His application for refugee status was refused by the immigration department, pending appeal.

After government-imposed processing delays of up to 10 years, many of the claims of 1600-1800 East Timorese asylum seekers in Australia are reaching the final stage of appeal.

As of November 1, around 30 East Timorese living in NSW had had their asylum claims rejected by the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT).

The front page of the November 8 NT News carried the headline "80 Timorese booted out". A largely sympathetic article explained that 84 East Timorese living in Darwin received letters from the immigration department stating that they had 28 days to leave the country unless they lodged appeals with the RRT.

A campaign has been launched by a range of church and social- justice organisations, calling on the Australian government to create a special visa category to allow the East Timorese to stay in Australia as permanent residents.

In a letter published in the November 16 Sydney Morning Herald and Australian, Sister Susan Connelly from the Mary MacKillop Institute of East Timorese Studies in Sydney condemned the government's actions: "Mr Ruddock maintains that litigation by 1800 East Timorese asylum seekers and their advocacy groups over the past seven years has caused delays in processing their claims. This is simply untrue.

"In 1995, the Refugee Review Tribunal determined that East Timorese people were Portuguese nationals, and some asylum seekers were rejected by the department of immigration on the basis of that judgement. These attacks on the very identity of the East Timorese people were challenged, surely a fundamental right. Three times -- in 1997, 1998 and 2000 -- the Federal Court found against the department.

"Mr Ruddock also suggests that the asylum seekers have been trying to outwit Australia by hanging on for as long as possible. This is beneath contempt. Had their claims been processed when they arrived here in 1994-95, they would have been deemed refugees, as were those who came just a few years earlier.

"Putting their applications for refugee status on ice had nothing to do with the validity of their claims, and everything to do with politics. The East Timorese asylum seekers have a unique place in Australian society and history. They should be granted immediate access to a special visa on humanitarian grounds." The persecution that East Timorese asylum seekers faced, at the time most arrived in Australia between October 1994 and April 1995, has not been questioned. A statistical summary of 147 cases documented by the Refugee Advice and Casework Service in Victoria in 1997 found that: 46% of all applicants had suffered serious assault; 33% had been tortured; 19% had been sexually assaulted (a figure representing 43% of all women applicants); 16% had family members who have been sexually assaulted; 32% had been detained for long periods of time; 55% had a close family member arrested; and 39% had family members killed by Indonesian security forces.

Those whose cases are rejected by the RRT will no longer have the right to work, nor be eligible for any government programs like Medicare, or private assistance, such as Red Cross money. It could take up to four months for an application lodged with the minister to be assessed, during which time families will have no source of income and thus be unable to pay rent and mortgages. Many risk losing their homes.

Some may fit the criteria necessary to lodge a claim for a spousal or close-ties visa, but few will be able to afford the $2000 lodgment fee, which must be paid for each adult and child applying.

A fact sheet on the campaign web site points out that there have been special intakes of East Timorese on five separate occasions: in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1991 and 1994. There is also a precedent for the creation of a special visa. This was done in 1989 in order to allow Chinese students to remain in Australia.

Concern over the return of failed asylum seekers

Radio Australia - November 18, 2002

[The East Timor government says unsuccessful asylum-seekers forced to return from Australia will be a burden on the country's fledgeling economy. A quirk of the former Portuguese colony's status meant the claims of some 1,700 asylum-seekers were not resolved after their arrival in the early 1990's, and they are now being asked to leave. A spokesman for the Immigration Minister, Philip Ruddock, says while some cases may be granted permanent residency on humanitarian grounds, there will be no unilateral exemptions. East Timor Foreign Minister Jose Ramos- Horta says he has made several unsuccessful appeals to Australia to defer the return of the asylum-seekers for a few years, if not for good.]

Presenter/Interviewer: Sonya De Masi

Speakers: Jose Ramos-Horta, East Timor Foreign Minister

Ramos-Horta: The Australian side knows well how fragile are our institutions, our economy, we have had to reabsorb back into East Timor in the last two years, a quarter of a million refugees and displaced persons from West Timor and our economy is almost non- existent, unemployment is very high. And these people in Australia are not taking jobs from anyone, they are good, law abiding people so why not let them stay three to five years, organise some special programs for them to learn English, for those who do not know English, some vocational skills and then yes, they return voluntarily. But it seems the Australian government has not been impressed, persuaded by this very modest, very humble, very rational and constructive proposal on our side.

De Masi: Now a spokesman for the Immigration Minister has said Australia is contributing quite considerable amounts of money towards East Timor's reconstruction and that these asylum seekers would actually be able to contribute to and hasten that rebuilding process.

Ramos-Horta: Well, that is a bit stretching the argument and the imagination. The fact of the matter is that most of them so far do not have skills, because they have been in legal limbo for so many years in Australia, Australia was never able to grant them permanent residents so they could study, work, learn skills. Most of them return to East Timor without money because they were not able to work, most of them return without qualifications because they were not given opportunity to study to be trained. So their contribution to East Timor will be very, very negligible, quite the contrary, they will be a burden to society here.

De Masi: What opportunities and expectations do these peope have then upon their return?

Ramos-Horta: They cannot expect anything, opportunities are non- existent literally because of the unemployment situation here. We are just starting our independence, rebuilding the country. Most institutions are very incipient, fragile, new ,there is really nothing they can expect.

De Masi: For those who might have come [to Australia] at a very young age, would you have any concerns about identity and how they might have no links with East Timor. Would you see that as a potential problem?

Ramos-Horta: It's a bit heart-breaking. Many of them grew up in Australia, some were born in Australia, some have been here as far as I know ten years. Some of them, they don't speak a word of Tetum, they don't speak a word of Portuguese, they speak English, they are very Australian and they've been told they have to leave. I know a girl only six or seven years old she was born in Australia, her parents have received I understand notice to leave, the girl is completely confused because she was born in Australia, she'd like to stay in Australia, all her friends are Australian.

Australia is a vast continent, very rich, has been very generous to East Timor obviously. We all acknowledge that Australia is a friend so why not assist us an extra bit by giving them a conditional visa? To allowing these people to stay a three to five years more until our economy gets off the ground or at least let the young ones settle in Australia? They don't make the slightest difference to Australia's unemployment problem or Australia's immigration intake because they are so few.

Timorese asylum claims blocked by secret freeze

Sydney Morning Herald - November 18, 2002

Helen Signy and Cynthia Banham -- The Australian Government issued a secret directive that refugee applications from the East Timorese community should be put on hold, documents obtained by the Herald claim.

About 1800 East Timorese have been waiting for up to 10 years for their applications to be processed. They face deportation to East Timor because the Federal Government says it is safe for them to return.

The Immigration Minister, Philip Ruddock, has blamed the delay on litigation by the applicants and advocacy groups.

"If you have migration rules that operate on that basis, every unlawful [immigrant] that comes to Australia would simply say, 'all I've got to do is outwit you and stay in a community long enough and eventually you'll say it's all too ... hard, I'm entitled to stay'," he said.

But an internal Refugee Review Tribunal memo obtained by the Herald claims there was a secret moratorium which prevented any of the East Timorese cases from being finalised.

The memo, sent in 1995 from a former tribunal member to the acting principal member, says the moratorium was followed by similar directions given verbally and by internal mail.

"Members have been kept in total ignorance of the existence of this official moratorium even though it was a general talking point that no Indonesian/East Timorese cases appeared to be coming through the constitution system," the memo says.

"When the existence of this moratorium ... was raised with you, your reaction was to tell members we were not supposed to know about it, commence a hunt to establish how it was we came to know about it, presumably with the object of punishing someone and a crackdown on the staff of Client Services, who were probably unaware of the explosive effect knowledge of this secret instruction might have both within the RRT as well as outside it."

The moratorium, allegedly imposed by the Labor government in 1995, appears to have been kept by the present Government, which did not start processing East Timorese claims until April this year.

A spokesman for the East Timorese Government, Abel Guterres, said East Timor would respect the decision to repatriate the asylum seekers but that the country was in no position economically to take them.

Lawyers for Australia's East Timorese community say most of the applicants would have qualified as refugees if their applications had been processed promptly.

"We knew the East Timorese cases were not being processed, but here is documentation from within the RRT ... [showing] it was the government or agencies of the government that have underhandedly interfered with and undermined their due process," said Andrew McNaughtan, of the Australia East Timor Association.

A spokeswoman for Mr Ruddock said the reason claims were not processed was because the East Timorese in Australia had been entitled to apply for Portuguese citizenship, but had declined to.

However, the Federal Court found against the Immigration Department's stand on Portuguese nationality in three cases in 1997, 1998 and 2000.

Timor Gap

Australia and Timor squabbling threatens gas deal

Agence France Presse - November 24, 2002

Neil Sands, Sydney -- Australia and East Timor are locked in a David and Goliath struggle over spoils from Timor Sea gas fields, which analysts warn could jeopardise the entire project.

Despite their aim to ratify the Timor Sea Treaty by the end of the year, little progress has been made by either country, causing growing impatience among oil companies keen to tap into the liquefied natural gas (LNG).

One of them, Phillips Petroleum, has said work needs to begin on the Bayu-Undan gas field early next year to meet contracts to supply Japanese customers by 2006.

The company recently expressed fears that delays would cause its contracts to default, saying "in the worst case, the gas may not be sold for years, if at all."

At stake is what East Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has described as his country's passport from poverty following 24 years of Indonesian occupation that ended in 1999 -- the revenue from Timor Sea gasfields called Bayu-Undan and Greater Sunrise.

East Timor stands to earn an estimated 3.5 billion US dollars from Bayu-Undan over 20 years and even more from the larger Sunrise field.

"This is the money we will use to treat tuberculosis, for education," a spokeswoman for the East Timor government's Timor Sea Treaty office said.

With aid from the United Nations set to dry up in 2004, the oil and gas revenue is vital to East Timor, one of the world's newest, and poorest, nations.

John Colnan of Shaw Stockbroking said there was a real risk oil companies could abandon both gas fields if political problems continued to delay development.

"With any resource you have a window of opportunity to sell into the market and LNG is going strong globally right now, particularly with developments in northern Asia," he said.

"But if the Timor Gap issues aren't resolved before that window closes if could be five or six years before conditions in the market improve. International companies will move on elsewhere, that's how capitalism works."

A treaty signed in May gave East Timor 90 percent of revenue from a 62,000 square-kilometre joint petroleum development zone that encompasses the Bayu-Undan field.

But how to divide revenue for Sunrise, which straddles the development zone and Australian maritime territory, remains a sticking point preventing the treaty's ratification.

The Australian government will not ratify the treaty until the so-called "unitisation" is resolved, despite East Timor's requests for the issue to be handled separately.

East Timor has asked for a greater percentage of potential Sunrise revenues, but Australia has refused to budge, opting instead to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice for the arbitration of maritime boundaries to forestall any East Timorese claim to the Sunrise land.

Australia-East Timor Association convenor Andrew McNaughton accused Australia of abusing its power to try to force the East Timorese into an unfair deal.

"The concern is that Australia will use its disproportionate power over East Timor, will use the fact that East Timor desperately needs money coming into its treasury to get them to accept a deal that runs the risk of being disadvantageous in the long term," he said.

Talks on the treaty's ratification were to resume next month.

Timorese claim pay discrimination

The Australian - November 22, 2002

Paul Toohey -- Three Timorese men working in the Darwin-based Timor Gap Joint Authority have been suspended on full pay after they asked their Australian bosses why they were paid less than their Australian colleagues.

The incident has upset East Timorese members of the joint authority, and executive director Egidio de Jesus was preparing to fly to Darwin from Dili last night to speak to his Australian counterpart, executive director Robert Mollah.

The men, Antonio de Sousa, Orlando Xavier and Vicente Lacerda, say they were "surfing" on the office computer when they found a list of staff salaries. They went to a supervisor to discuss their concerns that "less experienced" Australian staff were paid more than them.

Mr Mollah suspended the three on November 14, telling them to go away and "review the joint authority's privacy policy".

Mr Lacerda said Mr Mollah "humiliated" them in a public dressing down in which he said they were not trustworthy. The three men said the information was "on a public file on drive H, a shared drive" and no password was needed to examine it.

The men, a geologist, a microbiologist and a mining engineer, said they were not complaining about their pay (believed to be $36,000 a year for 2 men and $18,000 for the other, a trainee), but they felt they were discriminated against because they were "treated differently from Australians".

Geoff Hull from the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union represented the East Timorese at a meeting with Mr Mollah on Wednesday. He says he accepted that the Australians were paid more than the Timorese because they had more skills, but was concerned about accusations of breach of confidentiality. "I believe there wasn't a breach," he said.

The joint authority oversees exploration activities for the petroleum resources in the shared petroleum zone and will be disbanded when the Timor Sea Treaty is ratified by the end of this year.

Justice & reconciliation

East Timor considers militia trial options

Radio Australia - November 18, 2002

East Timor may not seek a United Nations tribunal to try cases of militia atrocities three years ago even if Indonesia's human rights court fails to deliver justice according to its foreign minister.

Jose Ramos-Horta said the government is considering an alternative solution to satisfy the public's demand for justice, taking into account East Timor's good relations with its former occupier Indonesia.

Mr Ramos-Horta says the government has to think about the consequences of demanding an international tribunal, especially as far as relations with Indonesia are concerned. He gave no indication of what alternatives might be acceptable but said the East Timor would not forget the 1999 militia violence.

Pro-Jakarta militias, armed and organised by the Indonesian military, waged a brutal campaign of terror in which an estimated 1,000 people were killed before and after East Timor's vote on August 30, 1999, to break away from Indonesia.

Indonesia has set up a human rights court to try the atrocities to deflect international pressure for an international tribunal.

In widely criticised verdicts, the human rights court has already acquitted six officers, including the former East Timor police chief, and sentenced the former provincial governor to just three years in jail.

Human rights trials

10-year jail terms sought for former Dili chiefs

Agence France Presse - November 20, 2002

Jakarta -- Prosecutors at Indonesia's human rights court on Wednesday demanded 10-year jail sentences for the former police and military chiefs in the East Timor capital of Dili for failing to prevent atrocities three years ago.

In separate hearings, prosecutors asked judges to sentence former Dili police chief Lieutenant Colonel Hulman Gultom and former Dili district military commander Lieutenant Colonel Sujarwo to 10 years in jail.

Prosecutor Nasir Maksum said Gultom, 51, failed to anticipate and prevent an attack by pro- Indonesia guerrillas on the refugee- packed house of independence activist Manuel Carrascalao on April 17, 1999.

"The defendant should have been able to prevent or at least anticipate the April 17, 1999 incident ... but as head of police operations in Dili, the defendant allowed it to take place," Maksum told the court. He said 12 people were killed and many others wounded.

Maksum said Gultom had been "unable to control his subordinates, especially in assuring security, had been unable to forecast the impact of government policies on the local population and did not take the perpetrators to justice."

In another court, prosecutor Maju Ambarita said Sujarwo had failed to anticipate and prevent attacks on the refugee-packed Dili diocese and residence of Dili Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo in April 1999.

Prosecutors have said at least two people were killed at the diocese while 13 others were slain in at the bishop's residence.

Ambarita also said that Sujarwo had failed to seek assistance from his superiors even though "the military was clearly no longer able to control the situation."

Gultom and Sujarwo are two of 18 military and police officers, officials and civilians who have faced charges of gross human rights violations in April and September 1999.

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

Pro-Jakarta local militias, who were armed and organised by the Indonesian military, launched a brutal campaign of intimidation before East Timor's August 1999 vote to break away from Indonesia and carried out revenge attacks afterwards. An estimated 1,000 people were killed.

Gultom's hearing will resume in a week while Sujarwo's trial will resume on November 26. Judges do not have to follow the prosecutors' sentence recommendations if they find the defendants guilty.

East Timor indicts twelve for murder in 1999 vote run-up

Reuters - November 21, 2002

Jakarta -- East Timor investigators have charged 12 people with committing murder just ahead of the territory's vote for independence at the end of August 1999, the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) said.

The 12 "are all charged with crimes against humanity: murder and persecution," and include former Indonesian government officials and soldiers and pro-Indonesia militia members, UNMISET said in a statement from Dili on Thursday.

Indonesia had ruled East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, for 24 years before its landslide vote for independence.

UNMISET said that on August 27, 1999 the 12 attacked the residential compound of an East Timorese leader, Verissimo Dias Quintas, which housed the office of a pro-independence group. Both his home and the office were burned down and he died in the attack.

Of the 12 charged, one is already serving a sentence in Dili for another crime during the period, and nine of the others are believed to be living in Indonesia. Arrest warrants have been requested from the Dili District Court, UNMISET said.

The run-up to the 1999 vote and especially the weeks immediately after it were marked by violence the UN estimated killed more than 1,000 people, much of it blamed on machete-wielding pro- Jakarta militia backed by elements of the Indonesian military.

A UN peacekeeping force stepped in to end the carnage, and the United Nations administered East Timor until its formal independence last May.

News & issues

Police officer seriously injured in clash with villagers

Lusa - November 18, 2002

Dili -- Violent clashes Monday between security forces and residents near East Timor's second city, Baucau, left two people injured, a police source said.

The violence erupted after about 20 inhabitants of Uailili, a village outside Baucau, created a road block and demanded cash from motorists wishing to pass, explained the source.

One of the law enforcement officers sent to clear the highway was slashed with a machete on the head and is in a "very serious" condition in Baucau hospital, said the police spokesman. The policeman's attacker was shot by fellow officers and arrested soon after the clashes ended, said the source.

Monday's skirmishes follow a series of attacks against Timorese police in recent days. An attack on the Liquiga police station near Dili Friday left two officers injured and a civilian with gunshot wounds, after police responded to an assault that left four of their vehicles damaged. Six people were arrested after the Liquiga violence, security officials told Lusa Monday.

Meanwhile, a team comprising representatives of the Dili government, the UN and the international donor community have begun a 10-day mission to analyze deficiencies in Timor's forces of law and order. Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri told the team it was crucial that the new state's police force was "efficient and professional". It was paramount too that police training receives continuing support, added Alkatiri.

Language & culture

Lisbon pledges continued support to Portuguese teaching

Lusa - November 22, 2002

Lisbon -- Portugal will continue to support the reconstruction East Timor, "particularly in the areas of education and the promulgation of the Portuguese language", a senior Lisbon official said Friday.

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Communities Antonio dos Santos was speaking after a meeting at the Lisbon Foreign Ministry with Francisco Guterres, speaker of the Dili parliament, who is visiting Portugal for his first time since his country's independence in May.

Dos Santos announced that the new Portuguese School in Dili will be inaugurated on December 4. Guterres had called Thursday for the boosting of efforts to teach Portuguese, one of Timor's two official languages, along with Tetum. The majority of the Dili parliament's lawmakers have difficulties using Portuguese, Guterres had said.

East Timor press reviews

East Timor Press Review

UNMISET - November 22, 2002

Dili -- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Josi Ramos Horta was critical of local newspaper, Suara Timor Lorosae saying that it was operating in a manner similar to that of Indonesian elite troop "Kopassus". Dr. Horta added that STL as a newspaper was backed by the militia, Kopassus, TNI and by BAIS (Indonesian Intelligent body). "This comments comes as a surprise to us. These comments are not democratic, especially since is coming from someone with such an international diplomatic calibre and during the time of Indonesia was a person that was highly regarded by all the staff in STL. Now however we have to receive such blame and shall reflect upon your statement", said the Deputy of STL, Domingos Saldanha.

The Minister was apparently referring to the article in STL on 19 November which threw reference to the lack of discipline in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. Dr. Horta noted that this paper has not been reporting stories accurately especially when it relates to government matters. He stressed that not only him but also his colleague like the Prime Minister have been misquoted by this daily. (STL)

In a related article Suara Timor Lorosae reported that during Indonesian occupation this newspaper was accused of having the supported of Ramos-Horta. STL reported that staff at the ministry of Foreign Affairs lacked discipline and after 6 months of the country's independence the quality of services within this department have dropped. The paper also reported that few staff members were busy dating during working hours, their dress coats was not suitable and their arrogant behavior did not set a good example for the country.

Vicente Fernandes Brito will replace Alcino Barros as the head of Dili District Court based on a statement by the Attorney General, Longuinhos Monteiro.

Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri told STL that IMF has not yet provided funds to Timor-Leste. The country has been receiving funds from donors' countries. Mr. Alkatiri added that IMF would provide funds to the development of the country through the Central Bank and the Finance Department.

This daily reported that of the 15 suspects detained by police in relation to Liquiga disturbance last Friday, 4 have been released and 11 remains in prison awaiting further investigation after a court hearing in Dili on Tuesday.

Timor Post front page carried a title which read: PM Mari Alkatiri: Comoro Airport will be renamed "Nicolau Lobato". The renaming of the airport will take place on 28 November as part of the celebrations for the country's independence proclamation. The Prime Minister also said that the government will observed this day with visits to various districts in order to re-assess the work established by the second transitional government and that carried out following 6 months of independence. He also plans to visit Wailili village following the incident when local police were attacked and robbed of their pistols.

Timor Leste Police Commissioner, Paulo Martins informed that about 11 representatives of former combatants members yesterday met him to discuss the recruitment process. Mr. Martins said that during the meeting he requested them to cooperate and support ETPS as well as Civpol and to avoid violence if they are not recruited to join the police force.

In its editorial Timor Post writes "Bandits Group Exist". Nowadays people are concerned travelling in the remote areas like Maliana, Bobonaro, Ainaro, Same all the way to Baucau and Viqueque because cars and people are being attacked and robbed by groups. These groups are also robbing and beating up the residents in these local areas. The editorial says the motive behind the activities of these groups can be derived from lack of food, unhappiness in the recruitment process for the Defense and Police Force, the government, unemployment or simple because they are organized bandits. It is not clear the motive of the groups. The editorial says the government and the police must act now to stop these groups.

November 20, 2002

Timor Post Coverage

Citizens Have The Right To Speak About Issues That Affect Them: Bishop Belo

Bishop Belo has said that Timorese people have the right to talk about issues, which concern them as citizens. He urged citizens not feel intimidated about criticizing issues they were not happy about.

TLPS Officer's Pistol Snatched In Violent Clash

An angry mob attacked a local police officer and snatched his pistol in violent clashes in the village of Uailili near Baucau on Monday, TLPS Commissioner Paulo Martins told Timor Post. The incident happened when the police officer, only identified as Francisco, attempted to stop the mob from mounting illegal roadblocks to demand money from motorists who wished to use the road.

Government Of East Timor To Decide On Out Come Of Jakarta Ad-Hock Tribunal

Dili court Chairman, Aderito Tilman, has said that the government of East Timor has the right to accept or reject the outcome of the Jakarta Ad-Hock Tribunal. The Jakarta Tribunal is currently trying cases of atrocities against humanity committed during Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.

Don't Use Violence To Resolve Problems: Prime Minister

Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri has appealed to citizens to refrain from using violence as a means to resolve their problems. Referring to three incidents in which TLPS officers were attacked (in Dili, Baucau and Liquica), Mr. Alkatiri said that those who attacked the officers behaved like criminals. He emphasized the role of citizens in the fight against crime.

"Ninjas" Terrorize Manufahi Residents.

A gang of masked men, calling themselves 'ninjas' attacked residents of Holarua village in Manufahi district, yesterday. Commenting on the incident, UDT Party Chairman, Alexandre Corte Real, said that the gang had a tendency to attack in the night when the residents were sleeping.

STL Coverage

Bishop Belo declines to testify in Ad-Hock Tribunal

East Timor's Bishop Ximenes Belo has said that he will not testify as a witness in the case in which a former Indonesian Army officer, Lt. Soedjarwo is being questioned for his alleged role in crimes against humanity in East Timor. Bishop Belo was summoned by the Jakarta Ad-Hock Tribunal to be a witness in the ongoing trial.

Unknown People 'Throw Bomb At Dili NGO'

Unknown people threw a plastic bomb at a building housing the Star Comoro PT NGO in Dili's Comoro area yesterday. No casualties were reported.

Same Diocese Construction Suspended East Timor's religious leader, Bishop Belo told STL that the construction of a diocese in Same had been suspended for three years to await approval from the Vatican. Bishop Belo said, a committee looking into the project in Dili had already contacted the Vatican twice on the matter.

November 19, 2002

Dili, STL front page headlines

East Timor seeks UN support to combat terrorism

East Timor's Ambassador to the United Nations, Josi Luis Guterres, told the Security Council that his country needs the assistance of the UN to fight terrorism. Referring to the Bali bombing last month, Mr. Guterres said that East Timor, which has only been independent for six months, was still growing as a nation and therefore needed a lot of support from the United Nations.

East Timor's Independence not for individual glory: President Xanana Gusmao

President Xanana Gusmco has said that the government cannot achieve development without cooperation from the people. Speaking in an interview with STL yesterday, Gusmao cautioned the population against seeking self-glory for the liberation struggle. "All the East Timorese fought hard for independence", he said.

Foreign Affairs Ministry not Restaurant or Sports Club: Ramos Horta

Foreign Affairs Minister, Ramos Horta has called on members of staff in his ministry to exercise discipline and seriousness towards work. He said that some of the staff had a tendency to dress inappropriately for work while other reported late for duty. He called for a change of attitude if the ministry is to execute its work effectively.

East Timor Study Group (ETSG), Director, J. M. Saldanha ticks off Judicial system

ETSG Director, Mr. John Saldanha says that East Timor's judicial system still leaves much to be desired. Mr. Saldanha noted that the Judiciary had faced its greatest challenges in the last six months of East Timor's self-governance since becoming independent in May.

Timor Post

"Don't be Arrogant to the People" President Xanana Gusmco Tells Politicians and Government Leaders

President Xanana Gusmco has appealed to politics and government leaders not to be arrogant to the people. Addressing ex- combatants in Dili yesterday, President Gusmao said that all the East Timorese played a part in the struggle for independence and the achievement was not for individual credit.

"Think Carefully about an International Tribunal"

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josi Ramos Horta has called on the people to reflect on possibilities of an International Tribunal if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the Jakarta trials. He said that he was aware that some people were not happy with the Jakarta trials on the crimes against humanity committed during Indonesia's occupation of East Timor.

Government Seeks Donor Funding for TLPS

Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri said that his government was soliciting for donor funds to improve the capacity of TLPS. Mr. Alkatiri stressed that funding was crucial for the enhancement of TLPS to enable local police serve the population especially after the departure of international police. The Prime Minister was speaking after a meeting with international donors yesterday.