Daniel Flitton – East Timor's independence hero Xanana Gusmao has revealed he knew Australia was secretly spying in the tiny nation years before hauling Canberra before the international court for espionage.

Mr Gusmao surprised many last month when he stepped down as East Timor's prime minister – two years before his term expired – but the former guerilla fighter will continue to play a key role in the bitter dispute over the sea border with Australia.

"I have to tell you, I knew the story of the spying years ago," Mr Gusmao told Fairfax Media during a visit to Melbourne on Tuesday.

But he said East Timor waited until 2013 to launch international legal action in a bid to declare invalid a 2004 treaty with Australia that divides the estimated $40 billion oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

"We could perceive a very imbalanced situation in our negotiations. I had participated sometimes," Mr Gusmao said. "We can understand this way of life for big powers. But what we could not accept was using military means to spy on commercial talks."

The International Court of Justice last year ordered Australia to cease any spy operations in East Timor and the two countries have since agreed to suspend legal proceedings in an attempt to negotiate a settlement.

It followed an ASIO raid on the office of East Timor's Australianlawyer in December 2013, seizing electronic files, and a statement by a former Australian spy detailing eavesdropping in the tiny nation.

But Mr Gusmao said fallout from the extraordinary spat between the two neighbours had not poisoned local attitudes towards Australia in East Timor. "Our people have proved it already, they are very tolerant, [and] not breathing revenge or intolerance. No, no way," he said.

Mr Gusmao said he was always been reluctant to take on a leadership role in an independent East Timor, and had to be persuaded in 2001 variously by former US secretary of state Colin Powell, Japan's Junichiro Koizumi and Indonesia's Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He said East Timor needed "inclusive" government and stepped down to make way for the next generation of leaders and end divisive party politics.

He said suspicions about Australia's intentions in the Timor Sea stretched back decades to a contentious Hawke government decision in 1989 to strike an oil and gas treaty with Indonesia – then occupying East Timor.

"Since then, we have Australia – I don't say blacklist – but, to be honest, in a place that was not so good," Mr Gusmao said. "Australia was the only Western country that formally recognised the [Indonesian] integration."

Mr Gusmao will be a member of a newly formed "Maritime Council" in East Timor, made up of former prime ministers, presidents and other key leaders from the independence movement. "We have the institutional memory, we know the problems," he said.

He said the maritime dispute only related to 5 per cent of Australia's sea boundary. "We feel that it is not so good for Australia to continue to say it is not a problem. It is a problem," he said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/former-prime-minister-xanana-gusmao-knew-australia-spied-in-east-timor-20150317-1m18kt.html

Timor-Leste will not give up in dispute over oil, maritime boundary:

ABC News - March 17, 2015

Canberra – Timor-Leste's former leader Xanana Gusmao has again warned Australia that his fledgling nation will not back away from a dispute between the two countries over lucrative oil reserves below the Timor Sea.

Australia and Timor-Leste are currently locked in a standoff over the maritime boundary between the two countries, which determines who is entitled to what share of that resource.

In 2013 East Timor launched a case in The Hague alleging the Australia Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) covertly recorded Timorese ministers and officials during oil and gas negotiations in Dili in 2004, allegedly giving Australia the upper hand.

Late last year Australia and Timor-Leste agreed to suspend the International Court of Justice hearing into their bitter spy row in an effort to resolve their differences amicably.

But during an interview with 666 ABC Radio's Genevieve Jacobs in Canberra, Mr Gusmao reiterated his nation's determination to ensure its sovereignty is not compromised by the maritime boundary issue.

"I participated in the struggle for independence for 24 years. When we got independence after the referendum in 1999, becoming president in 2002, I told the people that independence is not a flag," he said.

"Independence is not having a state, presidents, parliaments, governments. Independence is to be the owner of our sovereignty. And sovereignty is the capacity to decide what belongs to us, what is ours."

'Australia is a country of principles'

Asked how Timor-Leste would deal with the Australian Government's clear diplomatic warnings about pursing the matter further in the international arena, Mr Gusmao said Timor-Leste admired Australia, and believed that Australia was greater than this.

"That Australia is a country of principles. Not playing with principles," he said. "We will continue to fight in the international area. We have a cause, and we have a case in the International Court of Justice... in this, I can tell you we will not give up."

Mr Gusmao said building the oil sector was key to Timor-Leste's plans for future growth to ensure jobs and prosperous future for its people. "The three main sectors that we will try to improve and motivate will be the oil sector, the horticultural and the tourism," he said.

A former resistance fighter, Ms Gusmao was prime minister of his country for seven until February, when he stepped down to facilitate a generational leadership transition. He was his country's first president in 2002 after a 24-year struggle against Indonesian occupation.

Mr Gusmao was in Canberra on Monday to deliver the ST Lee Lecture on Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-17/timor-leste-will-not-give-up-dispute-over-oil-gusmao/6325332

Aust hypocritical on sea disputes: Gusmao

Australian Associated Press - March 16, 2015

East Timor's former leader Xanana Gusmao has attacked Australia for hypocrisy over maritime boundary disputes. The two nations are at loggerheads over plans to develop the Greater Sunrise gas field in the Timor Sea.

In a speech to the Australian National University in Canberra on Monday Mr Gusmao seized on comments former foreign minister Bob Carr made during the same lecture three years ago.

Mr Carr had encouraged countries involved in the South China Sea maritime boundary dispute to pursue their territorial claims and accompanying maritime rights in accordance with international law.

"Australia's demand of other nations, to do what Australia itself refuses to do, rings hollow," Mr Gusmao said. "We know that the great nation of Australia is better than this." He hopes Australia can engage in good faith on the matter.

The former guerilla fighter, 68, who has served as president or prime minister since East Timor became independent in 2002, in February took up a new post as planning and strategic investment minister.

His country's ties with Australia have been strained by a legal dispute over a 2006 treaty that carves up revenue from oil and gas 50:50.

Australia has been accused of spying in order to gain an advantage during the negotiations over the treaty and East Timor took the matter to the International Court of Justice. Negotiations have since restarted.

Australian resource company Woodside in February walked away from plans to develop the multi-billion dollar reserves citing regulatory and fiscal uncertainty.

Source: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/03/16/18/33/aust-hypocritical-on-sea-disputes-gusmao

Timor considers buying Sunrise

West Australian - March 13, 2015

Peter Klinger – The Timor-Leste Government has floated the prospect of buying Woodside Petroleum out of the giant Sunrise gas project, as the fledgling South East Asian gets increasingly impatient at the hold-up to what it hopes will becomes an economy-transforming development.

Timor-Leste Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Alfredo Pires said yesterday its national oil company, Timor Gap, could be used to buy out Woodside or other Sunrise joint venture partners such as Royal Dutch Shell or ConocoPhillips to end the development stalemate.

"In terms of getting into the Sunrise, we are interested," Mr Pires told reporters in Perth just hours after breakfast with Premier Colin Barnett and Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman.

"If Woodside is willing to sell... if (they) find the whole thing too hot to handle you might want to spend the money elsewhere, I have raised that."

Mr Pires also said Timor-Leste's $18 billion sovereign wealth fund may be interested in funding the 150km pipeline from the Sunrise gas-condensate fields to an onshore LNG plant.

Mr Pires said updated studies commissioned by the government had found the cost of the pipeline would be just $800 million, compared with a $1.8 billion estimate for the 450km link to Darwin. It added further to the attraction of a Timor-Leste development, Mr Pires said, and spelt the end of the Darwin option.

And the Minister also questioned the Woodside-led Sunrise joint venture's erstwhile preferred development option, floating LNG, because the technology had yet to be proven.

He told delegates at the Australasian Oil and Gas conference he was "not happy" Woodside had shelved work on Sunrise because of the stalemate in discussions between the Timor-Leste and Australian Governments about fiscal and regulatory regimes for the Joint Petroleum Development Area.

The JPDA covers about 20 per cent of the Sunrise project, which has a total 5.1 trillion cubic feet of gas and 226 million barrels of condensate. The rest of the project is in Australian waters, much to the frustration of the Sunrise joint venture which feels its hands are tied until the governments agree on JPDA terms.

Shell has been pushing hard for FLNG as the development option to cash in on its floating technology while Woodside is thought to be relaxed about an onshore plant if it is viable. However, ConocoPhillips, embroiled in a tax dispute with Timor-Leste, could have different ideas.

Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/business/wa/a/26635766/

Woodside eyes Timor Sunrise options

Australian Associated Press - March 13, 2015

Woodside Petroleum is looking at options to develop the Sunrise liquefied natural gas project but says the East Timorese and Australian governments need to first agree on terms.

Chief executive Peter Coleman met with East Timor's Petroleum Minister Alfredo Pires and West Australian Premier Colin Barnett on Thursday in an effort to break the deadlock over developing the five trillion cubic feet resource off East Timor.

The Sunrise gas field lies in the Joint Petroleum Development Area, which is jointly administered by Australia and East Timor. But the two nations have been unable to agree on tax issues and development plans.

Mr Pires says his fledgling nation is prepared to contribute $800 million towards its preferred onshore pipeline option, or buy out project partners who wish to exit the project.

But Woodside and its joint venture partners favour a floating LNG option and appear reluctant to agree to the offer.

On Friday, Woodside said the Sunrise joint venture, involving Shell and Conoco Phillips, remained committed to developing the Greater Sunrise fields, but required the East Timorese and Australian governments to first agree on the "legal, regulatory and fiscal regime applicable to Sunrise".

"The Sunrise joint venture values its relationships with both governments and is prepared to investigate different options, as a way of facilitating tripartite agreement," Woodside said in a statement.

Development of the resource could proceed once the three parties reach agreement, Woodside said. Mr Pires said it was important that all parties come to an agreement soon because a current production sharing contract is only valid until 2026.

He says no one will sign up to long term contracts which are shorter than 10 years. "Timor Leste is willing to purchase anyone's equity if they're willing," Mr Pires told reporters on Thursday. "We can do things like the pipeline – we now know that's $800 million. We can throw that in as a nation."

But he maintained East Timor wanted an onshore development and was not considering floating LNG. "At this stage we're sticking to our guns," Mr Pires said. "It's much cheaper than anything else."

Another option is to pipe the gas to Darwin to be processed.

Source: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2015/3/13/resources-and-energy/woodside-eyes-timor-sunrise-options

Australian spy at centre of Timor bugging scandal still under

WA Today - March 1, 2015

Philip Dorling – A former Australian spy remains under police investigation more than 14 months after ASIO controversially raided his home and triggered international legal action by East Timor that humiliated the Australian government.

The Australian Federal Police has confirmed that a criminal investigation directed against the man, identified only as "Witness K", is ongoing, but last week told a Senate estimates committee no further comment would be provided on the progress of the probe.

The AFP probe arises from an ASIO allegation that Witness K had breached intelligence services law that prohibits Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) staff from disclosing information without authorisation – a crime with a potential penalty of 10 years jail.

The origins of the investigation can be traced back to reports in May 2013 that ASIS illegally bugged Timorese cabinet ministers. East Timor began legal action in the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, arguing that Australia spied to gain an unfair advantage before both countries signed a 2006 treaty giving Australia a 50 per cent share of the $40 billion Greater Sunrise gas field being developed in the Timor Sea by Woodside Petroleum.

Fairfax Media has learned previously undisclosed details of the bugging operation in which Witness K, as ASIS' director of technical operations, was ordered by ASIS chief David Irvine to install listening devices in Timorese ministerial offices. It happened during an Australian-funded refurbishment of the Palacio do Governo (Palace of Government) in Dili in 2004.

The listening devices were activated by a microwave beam directed from an external location – in this case an upper level suite at the Central Maritime Motel, a floating hotel moored off the Dili foreshore with a direct line-of-sight to the government offices about 500 metres away. Digital recordings were hand delivered to the Australian embassy and transmitted to Canberra for analysis.

Former intelligence officers say the operation was "unquestionably a success – from a technical viewpoint and in terms of intelligence product". However, ASIS officers involved questioned the operation's priority relative to the intelligence service's support for counter- terrorism efforts in Indonesia after the Bali bombings of October 2002, and the September 2004 bombing outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.

ASIS subsequently terminated the employment of Witness K. In early 2008, Witness K approached the then inspector-general of Intelligence and Security, Ian Carnell, alleging that he had been constructively dismissed "as a result of a new culture within ASIS" but the intelligence watchdog undertook no investigation.

The current Inspector-General, Vivian Thom, has said "no current or former ASIS officer has raised concerns with this office about any alleged Australian government activity with respect to East Timor". However Witness K's ASIS-approved lawyer Bernard Collaery has told Parliament that the former spy's concerns "included an operation he had been ordered to execute in Dili".

On December 3, 2013, ASIO executed search warrants on Witness K's home and Mr Collaery's office who, subsequent to his earlier work with Witness K, had been providing legal advice to East Timor.

ASIO seized correspondence between the East Timor government and its legal advisers, reportedly including a draft affidavit in which Witness K allegedly referred to the 2004 bugging operation as "immoral" and "wrong" because it served not the national interest, but the commercial interest of large corporations. Witness K's passport was seized and cancelled on national security grounds.

East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao condemned the raids as "unconscionable and unacceptable conduct" and in March 2014 the International Court of Justice ordered Australia to immediately stop any spying operations against East Timor and to seal the documents and data seized in the ASIO raid. In September, Australia and East Timor agreed to suspend arbitration proceedings for six months while both sides undertook to seek to resolve their differences "amicably".

In a Senate estimates hearing last week, Dr Thom refused to answer questions about the Dili bugging operation, prompting independent Senator Nick Xenophon to complain "we have no idea whether this has been investigated, whether it was unlawful or not. We are none the wiser about whether the law was broken by one of our own intelligence agencies."

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/australian-spy-at-centre-of-east-timor-bugging-scandal-still-under-investigation-20150301-13r5rq.html

Politics & political parties

East Timor's new leader in the footsteps of Gusmao

Nikkei Asian Review - March 10, 2015

Simon Roughneen, Dili – Just three weeks into his new job, Rui Araujo, East Timor's new prime minister, faces the daunting task of filling the shoes of a national icon, Xanana Gusmao.

In late February, Gusmao, nearly 70, finally fulfilled a long-stated pledge to resign and endorsed his successor, Araujo, 51, a former health minister and a New Zealand-trained doctor, to head East Timor's government until elections are held in 2017.

"I did not expect to be asked" to be prime minister, Araujo, a member of the opposition Fretilin party, told the Nikkei Asian Review in one of his first interviews since taking office.

Gusmao led East Timor's fight against Indonesia's 24-year occupation and was elected the first president of the newly independent country in 2002. After conflict among factions of the army and police drove 10% of the country's population from their homes in 2006, Gusmao then formed a party, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), to run in parliamentary elections the following year, eventually winning the prime minister's job.

The mild-mannered Araujo is a member of Fretilin, the main opposition party in parliament, whose leader, Mari Alkatiri, was the first prime minister of East Timor, elected in 2002, and opposed Gusmao in the prime ministerial election of 2007.

But Gusmao and Alkatiri reconciled during Gusmao's second term after the 2012 elections, and Alkatiri was tasked with setting up an ambitious new economic zone in the Oecusse enclave, which is part of East Timor but surrounded by Indonesia.

Furthering the rapprochment, Araujo has been joined by Fretilin colleagues in the new government, although he insists the party will remain technically in opposition.

"I have to clarify that Fretilin as a party is not in government, although three senior members of the party have joined the government in an individual capacity. As a party Fretilin is still in the opposition," Araujo said.

But with an opposition politician now in the prime minister's office, it is clear that East Timor's inclusive approach to governance is set to continue, something the new prime minister believes is necessary.

"Given the limited pool of talent we have in the country, we should bring all the available talent to work together in the government. We are too small to be divided when it comes to governance," Araujo said.

Araujo's approach marks an extension of Gusmao's attempts to build a consensus-based political system in East Timor, in which he seeks to give as many potential opponents as possible a stake in running the country – a way to "buy the peace," according to a new report on East Timor by the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI), which raised concerns that Gusmao's resignation might leave a power vacuum.

"Our interviews with a range of actors demonstrated a strong narrative in which he [Gusmao] is accorded an almost mythical power: many believe the stability of the country depends upon his hand guiding the people and politics of the state," the report said.

While a return to the kind of political violence that wracked the tiny country in 2006 is almost unthinkable, there are those who remain opposed to the status quo. Chief among them is Paulino Gama, a former colleague turned rival to Gusmao during East Timor's fight for independence, who returned from exile in 2013 and began openly challenging Gusmao.

Gama, known as "Mauk Moruk" (meaning "bitter brother") is currently in a standoff with security forces in Laga in the eastern part of East Timor after violent clashes in January.

Mauk Moruk has powerful allies, not least his brother Cornelio Gama, known as L7, a former member of parliament and leader of a nationwide clandestine network known as "Sagrada Familia."

Claiming the backing of 200,000 Timorese, around a sixth of the 1.2 million population, L7 told NAR in a rare interview that he and Mauk Moruk see the new government as "unconstitutional," as it was appointed without first holding an election.

"We will watch for three months to see what they do," L7 said. "But we want Xanana Gusmao, Taur Matan Ruak (East Timor's president) and Lere (Lere Anan Timor, the head of the army) to go to Laga to negotiate."

Araujo said he believes that Mauk Moruk does not have widespread support and described the recent clashes in Laga as "a criminal act," citing an attack on police, allegedly by Mauk Moruk's gang.

Lingering concerns about security threats from groups such those led by the Gama brothers may be one reason Gusmao is staying on in government, taking the role of minister for planning and strategic investment. But his continuing presence means Araujo, who spent recent years as an adviser to various Timorese ministries, could find himself overshadowed.

"That could be the impression from outside, but everybody in the government agrees with the concept of teamwork, and so far he [Gusmao] has been a very good team player," Araujo said when asked if Gusmao's presence in government might be a distraction.

And although Gusmao's role in government echoes Lee Kuan Yew's handover to successors in Singapore, where the national icon stayed on as a "minister mentor," Gusmao has shunned the limelight since Araujo assumed office.

"Gusmao has many achievements," said Gordon Peake, author of "Beloved Land," an award-winning memoir of life in East Timor. "Perhaps his most lasting one might be to have self-engineered a political transition without fuss."

With over $17 billion, or around three times East Timor's gross domestic product, accrued in a national petroleum fund during his years in office, Gusmao had the cash to spend heavily on road works and electrification, and on giving contracts and government jobs to allies and enemies alike – measures seen as vital for keeping the peace.

Gusmao's new portfolio will give him a significant say in East Timor's economy, meaning he could retain much of his influence, often described as patronage, over possible opponents.

"Gusmao will be able to maintain the favor of potential dissidents at both national and district levels, which have been significantly reliant on the disbursement of government contracts," said Sarah Dewhirst, coauthor of the ODI report.

Furthermore, while Araujo is seen as something of an interim candidate, with far less prestige than his predecessor and with unclear prospects of retaining the prime minister's job in the next election, he will in the meantime likely bring a fresh approach to government.

Charles Scheiner, an East Timor expert with La'o Hamutuk, the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis, believes that the new prime minister will focus on improving East Timor's roads, health system and education, all of which are in poor condition.

"He is a doctor who comes from an orientation of caring for people and delivering services," noted Scheiner. "That is a different dynamic to a former independence fighter focused on sovereignty."

Source: http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/Policy-Politics/In-the-footsteps-of-Gusmao

Araujo's vision for East Timor

The Diplomat - March 2, 2015

Mong Palatino – East Timor's new prime minister, Dr Rui Maria de Araujo, appealed for unity as a way to build a more inclusive and tolerant society. Araujo became the head of the Sixth Constitutional Government after former Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao resigned last month.

While taking his oath on February 16, Araujo presented some of his plans for East Timor. First, he vowed to uphold "the essence of democratic values in Timor-Leste: peace, reconciliation, solidarity, pluralism, tolerance and dialogue."

He also spoke about boosting the country's security. "We will give more attention to the patrol and vigilance of our maritime coast to protect our coral reefs and fish resources from illegal incursions in our sea."

He praised the leadership of Gusmao, whom he appointed minister for Planning and Strategic Investment. He reminded the public that it was during the term of Gusmao when East Timor became "the first country in the Asia-Pacific region and the third in the entire world to be granted compliance status with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative."

Araujo said he will continue to implement the Strategic Plan drafted by his predecessor and that the new government will focus "on better service delivery and on the quality of works, in a manner that is efficient, effective and accountable."

But Araujo also indirectly mentioned some of the problems left behind by the previous government.

"One of our current difficulties is the lack of data and reliable indicators on the situation of the country. The last official data we have on poverty dates back to 2009 and told us that almost half the population lived below the national poverty line," he said. He added that "the benefits of economic growth have not reached everyone."

He also acknowledged the prevalence of corruption and inefficiency in the government. "Our priority is to fight the culture of bureaucratization in public administration, which has become a giant with feet of clay."

According to Araujo, one of the first tasks of the new government will be to submit declarations of assets with the court and the Anti-Corruption Commission.

"I intend to personally deliver these on behalf of all members of government. When I leave this office, I will lodge another declaration of assets that I promise will show I have not profited from my position. And when I leave this office, I want Timor-Leste to be recognized as a world leader in open, transparent, accountable and ethical government," he said in a speech delivered before the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Araujo is also expected to implement programs that will empower women. When he was adviser to the Ministry of Finance, he worked to identify women as potential managers and top leaders in the agency. Today, according to Araujo, women represent 32 percent of the leadership team in the office.

But can Araujo deliver on his commitments? Gusmao is confident that his younger successor can lead the country's transition. Araujo is an opposition member; nevertheless, he was still endorsed by Gusmao because of his proven capabilities.

"His deep knowledge of the financial system, a wide experience which can not be underestimated, on the model applied to capacitate technical staff, implemented during his years in the ministry [Finance] as an adviser, and his integrity, as a person, these are the three relevant elements which are the fundamental reason behind the proposal of his name," Gusmao wrote in his nomination for Araujo.

Araujo has much reforming to do if he wants to achieve his goals for East Timor. He is right to call for unity but it should not mean being less critical of the policies and programs of the previous government.

Source: http://thediplomat.com/2015/03/araujos-vision-for-east-timor/

Health & education

ME to assess universities still using Bahasa Indonesia in lectures

Dili Weekly - March 10, 2015

Estevao Nuno – National Member of Parliament MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai, President of Commission F (for health, education, culture, sports, veteran affairs and gender equality) called for the Ministry of Education (ME) to conduct an urgent assessment to all universities to determine those still using Bahasa Indonesia as the language of instruction.

In particular, said the MP, the assessment must look at the universities that have been accredited by the government and find out why they are still using Indonesian for academic instruction.

"I urge the Ministry of Education to ban the universities using Indonesian for instruction. It is a just a work language," urged MP Hornai at the National Parliament, Dili.

He added that if universities use Indonesian to instruct students, this will have a negative impact once they graduate.

UNITL student Jose Antonio said his university still uses Indonesian to deliver academic content to students. "All subjects from the third to eighth semester are taught using Indonesian because most of the lecturers have Master Degrees from Indonesia," said the student.

He added that UNITAL only uses two languages for academic instruction, Tetun and Indonesian, because most lecturers do not know how to speak the co-official language Portuguese.

In response to the issue, the Director General for Corporate Services of the ME Antoninho Pires said the ministry has since 2013 provided Portuguese classes for teachers and lecturers.

"Lecturers are still using Indonesian as an introduction language so students can understand other words in Portuguese," said the DG. The DG is convinced lecturers know how to speak Tetun and Portuguese and are using these languages to instruct students.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/13206-me-to-assess-universities-still-using-bahasa-indonesia-in-lectures

Women's rights

From the mountains to the sea, Timorese women fight for more

InterPress Service - March 6, 2015

Lyndal Rowlands, United Nations – In Timor-Leste, the gap between rich and poor is most keenly felt by rural women and children. But while women are working hard to help rebuild Timor-Leste, their contributions are not always recognised, in a country where men's narratives still heavily dominate.

Ahead of International Women's Day, IPS looks at some of the challenges and achievements Timorese women have experienced since the small island country gained independence in 2002.

From the mountains

Timor-Leste is an island nation, with its heart in its sacred mountains, known as the 'foho'. The foho were home to Timor-Leste's resistance fighters who defended their country during 24 years of violent Indonesian occupation.

Bella Galhos was one of those resistance fighters. After her brothers were murdered and her father tortured by the Indonesians, she infiltrated their army, gaining their trust until they sent her as a student ambassador to Canada. Once in Canada she defected, travelling through North America and raising awareness about the atrocities in her home country.

Since returning home in 1999, Galhos has become an advocate for Timor- Leste's women and children, as well as the environment. She is speaking Friday in the national capital Dili at a special event ahead of International Women's Day on Mar. 8.

Galhos spoke with IPS about her new project, a green school in the mountain village of Maubisse. "I have very profound reasons why I came to Maubisse," Galhos told IPS in a phone interview earlier this week. "First is because of my mother who passed away last year, she was a great teacher."

"This place where I actually started this project, was known to be the first female school in the area. I didn't want to lose that value that my Mum started (here) a long long time ago," Galhos said.

"Growing up in this country I'm also aware very much that the issue of environment is not considered an important issue. And I'm afraid that in the long run we are actually going to have a big problem in this country."

For this reason, Galhos has started her environmental project in Maubisse, using a social-enterprise model.

"I want to give the kids a place where they can come and learn about growing fruits and vegetables," she told IPS. She also hopes to teach them "life skills such as peace, love, kindness, not only towards our environment but also towards people."

Galhos says that women in rural Timor-Leste face many challenges, including a lack of access to the information they need, a lack of health care services and domestic violence.

She said that poverty in the rural areas where most people still live a subsistence lifestyle can be seen at many levels.

"The children's malnutrition, you can really look at them and see that these people do not have enough food or they do not have food with protein or vitamins. You can really see it in the way they look," she said.

Galhos says that an office job in the capital Dili is not for everyone, as can already be seen with many rural people coming to the capital struggling to find work.

She hopes that her project will become self-sustaining as a social enterprise, by capitalising on the areas beauty and international eco- tourism potential.

However, she is disappointed that the government has not responded to her requests for financial support, after eight months of submitting her proposals to many different departments.

"It's not easy at all. There are huge obstacles. As a woman in a country that's male dominated, basically I do not have a place where I can turn to," she said.

Timor-Leste's government has set aside revenue from the country's share of oil reserves in the Timor Sea, to help fund the country's development. However, there are concerns that the funds from the oil are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few and are not reaching the rural poor, or women.

Galhos has so far funded the green school project with her own salary and with support from her friends overseas. She is disappointed her requests for funding from the government have not been taken seriously.

"I don't see many Timorese women trying to do what I'm doing, being successful in getting government support," she said. "Though I still have a very pessimistic feeling towards the current government I am still working on getting them to see."

This is real social and economic development for the benefit of all people, especially for people in the Maubisse area, she said.

To the sea

In another part of Timor-Leste women divers are challenging dominant narratives, that don't value women's work.

The women divers of Adara on Atauro island have reached a worldwide audience through the short film Wawata Topu. The film was last week awarded best foreign documentary at the American Online Film Awards in New York.

IPS spoke with Enrique Alonso, who co-directed and co-produced the film, along with David Palazon.

"If you review the available bibliography on the role of women in the Timor-Leste fisheries sector, you will find that women are missing," Alonso told IPS. "Some reports developed in the last years shed some light, but for the most part (the women) were totally invisible.

"All along the country you might find that women in the fishing communities have a crucial role in households' income management, livestock rearing and craft making, post harvest and fish drying, they participate in seasonal shore fishing (such as the sea worms harvest) and mostly in shellfish gathering and reef gleaning.

"There is one specific report of a study conducted in the east side of the main island where the researchers define women's roles in the fisheries as 'marginal'."

"Wawata Topu are the living example that women's roles are not 'marginal' at all," Alonso said. "The film shows that their work is of primary importance not only in regards the provision of food but also in the market chain."

Alonso says that the women of Adara have to walk for hours every Saturday to get to the market to sell their fish.

"They are the ones who transport and sell the fish, caught also by men, to the market every week. They are the brokers upon which the incomes of many families depend. The kids have to walk around one hour to get to the school through the rugged coastline. If it rains it is too risky for them to go," he said.

"These are tough conditions. Within this context, these diver women are among the most vulnerable groups."

The film documents how the women of Adara have adapted to the tough conditions and broken down gender barriers by becoming spear fishers themselves.

"As Maria the pioneer diver explains in the film, she started to fish because she was hungry. She challenged the social barriers and joined men in speargun fishing," Alonso explained.

The film has helped women by giving them narrative with which to challenge unfair power structures.

"Through the film (women) raised their voice and got heard," Alonso said. "Power is also about discourse and narrative, and in challenging power the narrative games are crucial," he said.

The film has been screened widely, including at International Women's Day events around the world.

The most important event occurred at the National Day of Timorese Women, Alonso said.

"That day, the Secretary of State for Promotion of Equality granted Maria Cabeca and the Wawata Topu with the Women of the Year Award. In a way, the film has contributed to put Atauro Island and the Wawata Topu on the map."

Source: http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/03/from-the-mountains-to-the-sea-timorese-women-fight-for-more/

Criminal justice & prison system

Oregon woman heading home after six months stuck in East Timor

Reuters - March 4, 2015

Courtney Sherwood – An Oregon woman arrested on a drug charge while traveling in East Timor last September and who has maintained her innocence, has been allowed to leave the country after six months of diplomatic negotiations, US Senator Ron Wyden said on Tuesday.

Stacey Addison, a 41-year-old veterinarian who was initially detained when a man with whom she shared a cab was arrested on drug charges, left East Timor on Monday night and is expected to arrive back home in Portland on Wednesday, Wyden's office said.

Addison, who supporters say was never in possession of drugs, was held in prison for two months and then conditionally released in December without her travel documents, leaving her unable to leave the Southeast Asian country.

Former East Timorese President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos- Horta took up her cause, and housed her in guest quarters within his home as she sought permission to return home to the United States.

Last month, US Secretary of State John Kerry said last month that there was "no legitimate explanation for how she has been detained and kept," and noted that diplomats had been lobbying for return of Addison's passport for months.

Senator Jeff Merkley praised those negotiation efforts on Monday after her passport was returned: "This is terrific news for Stacey, for her family and for all the Oregonians who have followed Stacey's story and helped her from afar," Merkley said.

Addison's mother, Bernadette Kero, has said her daughter had been 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 finance.

Kero did not respond to a call seeking comment on Tuesday on her daughter's impending return, but Addison's supporters posted thanks on the Help Stacey Facebook page they created to share news about her plight.

"She will arrive back in Oregon on Wednesday, six months to the day that her ordeal began, where she can get a complete medical check-up and begin to heal among family and friends," supporters said in a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday.

[Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Eric Walsh.]

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/03/us-usa-timor-traveler-idUSKBN0LZ2GE20150303?rpc=401

Development & infrastructure

Inequality driving global conflict: Gusmao

Australian Associated Press - March 16, 2015

Inequality and poverty and not religion and extremism are the biggest drivers of conflict in fragile countries, East Timor's independence hero warns.

Former prime minister and president Xanana Gusmao believes there are lessons for world leaders to learn from his nation's road to stability that can be applied to current conflicts.

The international community's blanket approach to fragile nations was failing because it didn't respond to the unique reality of individual situations, he said.

The former guerilla fighter, 68, said the accepted narrative that much of the conflict in fragile states was driven by religion and extremism was too simplistic. Conflict and fragility were being driven by poor and marginalised people who had lost hope in a better future.

"It is the daily humiliations and indignities they endure that breed resentment and fuel disillusionment," Mr Gusmao said in a speech to the Australian National University in Canberra on Monday night.

Mr Gusmao, who led East Timor to its independence since 2002, has taken up a new post as planning and strategic investment minister.

East Timor will not meet a single one of the UN's Millennium Development Goals which expire in 2015. He believes the main reason the goals have failed the poorest nations of the world is because they did not acknowledge the link between poverty, fragility and conflict.

East Timor had struggled to break out of a cycle of conflict and violence and each outbreak had destroyed development progress. It quickly learnt that developing resilience and securing peace was integral to nation building.

Stability came with a price tag, such as pensions for veterans, widows, the disabled and the elderly and grants to villages to repair bridges, schools, medical clinics and local roads, Mr Gusmao said.

"I have been blamed for buying peace but I am happy to be criticised for supporting families to get a home, get rice, an education for their children and medical care."

Source: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/03/16/18/33/inequality-driving-global-conflict-gusmao

Foreign affairs & trade

'We are friends with everyone', says Timor Leste's new prime minister

Channel News Asia - March 21, 2015

Singapore – Timor Leste's bilateral cooperation with China is increasing and it has been an "important development partner" since the country became independent, but new prime minister Rui Maria de Araujo said he does not see problems of any sort coming up from this.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia's Teymoor Nabili on Between the Lines in his first major international interview since he was inaugurated just over a month ago, Dr Araujo dismissed concerns that China is putting undue influence on his small, poverty-stricken nation.

"We opt for non-aligned political commitment. We are a friend of everyone," he said. "And of course, we will be selective in terms pressures we face. But the most important thing in terms of the relationship is mutual benefit and mutual respect. That is the principle we should be following."

Dr Araujo also re-affirmed Timor Leste's desire to be an official member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

While there are concerns from smaller countries within ASEAN that their domestic industries would end up enriching foreign investors rather than the local economy, he said that plans were being put in place to ensure that everyone would benefit. "We are putting in place legal mechanisms and policy frameworks that would not only seek to benefit investors, but also benefit the local economy."

Dr Araujo has declared his intention to transform Timor Leste's government from a "giant with feet of clay" into one that is "leaner, more professional, more technical and less politicised body".

On big concern for him is bureaucracy. "We have 32,000 civil servants in a country of 1.2 million people. It is not too big, but the civil service is not showing signs of efficiency in its day-to-day work."

"We also have to factor in the fact that social development in the country is dependent of state investment and it will still be so in the next five to 10 years. If that state is the 'main investor' in the development of the country, then the civil service will have to be efficient, competent and be able to deliver the type of services required."

The prime minister said that plans are in place for a comprehensive review of the civil service.

"We aim to improve the quality of service delivery to the community," said Dr Araujo. "We will have to review legislation previously passed. We also aim to have a smaller but more efficient civil service in order for us to better manage state resources."

Corruption has also been an issue for Timor Leste, with the country ranked 133rd out of 175th in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index. While Dr Araujo said he wants his country to have 'clean government', he admits that it is a challenge.

"One of the big problems we have is that internal controls are quite weak," he said. "We are starting to put in place important internal controls within the public administration. We also have bodies like the anti- corruption commission and the judicial system which are also working on that.

"It is a big task but with the current political environment and the support of the team that we have in place, I am confident that we'll be able to effect changes in that area." (CNA/ac)

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/exclusive-we-are-friends/1730016.html

Mining & energy

Inpex Corporation writes down value of Kitan oil field in Timor Sea

Melbourne Age - March 24, 2015

Angela Macdonald-Smith – Japanese oil and gas producer Inpex Corporation has written down the value of its Kitan oil field in the Timor Sea after the plunge in crude oil prices, signalling the decline in the outlook for one of the few petroleum fields providing revenue for Timor-Leste.

Inpex said it reduced the carrying value of its stake in the JPDA06-105 block holding Kitan by about 7.5 billion yen ($797.72 million), while it took a larger 27.5 billion yen write-down on its Joslyn oil sands project in Canada.

Kitan, operated by Italy's ENI, was discovered in 2008 and started production in October 2011. It is expected to have a production life of about seven years. Inpex, which is leading the large $US34 billion ($43.32 billion) Ichthys LNG project under construction in northern Australia, owns a 35 per cent stake in the venture.

The field is one of the few production petroleum ventures that provides revenue for the Timor-Leste government, being located in the Joint Petroleum Development Area, a region of water administered jointly by Timor-Leste and Australia.

La'o Hamutuk, a non-governmental organisation that monitors Timor-Leste's development, said payments from the venture into Timor-Leste's Petroleum Fund had fallen to about $US15 million a month, less than a quarter of their level in early 2013, as production declined from its peak in January 2013. Production was due to end in 2016, the organisation said.

"Impairment tests were conducted on assets related to the Joslyn oil sands project and JPDA06-105 block in the TImor Sea Joint Petroleum Development Area. Deteriorating market environments, based on such factors as the drop in oil prices, resulted in the recognition of the impairment losses," Inpex said late on Monday.

"As the current value of future cash flow generated from these assets is expected to fall below the carrying amount, Inpex will reduce their respective carrying amounts to recoverable amounts, posting the reductions as impairment losses."

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/inpex-corporation-writes-down-value-of-kitan-oil-field-in-timor-sea-20150324-1m62q0.html

Indonesia's Pertamina seeks gasoline, diesel for April-May

Reuters - March 20, 2015

Singapore – Indonesia's state-owned Pertamina is seeking up to 9,600 kilolitres, or more than 60,000 barrels, of diesel and gasoline for delivery into Timor Leste, a tender document showed on Friday.

The company is seeking two cargoes of 2,200 to 2,500 kilolitres each of 92 octane gasoline and another two cargoes of 1,500 to 2,300 kilolitres each of 500 ppm sulphur diesel for delivery over April to May.

The cargoes are for delivery into Dili, Timor Leste. The tender closes on March 24 and is valid until March 25.

Pertamina is also separately seeking 880,000 barrels of gasoil for delivery over May to October into Amamapare, a port town in Papua, Indonesia. Pertamina took over oil product purchases from its trading arm Petral earlier this year as part of an industry shake-up in President Joko Widodo's anti-corruption campaign to restore investor confidence.

The company has since opened up its tender process to include refiners and trading firms, reversing a government decision a few years ago to limit suppliers to national oil companies.

[Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Himani Sarkar.]

Source: http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3N0WM1N520150320