Venidora Oliveira – Newly appointed human rights ombudsman Silverio Pinto says he is ready to ready to continue to implementing the Human Rights and Justice Provedoria's (PDHJ) 10 year strategic plan.

A communications strategy to determine what difficulties people faced will be drawn up, Pinto said.

One male and one female ombudsman will be appointed soon. "Legally, an elected ombudsman can choose two or three deputies," Pinto said.

He called on Parliament to ensure the department was adequately funded into the future. "I am confident that with a sufficient budget, PDHJ will become stronger and better in the future," he said.

Member of Parliament Angelina Rangel said she hoped the new ombudsman would bring PDHJ success. "I think he will be able to work closely with all institutions to develop and bring this state forward," she said. She said Parliament would approve the PDHJ budget.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/human-rights/13028-new-ombudsman-ready-for-challenge

Political parties & elections

Electoral card fraud in Timor-Leste

Dili Weekly - December 19, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Member of Parliament Antoninho Bianco has warned citizens that providing false information to receive more than one voting card is a criminal offence.

He said prosecution required a complaint to be made. All people had a responsibility to report the electoral card fraud, he said. He called for community leaders in particular to take charge and ensure the names of the deceased were taken off official databases.

Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) general director Aquilino Manuel Branco acknowledged that some people had multiple cards. Some offenders had been prosecuted by the Public Ministry, he said.

Branco said the problems arose because data was entered into the system manually, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation by people who registered more than once under different names and addresses.

Other fraudsters made false declarations that they had lost their cards in order to receive a second. Others are alleged to have misrepresented their age in order to receive the aged pension.

STAE was working to develop an online registration system but this was hindered by the lack of internet access in rural areas, Branco said. He called for those who have multiple voting cards to surrender them to the STAE.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/12994-electoral-card-fraud-in-timor-leste

Media & journalism

Timor-Leste: Court of Appeal again declares media law unconstitutional

Pacific Media Centre - December 17, 2014

Armandina Moniz, Dili (Notisias Online/Pacific Media Watch) – Timor- Leste's Court of Appeal has once again delivered a judgment declaring the controversial Media Act unconstitutional.

The law, which was previously approved by the National Parliament on May 6 and sent to the President of the Republic, Taur Matan Ruak, to promulgate, was ruled by the Court of Appeal to be unconstitutional in August.

During the debate on the General State Budget for 2015 in the National Parliament, the Vice-President of Parliament, Adriano do Nascimento, rejected the court's decision because it had been signed by an international judge. He said:

"We all know that international judges no longer work in Timor-Leste courts because of the parliamentary resolution, but why then has the court's decision declaring the media law unconstitutional [been] signed by an international judge."

But Deputy Prime Minister Fernando Lasama had asked the President of the Court of Appeal to contribute to the resolution over the law, which the nation and the state had already approved.

[Translated from the original Tetum language report.]

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/timor-leste-court-appeal-again- declares-media-law-unconstitutional-9089

Health & education

Calls for national drugs council

Dili Weekly - December 23, 2014

Paulina Quintao – The Decolores Del Amor Foundation has urged the government to establish an independent national drugs council to address the issue of drugs within the nation.

Foundation member Xisto Goncalves said the state had an obligation to create an institution to combat drugs which threatened Timor-Leste's development. Goncalves called on Parliament to approve anti-drug laws immediately in order to ratify the proposed council.

If Timor-Leste failed to deal with the problem now, the nation was at risk of becoming not just a drug trafficking hub but would also face problems with domestic drug use. High unemployment rates meant young people were at high risk of becoming drug addicted.

"Drug traffickers do currently operate in Timor-Leste and the courts have prosecuted drugs cases in the past few years," Goncalves said.

Member of Parliament Antoninho Bianco said a national drugs council was unnecessary and instead called for tighter border control.

"We shouldn't focus on established more institutions but instead strengthen our existing services and provide them with detection equipment so they can work more effectively," he said.

He said many state institutions that have been established but it did not work properly however forward it did not close the chance to create this institution, if there was complete human resource preparation and equipment.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13022-calls-for-national-drugs-council

Girls drop out of school because of lack of loos

Dili Weekly - December 23, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Research by the National University of Timor Lorosa'e's (UNTL) gender studies unit has shown that many female students are shunning school because of a lack of toilet facilities.

Gender studies centre general director Gil da Costa said the research was conducted in Dili universities and secondary schools to determine why girls were less likely to attend school.

"We call on the Ministry and the National Development Agency (ADN) to build toilet facilities because this is an issue which deeply affects the female students," he said.

He said school designs approved by the education ministry and ADN were for classrooms only and did not include toilets or clean water facilities. Some girls dropped out of school altogether as a result, he said.

Member of Parliament Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares expressed concern and that access to toilets in schools was lacking in both rural and urban areas. Some schools had only one, non-locking unisex toilet which girls avoided using as well, she said.

"The government should look into this issue," she said. "The boys are able to find another place to urinate but it's more difficult for girls and they often go home or to other places near the school."

Secretary of State for Promotion Equality Idelta Maria Rodrigues acknowledged that the education sector faced a variety of problems including a lack of chairs, teachers and libraries as well as long commutes for students.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/gender/13024-girls-drop-out-of-school-because-of-lack-of-loos

HIV message not getting through

Dili Weekly - December 19, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Timorese visiting sex workers are neglecting to use condoms to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.

National Commission to Combat HIV/AIDS – Timor-Leste (CNCS-TL) secretary Daniel Marcal said the HIV situation in Timor-Leste was serious, with many infected people living in the community.

The virus had the potential to spread further due to the proliferation of prostitution across the country, he said.

"Last week, I spoke to a sex worker who told me she knew she had the virus and told her clients to use a condom but most of them – excluding the foreigners – didn't," he said during his presentation at the recent Parliament and Equality seminar held at Hotel Timor by the government.

He called for relevant institutions to take action. Stopping prostitution altogether was difficult as women used it as a means to provide basic necessities for their families.

Timor-Leste's porous border areas were at greatest risk of a HIV outbreak, Marcal said. Sex workers from defunct Indonesian brothels were making their way into Timor-Leste, he said.

Health Ministry data shows that 447 people were diagnosed with HIV between 2003 and mid-2014. Of those, 41 had died. Commission F (health, education, culture, veterans' afffairs and gender equality) member Ilda Maria da Conceicao said the virus threatened the next generation.

"The new generation of Timor-Leste will be destroyed by this virus if they do not take action," she said. She said religious objections to condom use were a major factor in the rates of unprotected sex. She called for groups to rethink their objection to condom use.

Dr Ana Isabel F.S. Soares said research in developing nations showed condoms were not 100 per cent effective in preventing the spread of HIV.

She asked institutions to pass on information about the disease to societies. "I just want to say that condom is not 100 per cent guaranteed (to prevent the spread of HIV). In order to get rid of this virus, the important thing is for us to change our behavior," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12996-hiv-message-not-getting-through

MP: Ban import of cigarettes

Dili Weekly - December 19, 2014

Paulina Quintao – The government must ban the import of cigarettes into Timor-Leste for the health of its people, says Member of Parliament Eladio Faculto.

Faculto said there were no local cigarette manufacturers and that the imported products were known to cause diseases such as cancer and hypertension in smokers.

"I think we must stop cigarette imports to Timor-Leste because we do not produce cigarettes here but we smoke and we are giving money to these foreign companies and in return they are giving us diseases," he said.

He urged if it did not stop imports altogether, the government must at least place heavy regulations on the sale of cigarettes, such as increasing the price of packs to a minimum of $10.

The Commission F (health, education, culture, veterans' affairs and gender equality) member called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to continue its work educating people about the health implications of tobacco use.

WHO representative Dr Jorge Mario Luna said smoking was a major risk to health. "It can kill people quietly and slowly from liver, throat or lip cancer," he said.

He said inhaling second hand smoke was also dangerous and called for laws to ban smoking in public places.

"We have worked with the Health Ministry to complete a draft law for the control of tobacco and it will go to the Council of Ministers and then to National Parliament," he said. "We hope that it will receive priority and be approved soon."

He said the laws were part of Timor-Leste's commitment to the international conventions on smoking which have been ratified by Parliament. The convention puts restrictions on cigarette advertising in public places.

Youth Atanacio Soares said politicians must lead by example. "How can our leaders tell people not to smoke when they smoke in public places themselves?" he asked. He supported the push to ban cigarette imports or to raise prices.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13002-mp-ban-import-of-cigarettes

MP laments midwives helping mothers give birth by candlelight

Dili Weekly - December 15, 2014

Paulina Quintao – National Member of Parliament MP Bendita Magno wants to know why midwives at the Fatubolu Health post in Hatulia sub-district, Ermera, are using candle light and mobile phones to assist new mothers birthing.

MP Bendita Magno said this situation puts at risk the lives of new mothers and their babies. "Why can't the Health Ministry provide a generator," asked MP Magno at the National Parliament, Dili.

MP Magno, a Member of Commission F (Health, education, culture, veteran and gender equality) added the hospital in question does not only lack electricity but also lacks clean water and medicines. "There are some 14 medicines missing such as paracetamol to ease the pain of women when giving birth."

MP Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares from the Timor-Leste Parliamentary Women's Group (GMPTL) added this situation only brings shame for the Ministry of Health. "It's a great shame that we have to stitch up patients by candlelight in some health facilities," said MP Soares.

She added this reality will impact on women's health and lead to women being afraid of going to a health facility. "We are here and we approved the general state budget 2014 that included 6% of the overall budget for the Health Ministry, yet these are the real conditions," she said.

The Dili Weekly tried to get an answer from the General Director for health of the Health Ministry but no one was available for comment.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/12988-mp-laments-midwives-helping-mothers-give-birth-by-candlelight

TLCE raises doubts over government literacy claim

Dili Weekly - December 15, 2014

Paulina Quintao – The Education Ministry's declaration that six districts are free from illiteracy is incorrect as it does not take into account adult illiteracy, says Timor-Leste Coalition for Education (TLCE) program manager Matias dos Santos.

Dos Santos said TLCE conducted monitoring in three of the districts claimed to be illiteracy-free and found many adults could not read or write. The supposedly illiteracy-free areas were Dili, Atauro, Lautem, Oe-cusse, Aileu and Manatuto.

"53 per cent of the population of Lautem cannot read or write, therefore the Ministry's statement is not true," Dos Santos said.

He said the survey had not covered all of the areas included in the ministry's statement. He said the districts lacked places to teach reading and writing skills.

He said several classrooms tasked with improving adult literacy were not functioning. "However the volunteers are still receiving money," he said.

Education national director Mario Antonio da Costa Ximenes said the ministry was assessing the success of a national literacy program and would soon announce the beginning of the project's second phase.

He said Timor-Leste was on track to be free from illiteracy next year, but that the government would do in depth survey before declaring it so.

He said the empty classrooms had been caused by the resignation of volunteer teachers but said the issue had been resolved and the program was up and running again.

There were 424 classrooms across Timor-Leste devoted to teaching adult literacy, he said. Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12982-tlce-raises-doubts-over-government-literacy-claim

Education overhaul continues

Dili Weekly - December 15, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Analytical skills and critical thinking will be the focus of the new primary school curriculum to be introduced by the Education Ministry.

Deputy Education Minister Dulce de Jesus Soares said the rote learning methodology currently implemented in Timorese schools was ineffective. The education overhaul will also see science and maths textbooks revised to improve teaching and learning.

Soares said the teachers were receiving training on the new curriculum, funded by a $2 million grant from the Korean International Co-operative Agency (KOICA) paid over two years to 2016.

KOICA representative Uidon Chung said South Korea was prepared to support the government of Timor-Leste to develop a quality education system. He said KOICA would work with the Education Ministry and UNESCO on the rollout.

Other nations had found success with similar teaching methodologies, he said. "We promise to share our experiences in order to overcome these challenges and improve the quality of education to contribute to building a sustainable economy," he said.

Jakarta UNESCO education program chief Mee Young Choi said they were looking to allocate funds to support Timorese education. "UNESCO is happy to support the Timor-Leste government in order to assure the Timorese are prepared to face the challenge in the future," she said.

UNESCO also provided equipment and cupboards to be distributed to 202 primary schools.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/education/12990-education-overhaul-continues

Ombudsman: Respect rights of mental illness sufferers

Dili Weekly - December 1, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Deputy Human Rights Ombudsman Silverio Baptista Pinto has appealed to all people to respect the rights of those suffering from mental illnesses. Pinto said sufferers' family members were most likely to discriminate.

"To decrease discrimination, we are asking the communities and family members of those suffering mental illnesses to show these people respect and to treat their rights and dignity as equal to others in the family; do not discriminate against them," he said.

He said the government planned to enact laws prohibiting discrimination against the mentally ill.

Psychosocial Recovery and Development in East Timor (PRADET) executive director Manuel Soares said mental illness sufferers were subject not only to discrimination but also violence.

"Our data from Liquisa and Baucau shows that there are two mothers there who are suffering from mental illnesses who are beaten by men," he said. He said he believed these were not isolated incidents but that this was a situation repeated all over the country.

PRADET would continue to conduct awareness campaigns to encourage people to treat sufferers with respect, he said. Resident Maria da Silva said education was key to shaping people's way of thinking and to influence them to respect sufferers who she said had the right to live in peace and harmony.

"These cases happen often, particularly in remote areas, but it is not accurately reported," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/human-rights/12962-ombudsman-respect-rights-of-mental-illness-sufferers

Sexual & domestic violence

Students learn about domestic violence

Dili Weekly - December 23, 2014

Estevao Nuno – The Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) has raised awareness in schools in six districts of laws prohibiting domestic violence.

JSMP executive director Luis Oliveira Sampaio said the districts involved were Liquisa, Ermera, Maliana, Same and Viqueque. Oe-Cusse would be included in the near future, he said.

Oriental University of Timor Lorosa'e law student Jose Fernandes praised the program.

"Many people are torturing their families but (the victims) don't know how to report incidents to the national police. Particularly in rural areas, domestic violence victims do not know how to get out," he said. "Often they will just go to their local authorities to try to solve the problem."

Commission G (ethics) member Angelica da Costa said domestic violence rates were high despite the laws. "We in Commission G have done research in the sukus and found that domestic violence is common as people do not have access to information," he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13020-students-learn-about-domestic-violence

Timor-Leste's judicial lurch could worsen domestic violence trauma

IRIN - December 15, 2014

Dili – Timor-Leste's efforts to reduce the prevalence of domestic gender- based violence through criminalization and prosecution, already hampered by a general lack of trust in the formal court system, have suffered a fresh setback with the enforced departure of 11 foreign judicial staff who had played a key role in delivering justice in rural areas.

"Decisions by the Timor-Leste parliament and government to arbitrarily terminate the contracts of foreign judicial officers and judicial advisors will have a negative impact on victims and their right to an effective remedy," said Amnesty International, highlighting that the staff shuffle may result in cases being re-tried, which could further delay proceedings and traumatize victims who have to testify repeatedly.

"Cases being re-tried include cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, which make up the vast majority of cases before Timor-Leste's courts," Amnesty said. "Victims – mainly women and children – may be subjected to further traumatization and victimization if required to testify again in new court cases."

Foreign judges, mainly from former colonial power Portugal, had served in Timor-Leste since it gained statehood inn 2002, in the wake of a 24-year military occupation by Indonesia, during which rape and sexual assault were widespread and went largely unpunished.

"Removing judges, prosecutors and other court officials creates more work for our justice system, and at the same time takes away important resources," said Casimiro dos Santos, interim director of the Judicial System Monitoring Project (JSMP), a Dili-based NGO, adding that at least two district courts have ordered re-trials for cases heard by foreign judges.

And in a setting where court procedure delays are common, a combination of reliance on informal dispute resolution mechanisms and intense pressure on female domestic violence survivors to remain with families, can result in them opting out of formal justice mechanisms.

"We have women who come to us for therapeutic services after they experience domestic violence, but then after some time they leave," Manuel dos Santos, director of PRADET, a psychosocial recovery NGO in Dili, told IRIN. "They start to realize how long the wait will be for the court system, and they get pressure from their communities. These things combine and lead them to go home before the case ever activates in court," he said.

Research by The Asia Foundation (TAF), which conducts annual perception surveys of law and justice in Timor-Leste as well as other assessments, suggests similar patterns.

"More and more domestic violence cases are entering the formal justice sector each year, but overall our research shows that a lot of cases are still being sent back to communities," said Todd Wassel, director of safety and security programmes at TAF in Timor-Leste. "What we think is happening in most of the cases is that the police are present, and providing conditions for community-led mediation and dispute resolution to take place."

As Timor-Leste comes under mounting pressure to reverse its decision to expel foreign judges, questions emerge as to whether its fragile justice sector can protect the rights of women amid a hybrid legal system that has yet to show equity to female survivors of abuse.

New law, old practices

When Timor-Leste promulgated the Law Against Domestic Violence in 2010, classifying the offence as a "public crime" was seen as a major step forward in ending the scourge of the socially-accepted battering of women. "The public status of the crime requires the state to respond to domestic violence whether a victim files a criminal complaint or not," explained a 2013 UN Development Programme (UNDP) report. One major component of the 2010 law is that it prohibits customary justice (local, traditional practices carried out by community leaders) from handling domestic violence cases. Nonetheless, UNDP acknowledged: "Given its prominence in Timorese society, [customary justice] is a necessary component of a strategy to combat domestic violence."

The 2010 Demographic and Health Survey in Timor-Leste indicated that nearly 40 percent of women experienced domestic violence. According to JSMP, which as of 2013 noted that 46 percent of the cases it monitored were domestic violence, only one case had been handed an effective sentence by a court.

And research suggests the lethargic courts may only be part of the problem. A combination of weak outcomes in court, and patterns of victims turning to informal measures (including those monitored by the police) can also mean the cases get summarily processed out of court, contrary to the law.

A 2013 International Crisis Group report explained that police "investigative capacity remains very limited. Few officers understand the Criminal Code, and both record-keeping and storage of evidence remain problematic."

TAF's 2013 Timor-Leste Law and Justice Survey found a long-term increase in awareness of, and desire for, formal justice: 80 percent of respondents who had heard of a court reported they would want a court to settle local disputes, up from 54 percent in 2004. The number of cases resolved by the four district courts has also increased – from 808 in 2010 to 1,380 in 2012.

"In 2008, when we asked people how disputes were solved, only 29 percent of them said with police in the community; in 2013, it was 56 percent," said TAF's Wassel. "So clearly the police are more involved in local issues than before – which can be seen as a good thing, community-law enforcement engagement."

But such police-community engagement, while a sign of improved relations, may be clouding the formal prosecution processes the 2010 law mandates.

Reporting, but then what?

With more domestic violence cases entering the formal justice system and police involvement increased, the habit of domestic violence victims still relying on customary procedures in their villages could indicate perceptions of accessibility – and persistent, harmful trends.

PRADET's dos Santos says he and his staff have a difficult time persuading women who have reported domestic violence to wait for official procedures to be carried out. "They are accustomed to life in the village, with their relatives and their husband, so they get depressed when they are away, and feel pressure to return to handle the matter perhaps with customary justice practices," he said.

According to TAF, customary justice mechanisms are not standardized and rely more on personalities than procedure, which means they can "have serious flaws in the administration of justice, with particular reference to matters involving domestic violence and violence against women".

"This trend poses really big questions for formal justice in Timor-Leste," explained TAF's Wassel. "Obviously the accessible method of justice is informal. The question is whether the informal system can be done in a way that respects women's rights in cases of domestic violence – that's unknown, and so far has not been universally the case."

Source: http://www.irinnews.org/report/100942/timor-leste-s-judicial-lurch-could-worsen-domestic-violence-trauma

Domestic violence has lasting impact on child development

Dili Weekly - December 10, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Seventeen children are currently living with their mothers at Women's Forum Communication Timor-Leste emergency accommodation, says the organization's shelter home co-ordinator Judith Ribeiro.

These children were indirect victims of domestic violence, she said. Most of the children are still breastfeeding.

Psychosocial Recovery and Development in East Timor (PRADET) mental illness assistance program co-ordinator Anibal Idalino Leo said both direct and indirect victims of domestic violence were at increased risk of mental illness due to the psychological trauma they had sustained.

He called on the government to introduce a policy to address domestic and gender-based violence as this violence jeopardized the development of the next generation.

"The children who are direct and indirect victims of domestic violence will become traumatized; they will be afraid of all men and shy away from society. Their situations will harm their mental health," he said.

Timor-Leste Parliamentary Women's Group (GMPTL) member Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said domestic violence impacted on children's development.

The member of Parliament called on all relevant government organs, in particular the Social Solidarity and Education ministries, to ensure the affected children did not lose out on education.

"The government also should have a shelter which provides victims with psychological and medical care as well as legal and social assistance. They should not have to rely only on NGOs," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12980-domestic-violence-has-lasting-impact-on-child-development

Disability rights

Elderly, disabled may miss out on right to vote

Dili Weekly - December 15, 2014

Paulina Quintao – Member of Parliament Antoninho Bianco has criticized the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) for its failure to ensure people in rural areas have voting cards.

The elderly and those with disabilities were the most likely not to have the cards, he said, as they were unable to make the lengthy walk to the sub-district administration office where the cards were distributed.

"We ask the STAE to visit the sukus and sub-villages so all people can have voting cards and they can exercise their electoral rights like all other citizens," Bianco said at Parliament.

STAE general director Aquilino Manuel Branco said STAE had sent personnel to districts to verify voter registrations to prevent people collecting welfare benefits using the voting cards of deceased relatives.

Voter registration will take place again next year ahead of the elections in August.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/security-defencejustice/12992-elderly-disabled-may-miss-out-on-right-to-vote

Land disputes & evictions

Force used to move on vendors

Dili Weekly - December 22, 2014

Estevao Nuno – Member of Parliament Eladio Faculto has criticized the government for using force to move on fish and coconut vendors at the Lecidere beachfront. Faculto said the vendors only wanted to make a living.

"They should be moved politely. One day I went to a vendor at the beach and he said that the government had moved them by force," he said.

"They should be moved to the proper place but do not make them upset because all they're doing is making a living."

Santa Cruz xefe suku Manuel Corrreia said the government moved vendors on but did not create good conditions for them elsewhere.

Vendors in Taibesi battled dusty conditions while vendors who were formerly at the Hari Laran markets still did not have a place to sell their goods.

"Physical violence isn't the only offence one can commit against a person; treating people improperly is also a violation of their human rights," Corrreia said.

Lecidere coconut vendor Lorenco de Jesus said patrols from the Dili district Department of Sanitation used force against vendors to stop them from selling their goods by the street.

"If we do not sell things, where will we get the money to support our families?" he asked. "If we try to sell at the market, people won't buy our products because there are already a lot of other vendors there."

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13014-force-used-to-move-on-vendors

Comoro squatters evicts for PNTLS dorms

Dili Weekly - December 22, 2014

Estevao Nuno – Squatters living in the former Comoro market will be evicted to establish new National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) dormitories.

Dili district administrator Gaspar Soares said as the site was state property, those living there must vacate the property.

Vendors will be moved to the recently expanded Manleuana market. Member of Parliament Albina Marcal Freitas said the plan was accounted for in the 2015 state budget.

Secretary of State for Security Francisco da Costa Guterres said the process was underway. "We will establish 100 houses for PNTL members because there are a lot of police in Dili," he said.

He said designs had been drawn up but needed revision. The budget for the program was undergoing approval, he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/security-defencejustice/13012-comoro-squatters-evicts-for-pntls-dorms

Governance & administration

Calls for investigation into works delays

Dili Weekly - December 22, 2014

Estevao Nuno – Luta Hamutuk has called for the government to investigate why emergency works projects scheduled for completion within three months are taking up to a year.

Luta Hamutuk director Mericio Akara said the emergency construction of roads, footpaths, drains and parks was supposed to be complete prior to the July Community of Portuguese Language Countries conference.

"The companies which hold the contracts for the emergency projects should be given penalties from the government so this does not happen in the future," he said.

Some projects had been completed but were of poor quality, he said. Akara said the reason for this was a failure of government supervision of the projects.

"The Public Works Minister should send his team to check up on the contractors who aren't working or who don't get the job done by the scheduled completion date and they should be fired immediately," he said.

Member of Parliament Eladio Faculto said Parliament had also raised the issue due the wastage of government funds.

In some cases, the government has demolished sub-standard work done by contractors. The cycle of building and demolishing construction work has preoccupied the government and prevented development.

Santa Cruz Xefe suku Manuel Correia said a lack of staff and planning had hindered the execution of the emergency projects from their earliest stages.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/13018-calls-for-investigation-into-works-delays

Inquiry to target public works does the verification on Emergency projects

Dili Weekly - December 22, 2014

Venidora Oliveira – The Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (KIP) has investigated allegations the Secretariat of State for Public Works (SEOP) acted improperly in commissioning emergency works projects in five districts.

KIP president Inacio Moreira said the commission was formed last month. It was created specifically to look into the allegations that SEOP gave the go ahead on the projects in Viqueque, Lospalos, Same, Cova-Lima and Manatuto without a contract or an approved design.

He said the results of KIP's investigation would not be made public, as this was forbidden by law. Member of Parliament Aurelio Freitas Ribeiro said most MPs supported the investigation.

"The Secretariat of State for Public Works sent the company to do this emergency work but there was no money for this as it was not included in the State General Budget," he said.

He said the lack of government control meant the project were of poor quality. Secretary of State for Public work Luis Vaz Rodrigues declined to comment.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/development/13016-inquiry-to-target-public-works-does-the-verification-on-emergency-projects

Criminal justice & prison system

US woman's return stalled after East prison release due to court holiday

Reuters - December 30, 2014

An American woman arrested in East Timor and released from prison on Christmas Day is staying at the home of former president Jose Ramos-Horta until her passport is returned.

Dr Stacey Addison, a veterinarian from Portland in Oregon, was initially detained when a man with whom she was sharing a cab ride in the East Timorese countryside was arrested on drug charges in September.

Released five days later without her passport, she was re-arrested and sent to prison in late October after appearing in a court hearing to retrieve her travel documents.

After nearly two months of quiet diplomacy by US officials, Dr Addison was freed from prison, but her passport was again withheld. In the meantime, she has been staying as a guest at the home of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta.

Her mother, Bernadette Kero, said that her daughter has been seeking medical treatment for gastrointestinal problems and infections from insect bites, but is otherwise in good condition.

She said she had received an email message from her daughter's East Timorese lawyer saying he intended to file a petition to have her passport returned. But because the courts in East Timor are closed until the new year, nothing is expected to happen before January 1, she said.

"I'm happy she is out of prison and comfortable, but... we're looking at more waiting," she said.

"That's frustrating – we don't know if it will be a week, two weeks, a month. We don't know anything about the time frame, but her lawyer is hoping it will be sometime in January."

Ms Kero said her daughter was in East Timor on the final six-month leg of a two-year round-the-world tour, a trip she had saved for two years and sold her house to afford.

The US embassy has been in frequent contact with Dr Addison and with her family in the United States, Ms Kero said. In a statement, the US State Department welcomed Dr Addison's release, and said it would continue to provide assistance.

Dr Addison has said she plans to return home as soon as she regains her passport.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2014-12-30/us-womans-return-stalled-after-east-timor-prison-release-due-to-court-holiday/1402857

Oregon woman held in Timor Leste for months without charges is released

Associated Press - December 27, 2014

Associated Press in Portland, Oregon – A US traveler detained for months in Timor Leste has been released from prison.

Stacey Addison, 41, of Portland, was arrested in September shortly after crossing the border into the south-east Asian nation. The veterinarian was sharing a taxi with a stranger who asked the driver to stop the car so he could pick up a package. Police later stopped the vehicle, determined the package contained methamphetamine, and took everybody to the station.

Addison was released from jail after a few days, but she was ordered to remain in Timor Leste during the investigation. Then, in October, a prosecutor persuaded a court to rescind Addison's conditional release and she was taken to a women's prison, despite not being charged with a crime.

"I am overjoyed to learn of Dr Stacey Addison's release from prison," said US senator Jeff Merkley, who has been working to secure Addison's release. "This is wonderful Christmas news."

Addison's mother, Bernadette Kero of Klamath Falls, Oregon, said in a phone interview she is "tremendously relieved" and will be even more so when her daughter gets her passport returned. For now, Addison is staying at the guest house of former President Jose Ramos-Horta.

Kero said she spoke with Stacey twice on Christmas Eve, and her daughter, though obviously happy, was still in some disbelief over the whole situation.

"I anticipated it not being a very good Christmas," Kero said. "And this is just the best Christmas present, other than her actually coming home."

Addison has been traveling the world since January 2013, starting in Antarctica. Kero said her daughter has always loved to travel, and saved her money and sold her home in preparation for the lengthy trip.

In a statement, Merkley gave credit to the ambassadors from each nation. In November, he said the absence of a US ambassador in Timor Leste was hurting the effort to free Addison and called on Senate leaders to end the partisan gridlock and schedule a vote on the long-blocked nomination of Karen Stanton. Less than a week later, the Senate confirmed Stanton.

A State Department spokeswoman said Thursday that Addison's release is welcome news and embassy officials will continue to provide assistance.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/26/stacey-addison-detained-east-timor-released

Oregon woman freed from East Timor prison four months after arrest

Reuters - December 26, 2014

Washington – A veterinarian from Oregon who was arrested while traveling in East Timor in September was released from jail on Thursday after nearly two months of detention, the US State Department said.

Dr. Stacey Addison, 41, who was said by friends to be visiting East Timor as part of a round-the-world trip, was initially detained and held for five days on a drug charge. She was then conditionally released without her passport.

She was arrested again in late October when she appeared in an East Timorese court to retrieve her passport and was sent to a prison in Dili, the capital of the Southeast Asian country also known as Timor-Leste. Addison was held there until her release on Christmas Day, according to the State Department.

Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US officials were aware of reports that Addison's passport was still held by the East Timorese government and that Addison had not yet left the country.

CNN reported that Addison appeared before reporters on Thursday at the home of former East Timorese President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, where she has been invited to stay as a guest for the time being.

Asked what she would do when able to obtain her passport, she replied: "Go home". "I don't think my mom would ever forgive me if I didn't come home immediately and stay for awhile," Addison said.

Addison, a resident of Portland, Oregon, has insisted through family and friends that she was wrongly accused.

According to an account posted on an online petition seeking her freedom, Addison was first taken into custody with a fellow taxi passenger who police arrested after he stopped to pick up a package of illegal drugs while sharing a ride with her from near the Indonesian border to Dili.

When re-arrested nearly two months later, she was told that the prosecutor had filed an appeal to have her conditional release rescinded without notifying Addison or her lawyer.

US officials visited her several times in prison while working behind the scenes to secure her release, State Department officials have said.

[Reporting by Leslie Wroughton in Washington; Additional reporting and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Paul Tait.]

Source: https://news.yahoo.com/oregon-woman-freed-east-timor-prison-4-months-040634956.html;_ylt=AwrSyCXCR51UlX8A8Q3QtDMD

Oregon veterinarian jailed in Timor after sharing car with drug peddler

Democracy Now - December 25, 2014

Nearly two years ago, Stacey Addison of Portland, Oregon, began a trip around the world starting in Antarctica. But the trip turned into a nightmare soon after she arrived in East Timor. On September 5, Stacey, a veterinarian, was traveling in a shared taxi with another passenger she had never met. The other passenger asked the driver to stop at a DHL postal office to pick up a package. It turned out the package contained illegal drugs. Soon after, the taxi was stopped by police. Police arrested everyone in the car. More than three months later, Stacey is still locked up in East Timor. Her family and friends have been waging an international campaign for her release. We are joined by two guests: Stacey Addison's mother, Bernadette Kero, and Charles Scheiner of La'o Hamutuk, the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis.

Transcript (This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form).

Juan Gonzalez: Nearly two years ago, a veterinarian from Portland, Oregon, named Stacey Addison began a trip around the world, starting in Antarctica. But the trip turned into a nightmare soon after she arrived in East Timor in September. On September 5th, Stacey was traveling in a shared taxi with another passenger she had never met. The other passenger asked the driver to stop at a DHL postal office to pick up a package. It turned out the package contained illegal drugs. Soon after, the taxi was stopped by police. Police arrested everyone in the car. More than three months later, Stacey is still locked up in East Timor.

Amy Goodman: Stacey was initially detained for five days, then released, but had her passport taken. She was then re-arrested on October 28th. Her family and friends have been waging an international campaign for her release. The State Department said in response to Democracy Now!'s request for comment, quote, "We seek a prompt and transparent resolution to this case in accordance with Timorese law. We continue to work with the Government of Timor-Leste" – which is East Timor – "to ensure that she is given due process under the Timorese legal system."

We're joined now by two guests. On the phone with us from Klamath Falls, Oregon, is Stacey Addison's mother, Bernadette Kero. Here in New York, Charlie Scheiner is with us, the former national coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, ETAN. He has lived in East Timor since 2001 and works as a researcher for La'o Hamutuk, the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis.

Let's first go to Stacey's mom in Klamath Falls in Oregon, Bernadette Kero. So, explain exactly what happened. Stacey has been posting to Facebook her traveling. She was a veterinarian, so she's always showing herself with animals around the world. And then, Bernadette, what happened when she crossed from West Timor into East Timor?

Bernadette Kero: Well, she had been traveling on the Asian leg of her journey, and her Indonesian passport was about to expire, so she crossed over into her – into Timor. And her intention was to renew her Indonesian passport, but spend a week or two in East Timor. You know, she heard it was a beautiful country. They had good snorkeling. And so, she intended to tour the country. When she crossed the border, she was approached by someone to hire a car with the other passenger, so she paid $10 to get a ride to Dili, and that's what transpired. The other passenger, as you said, asked to stop at DHL, picked up a package. Apparently, there was some sort of tip, and the car was surrounded by police. Everyone was arrested.

Initially, they told Stacey that they needed to search her. They searched her, everything – her belongings, her iPad, her – even her Advil, her drugs. They gave her drug tests. Everything was negative. The driver and the other passenger said they didn't know her. But she was taken to jail for five days, before being brought before the judge. And again, the other passenger and the driver testified, before the judge, they didn't know her. And she was given conditional release. So she was able to be about Dili for two months, but she didn't have her passport. And during that time, she asked to be questioned, repeatedly. You know, she just wanted to cooperate to show she had nothing to do with it. And so, it was very shocking when she was arrested and actually put into prison.

Juan Gonzalez: And what did they tell her when they re-arrested her as to – for the reasons for it?

Bernadette Kero: No –

Juan Gonzalez: And has she been brought up before a court yet?

Bernadette Kero: Really, there was not much of an explanation. Everything's very murky. The only explanation her lawyer received was that the previous prosecutor, who's since then been fired and removed and left the country, he had put in, a month before, an appeal that he didn't agree with her conditional release. Again, no charges of any kind are – you know, apparently, that's legal there, that people can be kept without a charge. So –

Amy Goodman: So the prosecutor's been thrown out, the judge has been thrown out, but Stacey remains in jail.

Bernadette KERO: Yes.

Amy Goodman: I'd like to turn to comment son Stacey Addison made by East Timor's former head of state and Nobel laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta. He was speaking on CNN.

Jose Ramos-Horta: She is depressed. For someone like her, coming from Oregon, on a backpacking around the world, to find herself in a prison, you cannot expect her to be not depressed. My instinct is that she is completely innocent.

Amy Goodman: So, that's the former president of Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, who's now heading up a UN commission to evaluate peacekeeping around the world. Charlie Scheiner, can you put this in a bigger context? We don't cover East Timor very much. We used to a great deal when it was occupied by Indonesia for a quarter of a century in a brutal occupation that killed a third of the population. Explain what's happening. You lived there for the last more than a decade.

Charles Scheiner: Yeah, I think Stacey's case is a – Stacey's been very unlucky, clearly. And there's been a combination of bad luck that has led to her still being in prison, and of course she should be charged or released and have her day in court, like anyone else.

I think that she actually has been treated fairly well in prison. She's depressed. Nobody wants to be in prison in a – far away from their family and their home. But if we're comparing it with, say, Guantanamo, or comparing the situation in Timor-Leste with the situation in the US, there are in the entire country of Timor-Leste less than a hundred people in pretrial detention, while in the US there are about 400,000. And the US does not have 44 million times the population of Timor-Leste; it has about 300 times the population.

So, the situation there, there are problems with the justice system. And actually, in Stacey's case, there seems to be some progress, and she may well be released in the next few weeks. But there are much bigger problems for the million Timorese people who live in that country – problems of poverty, problems of lack of rule of law, problems of an increasing distance between the small ruling elite and the great majority of the population.

Amy Goodman: It became a country in 2002.

Charles Scheiner: Right, after the Indonesian occupation, which came after almost 500 years of Portuguese colonial rule, there was a vote in 1999, and then there were two-and-a-half years of United Nations transitional government, and then Timor-Leste officially became a sovereign nation on the 20th of May, 2002. So it's only 14 years – or, 12 years old. And it's having the problems that many adolescents have of trying to figure out its identity, of trying to – of looking at short-term policies and short-term decisions rather than thinking about the future. And as one of the most petroleum export-dependent countries in the world – it's probably in the top three, except that it doesn't have very much oil and natural gas – it's got a little bit of a window of opportunity to use that money to benefit the lives of the people and to develop a more sustainable economy. And unfortunately, it's not using that opportunity.

Juan Gonzalez: That's precisely what I was going ask you, because it does have, relatively for its size, a considerable surplus in terms of its oil revenues at this stage, billions of dollars in a fund, and yet it's not utilizing that to improve the conditions of the people?

Charles Scheiner: Right. Well, Timor-Leste wisely realized, when they first started – or, actually, before they first started getting money from oil and gas, which was in 2006, that that was temporary, that the oil and gas was nonrenewable – once it was extracted, they wouldn't have it anymore – and they shouldn't spend the money as fast as it comes in. So they've spent about $5 billion out of the oil money. They've saved about $16 billion. And they have already been through, have already used up about two-thirds of their oil and gas reserves. So, in another five years, when the oil and gas runs out, and the 95 percent of the state budget that that now pays for – it's about 80 percent of the entire economy – when that comes to zero – and it's already dropping – they're going to need that $16 billion. But what's distressing to the organization I work for and to many people is that the $5 billion that has been spent hasn't been invested in things like education, healthcare, basic sanitation – the things that are needed both to improve people's lives and to provide a sustainable economy in the future.

Amy Goodman: So, explain what Stacey has been caught in right now. She's been held in pretrial detention. The prosecutor and the judge, why have they been thrown out of the country?

Charles Scheiner: In the end of October, the prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, went to the Parliament, in a closed meeting – which is, I think, not legal – and persuaded Parliament to pass a resolution saying, "We need to have a thorough audit of the judicial system, and all foreign prosecutors, judges, advisers working in the judicial system should leave the country." The court – and then, the same day, there was a resolution passed by the Council of Ministers, by the Cabinet, to reinforce that. The head of the court system said, "We have separation of powers. The judges and the prosecutors don't work for Parliament and the prime minister. They work for me," and, "Keep working." And then, a week later, the government passed a resolution saying, "These contracts are terminated. These people don't have valid visas anymore. They have to leave within 48 hours." And they did.

Timor-Leste, unfortunately, as a small new country, depends on foreigners for a lot of things, including some support in the court system. And many of the foreigners who go there are not very good. So it's not a question that these were wonderful judges who were doing a great job. And in fact, the one who was the prosecutor for Stacey's case, who was a foreigner from Cabo Verde, is part of the problem of why she's still in prison. He's gone now. There's a Timorese prosecutor who, from what I've been told, has been doing a much better job, who's talking with her, who questioned her, is taking her statements, and is starting the process now which will get her out of prison.

Juan Gonzalez: Well, I'd like to bring Bernadette Kero, Stacey's mother, back into the conversation. What kind of contact have you had with your daughter? And what's been the role of US officials in East Timor in terms of helping you gain her freedom?

Bernadette Kero: I can contact her once a week through the embassy, when they visit. I can email them a letter, and they print it out, and she's able to write me a response, and they scan it back. So, that's my only contact, is once a week. She's – you know, she's discouraged. She's been ill with gastrointestinal problems, quite severely this last week. So, that's my basic contact. The embassy has been very supportive. They usually call me after the visit, let me know. And we've been in touch through email. So, that's my contact.

And in response to Mr. Scheiner, you know, I would agree, totally, that – I've read a lot about the country. Didn't know much about it before this, but since, I've read quite a bit. And, you know, they've had quite a history of struggles. And I think it's just unfortunate for, of course, my daughter, for our family and for the country, this whole situation, because Stacey is just the type of person, a tourist, they – you know, could benefit their country. She wanted to see the local culture. She's interested in going to the sites, the scuba and all that, and a professional who, you know, loves to travel, had some extra money to do it.

Amy Goodman: Well, we're going to certainly continue to tell her story. Bernadette Kero, thanks so much for being with us from Klamath Falls, Oregon, Dr. Stacey Addison's mom. Stacey is in jail now in East Timor. Her Facebook, Facebook.com/PleaseHelpStacey, we'll link to it at democracynow.org. And, Charlie Scheiner, thanks so much for being with us.

Charles Scheiner: Thank you.

Amy Goodman: Former national coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, has lived in Timor, Timor-Leste, since 2001, now with La'o Hamutuk, the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2014/12/24/a_nightmare_taxi_ride_oregon_veterinarian

Police & law enforcement

PNTL service weapons used for hunting

Dili Weekly - December 22, 2014

Venidora Oliveira – National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) members are using service weapons to hunt animals, according to Member of Parliament Ana Ribeiro.

The Commission B (security, defence, and foreign affairs) member said the weapons provided by the government were to defend state interests, not for personal activities such as hunting. PNTL internal regulations forbade the use of weapons in such a way, she said.

She urged PNTL commanders to issue disciplinary sanctions to members found to breach the regulations. "Give sanctions to the members so they will not do it again in the future," she said.

Secretary of State for Security Francisco Guterres said PNTL brass would punish members who used their weapons inappropriately. "I know that currently the Commander is taking action and it is working properly," he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13008-pntl-service-weapons-used-for-hunting

Border & security issues

TNI to build more posts on Indonesia-Timor Leste border

Jakarta Post - December 29, 2014

Nani Afrida, Kupang – In an effort to curb rampant fuel and narcotics smuggling, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu plans to add more posts to the border of Indonesia and Timor Leste.

"We will add more [posts] and replace old weapons with new ones," Ryamizard told reporters in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, recently, after visiting Batek island, Indonesia, and Mota'ain, Timor Leste.

Batek is one of the 12 islands in Indonesia located in the border area of Indonesia and Timor Leste, while Mota'ain is a village in Bobonaro district, Timor Leste, that is directly connected with Indonesia's West Timor.

Ryamizard said the current number of posts was not enough to secure the Indonesian side of the border.

Indonesia has deployed its troops to its eastern and western borders with Timor Leste. The western border has 19 posts while the eastern border has 20 posts.

Ryamizard, however, did not reveal detailed information on which areas the additional posts were to be located.

The border between Indonesia and Timor Leste is supervised by the Korem Wira Sakti Military Command, which is under the Kodam Udayana Regional Military Command. The Korem is also responsible for guarding outer islands like Batek and Dana Rote, the latter of which is an outer island between Indonesia and Australia.

Korem Wira Sakti commander Brig. Gen. Achmad Yulianto revealed that narcotics and fuel smugglers found it easy to cross the border between Indonesia and Timor Leste.

"We need at least 59 posts to secure our territory," Achmad said during a gathering with Ryamizard and his staff. According to Achmad, there should be one post at every five kilometers of the border.

During the visit to the border area, the minister also met the soldiers who guarded the areas and asked their needs as well as the barriers they faced securing the border.

"The border post in a town [like Mota'ain] is OK, but those in remote areas are not [in good condition]. We will improve them," Ryamizard said.

The main problem for soldiers on Batek, which is part of Indonesia's Kupang regency, is clean water and the poor condition of the posts. "[The soldiers] consume seawater and many posts have almost collapsed," Ryamizard said. Today, Batek is guarded by 22 soldiers from the marines and the Army.

Maj. Arwan Minarta, the spokesperson of Korem Wira Sakti, said Batek Island was a coral island and had no clean water. "It is challenging to stay on the island. The soldiers must go to other islands for food using boats and purify sea water so it can be drinkable," Arwan said.

During the visit, Ryamizard also said disputes still occurred in the border area. "We hope the government can settle the disputes so we can work more easily on the border," said Capt. Danang Waluyo, a soldier guarding the border.

According to Danang, the dispute over the area between the two countries made the soldiers' tasks harder, as they did not want to clash with Timor Leste civilians. Ryamizard said the government would address the obstacles and improve the soldiers' welfare.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/12/29/tni-build-more-posts-ri-timor-leste-border.html

Jokowi promises to boost services at Timor Leste border

Jakarta Globe - December 21, 2014

Yoseph Kelen, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo says that the facilities along the nation's border with Timor Leste should be improved, along with the quality of customs, immigration and quarantine services.

At the Mota'ain border crossing in the Belu district of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province on Saturday, Joko said that all such services should be brought under one roof next year.

The president added that the living conditions of people in the area should also be boosted. "You can see that the people living here haven't been given much attention, but that is what we will do before we start improving [the situation at the border]," Joko said.

New hospital opened

During his trip to West Timor, the president on Saturday also officially opened a new branch of Siloam Hospitals in the NTT capital of Kupang.

Siloam Hospitals, which like the Jakarta Globe is affiliated with the Lippo Group, announced last week that it had set aside as much as $140 million to finance its domestic expansion plans.

The company aims to build up to 10 hospitals next year and operate 40 hospitals by the end of 2017. As of this September, Siloam operated 18 hospitals across 13 Indonesian cities.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-promises-boost-services-timor-leste-border/

Tourism & hospitality

NGO laments: Government does not even promote Timor-Leste's own flowers

Dili Weekly - December 15, 2014

Venidora Oliveira – Non-government organization (NGO) Haburas asks the government to explain why it is not doing more to promote local products and ecotourism across the country.

The Head of Division for Advocacy and Research at Haburas, Roberto Aleixo da Cruz said when the government holds ceremonies or even when fixing playgrounds it purchases and flies in flowers from overseas.

"The flowers come from Bali. Even crocodile decorations also comes from overseas. We have these things but we do not use and promote them," said da Cruz in Farol, Dili.

He said the government has created many cooperative groups to enrich and promote ecotourism across the country but falls short in promoting this sector.

He urged the Secretary of state for cooperatives to work together with all ministries, in particular when there are events in the country so more local products are used. "Actually, when we hold an event we should not use foreign flowers but we should be promoting what we have."

In response to these concerns, the secretary of state for cooperatives Filipe Nino Pereira said the government is working hard to promote local products through fairs and expo's. "We organize these exhibitions locally and internationally," said SE Pereira.

He acknowledged the concerns raised by the National NGOs are true and the Secretary of state for cooperatives vowed to keep making efforts and suggest across the government that they should use what Timor-Leste has. So we can learn to love our own products," said SE Pereira.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12986-haburas-ngo-laments-government-does-not-even-promote-timor-leste-s-own-flowers

Mining & energy

Rural villages still without power

Dili Weekly - December 19, 2014

Venidora Oliveira – The community of Cova in the sub-district of Balibo within Bobonara has not had electricity from the time of independence until the present day.

Member of Parliament Manuel Gaspar Soares da Silva said it was unfair for Cova to go without electricity while other sukus were powered.

He called on the government to connect the village to the grid. "It's a serious situation," he said.

Commission E (infrastructure, transport and communication) member Inacio Moreira said this was not an issue confined to the districts but also affected those in Dili where black outs are common.

Secretary of State for Electricity Januario Pereira said connecting communities to electricity was an ongoing and lengthy process.

"It's a process, but we are sure that all the communities will get electricity," he said. Technicians were working to identify electricity black spots, he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/development/12998-rural-villages-still-without-power

Economy & investment

MP: Government fails to bring major investment to Timor-Leste

Dili Weekly - December 10, 2014

Venidora Oliveira – Member of Parliament Estanislau da Silva has criticized the government for its failure to attract major investors to Timor-Leste.

The member of Commission C (public finance) said investment in Timor-Leste was dominated by small players rather than big companies. "There are lots of small shops; this means something is wrong with our policy to attract big investment to our country," the Fretilin MP said.

Big companies seemed reluctant to invest despite generous tax concessions. He said some foreign companies came to Timor-Leste not to invest but to complete government projects.

Member of Parliament Arao Noe said small shops paid tax but this was of little benefit to the state and its people.

"Because they're paying tax with a small budget only and it also does nothing to address unemployment," he said. "For example, a Chinese person may have a store but he needs only one or two staff."

Secretary of State for Supporting Private Sector Promotion Veneranda Lemos Martins said foreign companies registered with Trend Invest Timor-Leste and intending to invest $20 million or more were entitled to tax concessions.

Tax law 14/2011 stipulates that companies which invest in Dili or Baucau are exempt from taxation for five years, while those investing in Liquisa do not pay tax for eight years. Atauro and Oe-Cusse investors are exempt for 10 years.

Major investment projects included a planned five star resort at Tasi Tolu by Pelican Paradise Holdings. Dutch beer producer Heineken has expressed interest in opening a factory in Timor-Leste.

The proposed development would require several hectares of land and therefore needed to be debated by the Council of Ministers.

"If it's only $20 million, I can make a unilateral decision but if it's more than that, it should be taken to the council minister to be looked at," Martins said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/12974-mp-government-fails-to-bring-major-investment-to-timor-leste

Balibo five

Balibo rewatched – the powerful tribute to gutsy Australian reporters

The Guardian (Australia) - December 18, 2014

Luke Buckmaster – Director Robert Connolly's 2009 expose Balibo is based on the true story of Australian journalists the Balibo Five, who were captured by Indonesian militia in the eponymous East Timorese town in 1975. It thrusts audiences into nightmarish situations and forces us to contemplate how we might feel and react.

Penned by Connolly and veteran playwright David Williamson, the screenplay runs two parallel storylines. One concerns the five journalists reporting on a country about to be devastated following invasion by Indonesian militia. The other follows grizzled veteran Roger East (Anthony LaPaglia), the AAP journo who went looking for them.

What would we do if we were caught in a soon to be war-torn country – continue our jobs or run for the hills? If we searched for fallen colleagues, when would we call it quits? How much of ourselves would we put on the line?

Balibo latches onto several topical issues: the value of in-the-field journalism, whether the outcomes of reporting in perilous places justify the risks, and, on a more human level, to what extent a terrible situation can lead to a jaded person having a final crack at redemption.

Connolly and Williamson pull no punches about the film's political stance. "The world turned a blind eye," an opening text insert reads, explaining that Indonesia invaded East Timor nine days after the country declared independence following 400 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

The plot kicks off when Jose Ramos-Horta (Oscar Isaac), who went on to become East Timor's president, visits East, a former foreign correspondent heavyweight cum flack situated in Darwin. "These things you are writing now, the work you do, is bullshit," Ramos-Horta says. "You wrote with passion. With fire. About important things that matter to the world."

Sucking on a cigarette, East grudgingly listens as Ramos-Horta offers him a role as head of a government news agency. The East Timor News Agency is completely independent, he says, to which East replies there's no such thing.

It is the first scene where you feel the crackling chemistry between Isaac and LaPaglia, two actors in fine form. Their feisty dynamic forms the film's core relationship. Sparks fly when their characters' motivations intersect: the once reluctant journalist slogs through East Timor determined to find out what happened to his colleagues whereas Romas-Horta no longer sees the point.

After walking through a field strewn with dead bodies, Romas-Horta accuses East of putting the lives of a handful of white Australians ahead of hundreds of his countrymen. East rebuts that if he can get a story published about five Australians it'll make front page news at home, meaning more coverage. Is this racism or a business reality to be manipulated in order to evoke "the greater good"? Debates such as this won't go away any time soon.

Grippingly put together, with a structure that juxtaposes East's story with grainy re-enactments of the last days of the doomed group he seeks to find, Balibo is a powerful tribute to a rare breed of media professionals driven by the old school Australian ethos of getting the job done, irrespective of obstacles. Those obstacles are terrifyingly extreme in Connolly's film, and while Balibo was undoubtedly intended to shock (mission: accomplished) it also comes with tenderness and spirit.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/19/balibo-rewatched-the-powerful-tribute-to-a-group-of-gutsy-australian-reporters

Government decides against Balibo 5 inquiry

Radio New Zealand International - December 7, 2014

The Government says it will not carry out its own inquiry into the killings of five journalists from Australia and New Zealand in Balibo, East Timor, just before the 1975 invasion by Indonesia.

Earlier this year, Australian federal police completed an investigation into the deaths of Greg Shackleton, Tony Stewart, Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie – all Australian – and a New Zealander, Gary Cunningham.

It found there was not enough evidence to prove an offence, despite a coroner's ruling the men were murdered by soldiers.

The New Zealand Government said it had repeatedly raised with Indonesia the issue of justice for the group, known as the Balibo Five, and their families.

Mr Cunningham's son John Milkins said he was disappointed at the Government's decision. "This chapter might appear to be closed – we're probably going to have a good go at re-opening it – but the book is certainly not finished."

He said it was important to address the killings of unarmed civilians wherever they occurred, and that he would continue to seek justice for his father.

Labour's defence spokesperson, Phil Goff, said there was overwhelming circumstantial evidence that Indonesian forces had killed the men.

"It's really sad that once again those responsible for the murders of New Zealander Gary Cunningham and Greg Shackleton and his Australian team have escaped with impunity." Mr Goff said it appeared nobody would be held to account.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/261117/govt-decides-against-balibo-5-inquiry