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East Timor news digest No 5 - May 1-31, 2005

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Cabinet to consider East Timor gas deal

Australian Associated Press - May 30, 2005

Canberra -- The long-awaited, multi-billion dollar oil and gas deal between Australia and East Timor will soon be presented to cabinet for a final tick of approval.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said all major elements of the deal had been agreed by both countries, but some last minute fine tuning was needed.

Under the deal, East Timor will drop permanent maritime boundaries covering the oil and gas rich Timor Sea for 50 years. In exchange, it will receive a share of revenues estimated to be worth up to $5 billion from the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field.

East Timor will also receive 90 per cent of revenues from the Joint Petroleum Development Area, worth more than $10 billion.

"Officials are working on the fine tuning of some minor aspects of the agreement," Mr Downer told parliament. "But this is an agreement that will be considered by the two cabinets [of both countries] soon. It's important to make this point that this is at least a draft agreement which safeguards Australia's sovereign interests while being generous to East Timor and that is what we have wanted to achieve."

Talks on the agreement have dragged on for more than a year and stalled repeatedly over the disputed maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor. Australia has been accused of playing hardball over the resources -- worth an estimated $41 billion.

Melbourne businessman Ian Melrose also bankrolled a series of TV advertisements to try and embarrass the Australian government over the deal.

Mr Downer said critics like Mr Melrose were trying to pursue their own personal campaigns. "I think on this issue it's important that people examine the facts and on acquaintance with the facts I think they'll see that this has the potential to be a very good, mutually beneficial agreement," Mr Downer said.

East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta agreed and praised Mr Downer and Prime Minister John Howard for their roles in the talks. "Without them and the honest and firm leadership of (East Timor's) President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, we would not be where we are today; on the cusp of securing for the people of Timor-Leste the fairest agreement possible with respect to the Greater Sunrise area," he wrote in an article published in The Age newspaper.

"Our side's approach has been realistic and pragmatic so that we have safeguarded our sovereignty and our security, while allowing us to reach the best overall agreement that enhances our national interest."

The shape of a fair deal for East Timor

Melbourne Age - May 30, 2005

Jose Ramos-Horta -- I want to clarify where negotiations now stand between Canberra and Dili regarding the wealth lying beneath the Timor Sea. There has been too much speculation, sometimes partially accurate, sometimes way off the mark.

The fifth round of talks held recently in Sydney resulted in a draft document that is to be discussed by the respective cabinets. In our case, our President as well as members of Parliament, non-government organisations and church leaders will be thoroughly briefed on the pros and cons of a possible deal with Canberra. The following are the salient elements of an agreement.

The possible treaty would be "without prejudice" to Timor-Leste (East Timor) and Australia's sovereign maritime boundary claims. No acts or activities by either side under the treaty could be relied upon to assert, support, deny or further the legal position of either country. A 50-year moratorium would be agreed to for the duration of the treaty.

In return for the moratorium on maritime boundaries, the parties would agree to share equally the total tax and royalty revenues from petroleum produced in the Greater Sunrise area. The Timor Sea Treaty of 2002 will continue to be observed and Timor-Leste will continue to receive 90 per cent of income from that area. The revenue split could mean more than $US7 billion ($A9.23 billion) to our impoverished country. Other fields underlying Greater Sunrise field either wholly or partly would be treated in the same manner as the Greater Sunrise field.

There are some issues to be resolved with the operator, Woodside, namely where the pipeline should go to. To Timor-Leste's south coast, which is much closer to Greater Sunrise and to the Asia- Pacific customers, or to the barren Northern Territory, which has a very small population and is far from everywhere?

Our labour costs are also much lower than Australia, which faces labour shortages and has stringent immigration and labour laws that are a disincentive to foreign workers. Petroleum experts from Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Kuwait and Germany all believe bringing the pipeline to Timor-Leste is technically feasible and makes sense commercially.

In all of this, my modest input has been only to push into the talks two separate but in my view crucial issues -- maritime security; marine life protection and land and water preservation. Who can argue against this? In all the rest, we all simply follow the leader.

On maritime security, the Australian coast guard would assist Timor-Leste in interdicting illicit activities in our recognised exclusive economic zone, intercept and neutralise illegal fishing, people smuggling, piracy and terrorism.

Additionally, I have asked Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to look into job-creation schemes in petroleum and non- petroleum sectors that would generate jobs for our youth and former resistance fighters.

While Australia's development assistance to Timor-Leste is a generous one, Canberra should consider a separate, special program aiming at water, land and forest preservation in Timor- Leste. South Australian Premier Mike Rann has offered his state's unique experience in this. It is also not unreasonable to expect Woodside to assist.

The Australian people have been true friends during these negotiations.

They have shown their legendary loyalty to the underdog. People from all walks of life and age groups have spoken out against what they perceive to be their Government's unfair bullying of their small and poor neighbour.

Nevertheless, I must speak in defence of Prime Minister John Howard and Foreign Minister Downer. It is well known how the left believes in its own claim to a monopoly on the virtues of compassion and solidarity. Conversely, those on the right are all greedy and insensitive.

God has bestowed on me a modest intelligence and certain wisdom enabling me not to be dogmatic and not to make sweeping judgements on those on one spectrum or another of politics or culture. We all have our virtues, failings and sins.

John Howard has been a true friend of Timor-Leste, so has Alexander Downer.

Any other characterisation of the two in regard to Timor-Leste is simply unfair. I have witnessed from the dark days of September 1999 till our more hopeful and peaceful country of 2005 the generosity of the Australian people and of their leaders.

The highest praise I reserve for our own negotiators who have for the past five years been the most loyal and ardent advocates. Without them and the honest and firm leadership of President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, we would not be where we are today; on the cusp of securing for the people of Timor-Leste the fairest agreement possible with respect to the Greater Sunrise area.

Those who argue that we should take this matter to a competent tribunal, assuming such a legal avenue is available, do so, it seems, with some degree of blind faith. Our side's approach has been realistic and pragmatic so that we have safeguarded our sovereignty and our security, while allowing us to reach the best overall agreement that enhances our national interest.

[Jose Ramos-Horta is Senior Minister and Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.]

The sun rises on Timor's fortunes

Melbourne Age - May 21, 2005

Lindsay Murdoch, Dili -- Jose Ramos-Horta sips Cuban rum and listens to classical music in the thatched-roof house he has built on a hill overlooking Dili harbour.

Relaxed after a long day of appointments, the Nobel laureate and Foreign Minister of the world's newest nation drops his diplomatic guard to discuss a telephone call from Alexander Downer that he will never forget.

Negotiations between Australia and East Timor on how to divide billions of dollars in expected revenue from Greater Sunrise, a giant natural gas field in the Timor Sea, had stalled and his Australian counterpart was delivering a blunt message.

Australia had a trillion-dollar budget and the Howard Government could afford to walk away from reaching an agreement with the tiny half-island nation, Downer told Ramos-Horta.

Australia had dramatically upped the ante in a high-stakes game of bluff over Greater Sunrise that on conservative estimates has gas reserves worth at least $US10 billion ($A13.2 billion). Ramos-Horta, who lives among East Timor's poor, knew that unlike its affluent neighbour, East Timor could not afford to lose revenue from Greater Sunrise.

Three years after gaining independence, East Timor's fledgling Government is still struggling to improve the lives of its 900,000 people, two-thirds of whom are reliant on subsistence farming in the country's mountains and valleys. There are times when many of them do not have enough to eat.

Every day desperate, malnourished villagers walk in silence past Ramos-Horta's house on their way down from the mountains, hoping to find a way to survive in Dili, which has been home to thousands of big-spending United Nations employees for six years.

Yesterday, as the Timorese celebrated independence day, and the last of the UN peacekeepers packed to leave the country, Ramos- Horta said that reducing the poverty level was his Government's priority as it entered what diplomats say will be an uncertain post-UN era.

"Particularly because of extra revenue now and over the next few years from oil and gas, we will see a reduction in the poverty level," he said. "I am absolutely confident we can achieve our goals."

Most Timorese don't know it yet, but the governments in Dili and Australia have struck a basic deal on Greater Sunrise that will reap East Timor $US5 billion -- a deal that will underpin the country's economic future.

There are still important technical issues to be worked out and maybe another laborious officials' meeting to be called, but both countries have agreed to split royalties from the field equally and to put aside for decades any final drawing of disputed maritime boundaries.

Despite Downer's threat that Australia was willing to walk away from Greater Sunrise, the deal represents a huge win for East Timor, which Australia at first insisted would get only an 18 per cent share of the royalties.

The Age can reveal that the deal struck in the latest round of talks, which ended in Australia on May 13, will include a maritime agreement under which Australia will be responsible for patrolling East Timor's southern waters. For East Timor to do this itself would cost tens of millions of dollars a year.

Under the broad agreement, new jobs will also be created for scores of Timorese, either in East Timor or Australia. Ramos- Horta still calls Downer "my good friend".

But Australia's tough stand has caused some bitterness in Dili where Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has established a functioning democracy amid the ruins of 1999 when Indonesian-backed militia destroyed most buildings and infrastructure.

Aside from Greater Sunrise, Australia is reaping more than $A1 million a day from oil fields in another disputed area of the Timor Sea that is twice as close to East Timor as it is to Australia.

Some of Dili's elite refer to Canberra's "swindling" of East Timor's reserves that was precipitated in 1972 with the signing of a Seabed Boundary Agreement with Indonesia that set Australia's border three-quarters of the way to East Timor.

Three years later Indonesia invaded the territory that Portugal had ruled with benign neglect for 400 years and then abruptly abandoned to an unknown fate.

Pat Burgess, a human rights campaigner who has lived in East Timor since 1999, said Canberra's stand had made him and other Australians working in East Timor ashamed of their country.

"People are literally starving to death in the mountains here because there is no money in Parliament's coffers to employ people so they can earn enough money to feed their children," he said.

"The lack of food leads to the susceptibility of a range of diseases. People are dying here that need not die."

Meanwhile the country's population is exploding with one of the world's highest birth rates -- more than 3 per cent a year -- which economists say will hurt efforts to improve the economy.

East Timor's health statistics are on a par with Rwanda. Twelve out of every 100 children die before the age of five; almost half the population lives on less than 55 cents a day; nearly half the population is unemployed and more than half is illiterate. Life expectancy is 57 years compared with 79 in Australia.

Dan Murphy, an American doctor who runs a clinic in Dili where he and nurses treat up to 300 patients a day, said that despite a large UN presence in the country since 1999, living standards for most Timorese have only slightly improved.

"In the villages the people are living the same way they have for centuries," he said. "This is a beautiful, peaceful country. The people have suffered in the past and are not suffering as much now. They have hope. They have heard something about the Timor Gap but don't know what it means. But they are still dying when they should not be."

The UN can claim East Timor as a success story after it officially withdrew its peacekeeping mandate yesterday. That success has been largely due to the more than 15,000 Australian soldiers who have served in the country since 1999, Australia's largest overseas troop deployment since the Vietnam War.

The last 100 of the Australian peacekeepers will be gone from East Timor's border area by mid-June, leaving only 26 Australian soldiers as advisers and trainers in East Timor's 1500-strong defence force.

Xanana Gusmao, the former freedom fighter who became East Timor's first democratically elected president, this week paid tribute to the peacekeeping forces, known as the PKF.

"Your role, dear officers and soldiers of the PKF, throughout these challenging years has been in essence to make peace, keep peace and strengthen peace," he told the last UN military parade on Thursday. "And in Timor Leste (East Timor) you have succeeded admirably."

But beyond the pomp and ceremony of independence day, and the UN pull-out, lie daunting challenges for Alkatiri's Government as it grows out of the shadows of the UN.

Some ministers refuse to listen to criticism. The US State Department has documented unchecked police abuses and the deliberate hampering of political opposition. A lack of trained judges has created logjams in the courts.

East Timor's emerging institutions have struggled to spend even the paltry $US80 million in foreign aid money that made up this year's budget despite the chronic needs of the people.

The Catholic Church, the most powerful institution in the country where 95 per cent of the population are Catholic, has shown an alarming willingness to involve itself in the affairs of state, backing a three-week protest in Dili over its push for religion to be compulsory in school curriculums.

The Bishop of Baucau, Basilio do Nascimento, the most influential religious figure in the country, has made it clear the church remains unhappy with Alkatiri's uncompromising leadership.

"To remove the Prime Minister from his job we must go through the democratic process," Monsignor Basilio was quoted telling protesters on the Dili waterfront the day the protest ended.

The Government is walking a tightrope over the need for Timorese to see justice for the killings, rapes and other atrocities committed in 1999 during the guerilla war with Indonesia.

Wanting to establish good relations with Jakarta, the Government has agreed to set up a Truth and Friendship Commission with Indonesia and it hopes Indonesian officers will admit their responsibility and apologise to the Timorese.

Ramos-Horta said that if they do not grab the opportunity, controversy about the events of 1999 will continue to haunt Indonesia for years.

"This is an opportunity for Indonesia to more or less put the past behind it," he said. "We have to be respectful of the victims, those who are scarred by the violence of the past. There will be no trials for the officers allegedly responsible."

Ramos-Horta does not play down the problems confronting East Timor. But he declares that his country is open for business.

"East Timor is safer than Darwin and some suburbs of Sydney where my mother has been burgled three times already," he said. "And all these regular travel warnings from Alexander Downer, my good friend, are nonsense. East Timor is safer than his state of South Australia. There are fewer muggers."

East Timor says no energy deal with Australia yet

Financial Times - May 17, 2005

Shawn Donnan in Jakarta and Lachlan Colquhon in Sydney -- East Timor's prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, warned on Tuesday that key details remained unresolved in the tiny nation's negotiations with neighbouring Australia over how to split billions in oil and gas revenues.

The two countries last week made an apparent breakthrough by agreeing to set aside discussions over where the maritime boundary between the two countries should lie for 50-60 years. They also agreed to a revenue split that would give East Timor 90 per cent of revenues from the area in question.

But in an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Mr Alkatiri cautioned that "very important details" still needed to be worked out and that it would likely be months before any agreement.

"I do believe that we are close to a deal. But we do not have a deal yet," he said. "We still have [to discuss] some details, some very important details that are going to guarantee our claims on maritime boundaries and Australia's also during the life of the project."

Mr Alkatiri would not discuss the details in question. He said, however, that they would take "one more round of conversations, maybe two" to resolve.

A spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conceded on Tuesday that it was likely to be "many months" before draft agreements were finalised and/or ratified.

East Timor's leaders have said for years that they want to diversify their economy and avoid creating one dependent on oil revenues that may one day disappear.

But with the country's economy slow to attract investment or turn on growth almost six years after the bloody end of 25 years of Indonesian rule that remains a difficult proposition.

The prime minister said East Timor would establish a special fund July 1 to hold all resource revenues. It will be managed by the country's parliament and would guarantee benefits endure beyond "just this generation."

East Timor, which on Friday will celebrate its third anniversary as an independent country, was also working to attract infrastructure investors and those willing to commit capital to other sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.

The economy, which is forecast to grow just 2 per cent in 2005- 2006, is failing to keep up with population growth of 3 per cent in rural areas and 4 per cent in urban areas, Alkatiri said.

For that reason, he said, "the biggest challenge now is we need a real policy on family planning."

Such a debate in the staunchly Catholic country would likely bring Mr Alkatiri, a Muslim, into further conflict with influential church leaders.

The Catholic church has backed recent protests against Mr Alkatiri's government that began over a government decision to end religious education.

Australia, East Timor strike oil, gas deal

Asia Times - May 17, 2005

Bob Burton, Canberra -- After eighteen months of often tense discussions, officials from the governments of Australia and East Timor reached an agreement last week on the division of revenues from oil and gas deposits in the mineral-rich waters between the two countries.

While government officials are being tight-lipped about the agreement, the government of East Timor is expected to decide this week on whether it will accept the proposal. Details of the agreement are only expected to be made public after it has been officially signed by the respective governments, possibly in June. "Significant progress has been made in the discussions, but there are still some issues that need to be worked through," a spokesman for East Timor stated.

While details of the agreement are sketchy, campaigners supporting East Timor's original bid for the adoption of a boundary halfway between the two countries, which is the international norm, fear that the final deal will fall well short of what Asia's poorest nation is legally entitled to.

The Timor Sea Justice Campaign, which has spearheaded a high- profile community campaign pressing the Australian government to adopt a just settlement, wants to see the details of the agreement. "We'll be surprised if it is a fair deal for East Timor," campaign spokesman Chip Henriss-Anderssen told Inter Press Service.

After the conclusion of a previous round of talks in April, Australian officials told journalists that East Timor had dropped its insistence on the adoption of a maritime boundary halfway between the two countries. Instead, they said, it agreed to defer the settlement of the boundary for approximately 50 years in return for up to US$3.8 billion in royalties in addition to the revenue from the joint petroleum development area (JPDA). The boundaries of the JPDA were negotiated in 1989 between Australia and then Indonesian president General Suharto.

East Timor is also believed to have insisted on commitments that future oil and gas projects, such as Woodside Petroleum's Greater Sunrise project, will source at least some support services from the country.

The Australian government has been under increasing pressure lately due to a series of hard-hitting television advertisements accusing Canberra of bullying East Timor into surrendering what it was legally entitled to under international law. Over the last six months Australian businessman Ian Melrose has spent approximately A$2.2 million (US$1.67 million) on the advertisements.

While the oil and gas deposits between the two countries are two of the few natural resources East Timor stands to benefit from, they have already been costly.

In August 1975, three months prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor (then a Portuguese colony), the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Richard Woolcott, sent a cable to Canberra urging compliance with Indonesia's plans to annex the island territory.

"It would seem to me that this department [of minerals and energy] might well have an interest in closing the present gap in the agreed sea border and this could be much more readily negotiated with Indonesia than with Portugal; or independent Portuguese Timor. I know I am recommending a pragmatic rather than a principled stand, but that is what national interest and foreign policy is all about...," Woolcott wrote.

Australia subsequently acquiesced to Indonesia's invasion and became the only country to officially recognize Indonesia's annexation. Nor would Canberra speak out during the brutal 24- year long military occupation that is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 East Timorese.

Since East Timor won its independence in 2002, Australia has opposed any change to the boundary it negotiated with the former Indonesian government. Under current boundaries the entire Laminaria-Corallina field and the bulk of the massive Greater Sunrise deposit lies in Australia's territory. Within its area East Timor gains 90% of the royalties from oil and gas projects, such as the small Bayu-Undan project. However, the adoption of a mid-point boundary would result in a tripling of the revenues flowing to East Timor.

Pleas from the government of East Timor that the boundary dispute be arbitrated by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have been repeatedly dismissed by Australia. In March 2002, just two months before East Timor gained its independence, Australia withdrew from the ICJ section that deals with maritime boundary disputes.

Earlier this year the proponents of the Greater Sunrise project, a consortium of global oil and gas companies including Woodside, ConocoPhillips, Shell and Osaka Gas, put the project on hold after East Timor's parliament refused to pass legislation supporting the project until the the sea boundary dispute with Australia was resolved.

The Timor Sea Justice Coalition estimates that a mid-point boundary would see East Timor gain more than US$40 billion of gas and oil royalties. However, without an international forum to press its case and facing critical financial pressures, the East Timorese government has opted to settle quickly.

The final resolution of the agreement may still be at least several months away, with both countries requiring cabinet and parliamentary deliberations on the final agreement. Even if the agreement gains support from East Timor's cabinet it may encounter opposition within parliament. "If the rumored details of the agreement are right, that would represent a severe short- changing of what East Timor is entitled to," said Henriss- Anderssen.

That is an assessment shared by the US intelligence and lobbying company Stratfor, which bluntly described the foreshadowed settlement as a win for the Australian government's stalling strategy. "As Stratfor forecast, the Australians would be able to wait for the cash-strapped Timorese to accept a settlement," the company wrote in the preamble to a May 2 situation analysis report.

According to a United Nations report, close to half the population of East Timor lives on 55 US cents a day -- and there are times when parts of the country have nothing to eat, especially during drought. As the country struggles, its population of 900,000 is exploding with one of the world's highest birth rates, 3% or possibly 4% a year, dragging down efforts toward economic growth.

Australia brushes aside Timorese sovereignty

World Socialist Web Site - May 16, 2005

John Roberts -- The Australian and East Timorese governments agreed on April 29 to a new arrangement on the division of royalties from oil and gas projects in the Timor Sea. Three days of talks in the Timorese capital Dili were the culmination of more than four years of bullying that Canberra hopes will ensure effective Australian economic and political control of the offshore border region and the wealth beneath its waters.

Under the agreement, Dili has reportedly agreed to put off the final settlement of the maritime boundary between the two nations for a period of 50 to 60 years. In exchange, East Timor will receive an undisclosed percentage, instead of a fixed dollar amount, of revenue from the yet-to-be developed Greater Sunrise oil and gas field.

The one-sided deal will be worth in the region of an additional $US2-5 billion to East Timor, according to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. Its main consequence, however, is that Canberra has succeeded in having Dili drop its claim of sovereignty over key resource-rich areas of the Timor Sea for two generations; by which time the oil and gas fields in the area will be commercially exhausted.

If current international law-the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)-were applied, the international boundary would be along a line equidistant from the land territories and the only fully operating field, the Laminaria- Corallina, would fall entirely under East Timorese control. Since the field began operating in November 1999, the Australian government has pocketed nearly $US2 billion in royalties while East Timor has received nothing.

In 2003 alone, Australia received $US172 million in royalties from Laminaria-Corallina-twice as much as the entire budget of the East Timorese government.

Previously, Dili had refused to concede on the question of sovereignty and the maritime boundary. It has now done so for a relative pittance, given that the total royalties from the Greater Sunrise field over its projected 35-year life may reach $US38 billion.

If the agreement goes ahead, the East Timor parliament will approve what is known as the International Unitisation Agreement (IUA) which splits control of the Greater Sunrise field between the two countries. Under the IUA, Australia stands to gain 80 percent of the total revenue. East Timor will gain only 20 percent, despite the field lying much closer to its territory than Australia.

Dili's chief negotiator at the talks, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta, put the best possible face on the outcome. He said "finding ways to allow the development of petroleum resources will bring significant economic benefit to both nations" and that East Timor "stands to benefit enormously from a final resolution".

Separation of the question of royalties and the defining of the maritime boundary has been at the centre of the Howard government's strategy to dominate the resources of the Timor Sea area since East Timor was created by UN fiat in May 2002, following its violent separation from Indonesia in 1999.

The position of the Timorese government, led by ex-Fretilin separatist leaders President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, was that the question of the maritime boundary, and therefore sovereignty, had to be settled as the basis for determining the rights of the two countries.

Dili requested monthly talks on the sea boundary and a settlement within five years. Canberra insisted on talks every six months and resolution in 99 years.

In late 2003, Alkatiri and Ramos-Horta demanded Canberra stop pilfering the Laminaria-Corallina royalties until the boundary issue was settled. Canberra ignored the request and the field will be exhausted within a few years.

Downer has brazenly touted in the media that Canberra has been generous in its dealings with East Timor, as it has given Dili 90 percent of the revenue from the Bayu-Undan field, which will start to flow in 2006 after gas deliveries to Japan begin. If the UNCLOS rule were applied, however, East Timor would be entitled to 100 percent of the revenue.

Far from being generous, the Howard government has exploited East Timor's desperate need for revenue from Bayu-Undan to force the sweeping concessions that have been made over the much larger Greater Sunrise field.

In March 2003, Howard stalled the necessary parliamentary legislation allowing the development of the Bayu-Undan until the last minute, threatening oil corporation Conoco-Phillips' contractual deadline for deliveries from the field and threatening the whole project with collapse. This manoeuvre forced the East Timorese government to agree to the IUA.

The East Timorese parliament, in an attempt to maintain some bargaining power, refused to ratify the IUA. The latest agreement, however, concedes it under conditions where the Bayu- Undan fields will be exhausted in about 15 years.

The unresolved question of sovereignty also deprives East Timor of any part of the servicing and processing involved with the fields, all of which is now concentrated in the northern Australian city of Darwin.

While there is little infrastructure in East Timor, sovereignty over the Timor Sea resources would have given the Timorese state a say in the rate of exploitation of the fields and led to some transfer of skills and employment.

As its stands, these questions are entirely in the hands of Canberra and the oil corporations, including the Australian-based Woodside Petroleum, which is the major partner in the Greater Sunrise field. Woodside executives had threatened to abandon the project unless there was a settlement between Dili and Canberra.

The legal facade for the Howard government's ruthless handing of the dispute has been the 1972 and 1989 border treaties with the Suharto military dictatorship in Indonesia. The 1972 treaty favoured Australia by establishing the continental shelf as the boundary between the two countries. This agreement, however, left the 300 kilometre "Timor Gap" undecided as Portugal, the colonial power in East Timor at the time, refused to agree to Australian- Indonesian boundary.

As a payback for Australia being the only nation in the world to recognise the legitimacy of Suharto's bloody 1975 invasion of East Timor, Jakarta signed the 1989 Timor Gap treaty with the Hawke Labor Party government. This, in effect, extended the 1972 treaty to cover the border opposite East Timor. Both Portugal at the time and the new government installed in Dili in 2002 refused to accept the validity of the 1989 treaty. By then, the 1982 UNCLOS was in force, setting the midline border principle.

Canberra's weak position in international law was underscored by the Howard government's unilateral announcement in March 2002, that it would no longer accept maritime border rulings by the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

From the second half of 1999, when it was clear that Jakarta's brutal rule in East Timor was breaking down, the Howard government's preoccupation was safeguarding Australian capitalism's dominant position in the Timor Sea. The leading role played by Australia in the 1999 UN intervention into East Timor was aimed at ensuring that the tiny state was firmly under Australian financial and military domination. The unstable government in Dili has been reliant on Australian troops, police and economic aid, a situation ruthlessly exploited by Canberra in the dispute over royalties and sovereignty.

The pressure on Dili began immediately after East Timor's status as an independent nation was established in May 2002. Downer insisted that Alkatiri sign a new Timor Sea Treaty (TST) that preserved the 1989 treaty's joint development zone, which is the basis for Australia's control of the seabed resources.

Despite the new government's almost total economic and military dependence on Australia, Alkatiri refused to sign away its right to negotiate new maritime boundaries. Dili signed the 2002 TST "without prejudice" to a final settlement of the sea boundary. At every meeting since then, Canberra has blocked any such settlement.

For the Howard government, and its supporters in the Labor Party opposition, the stakes are higher than just the royalties from the disputed fields. Among other things, Canberra fears that a renegotiated border with Dili will invite Jakarta to dispute the boundary with Indonesia established by the 1972 treaty, which Suharto allowed to favour Australia in return for political support for his regime.

Downer raised this concern again as the Dili talks began on April 26. "We're talking this issue through because what Australia doesn't want is to unravel all of our maritime boundaries which have been laboriously negotiated over many years with all of our neighbours." This factor in part explains Canberra's arrogant treatment toward East Timor's negotiators and the callousness displayed toward the welfare of the population it claimed to have "liberated" in 1999.

While the meetings have been closed, leaked transcripts of the November 2002 negotiations give the flavour of four years of intimidation by the Australian representatives. Downer threatened to scuttle the commencement of the Bayu-Undan field, by refusing to ratify the TST, unless Dili agreed to the separate IUA covering the Greater Sunrise field.

Downer declared: "We can stop everything." Modifying the maritime boundaries, Downer insisted, was out of the question. "You can demand that forever for all I care," he told the Timorese, "you can continue to demand, but if you want to make money, you should conclude an agreement quickly.... We are very tough. We will not care if you give information to the media. Let me give you a tutorial in politics-not a chance."

Six years after East Timor's so-called "liberation", 40 percent of the population still live on 50 cents a day or less, life expectancy is just 40 years and the statelet's infant and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world. The plunder of the region's oil and gas wealth by Australian-based interests will perpetuate this suffering.

East Timor's wait for Sunrise

The Australian - May 16, 2005

Tim Boreham and Karen Brown -- East Timor will have to wait at least a decade to see any economic benefit from the Greater Sunrise gas field, with the $5 billion project slipping down the list of operator Woodside Petroleum's priorities.

According to industry analysts, the agreement between the Australian and East Timor governments on revenue-sharing provides much-needed certainty. The trouble is that Woodside's focus has turned to other priorities, such as its $11 billion Gorgon field on the North West Shelf.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said that last week's final round of the year-long negotiations had been successful. Under the expected ratified agreement, royalty revenues from the Greater Sunrise field will be shared 50-50 between the two countries.

East Timor's Government had refused to ratify a 2003 agreement which gave the struggling nation only an 18 per cent share.

The Greater Sunrise field, in the Timor Sea, contains an estimated 8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 300 million barrels of condensate, worth more than $40 billion at current market prices.

The project is expected to generate $10-12 billion in royalties over a 25-year life.

Commonwealth Securities senior energy analyst Peter Harris yesterday said the revenue agreement provided the "right environment" for the mothballed project eventually to go ahead.

"But Woodside have pretty much packed up their production team," he said. "Development would not take place until at least 10 to 12 years even if the agreement was signed tomorrow."

Mr Harris said Woodside and joint venture partner Shell had better options, including Gorgon and the Browse development off Broome. Last month, Woodside reported its Pluto gas discovery on the NW Shelf was bigger than expected.

Mr Harris also doubted whether Woodside would commit to building infrastructure in East Timor to support the project, given uncertainties, including the lack of contracted customers to buy the gas.

Woodside spokesman Roger Martin said the company welcomed the progress in the negotiations. "But we still need legal, fiscal and regulatory certainty before the project can proceed," he said.

While Mr Downer said the agreement would provide more work opportunities for the East Timorese, it is understood Woodside has no obligation to construct support facilities there.

One vaunted option is for the company to create a new LNG processing plant in East Timor, rather than shipping it to an existing plant in Darwin or using a floating facility.

Woodside is expected to negotiate directly with the East Timorese on the options, which might include skill sharing schemes or a local office.

Are Timor talks a Downer?

Crikey.com - May 16, 2005

HT Lee -- The weekend media faithfully reported the foreign minister's announcement on Friday that last week's Timor Sea talks in Sydney with East Timor had finished successfully. But Alexander Downer's proclamation might be premature.

"There will probably be no further need for negotiations," Downer said in The Age. "The conclusion that the officials reached will be taken back to ministers in both East Timor and Australia and be given consideration."

Downer made his proclamation on the only Black Friday of the year -- and this omen held. East Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri immediately challenged report of the "conclusion" of talks in the strongest possible terms: "It's an absolute lie," Alkatiri told the Portuguese news agency Lusa. "There is no accord and, if there is one, in the terms announced it would be totally against my orientations. And, thus, void."

Alkatiri insisted that Dili's stance on bilateral negotiations remained unaltered: "Let us negotiate at the table and not under the pressure of the media," he told Lusa. A familiar pattern is emerging, according to activists who've followed events. "It's not the first time Mr Downer and his posse have claimed that all is well and settled, only to discover that the East Timorese side still had issues to resolve," says Dan Nicholson from Melbourne's Timor Sea Justice Campaign.

Rob Wesley-Smith from Darwin's Timor Sea Justice Campaign is heartened by Alkatiri's response. He accuses some members of East Timor's negotiating team of wanting any agreement in the short term, even if it severely disadvantages East Timor in the long term. He names this camp as negotiators Jose Texeira, Peter Galbraith and, from the outside, the "Bob Hawke" of East Timor politics, Jose Ramos Horta.

"Were the negotiators aware that should East Timor accept the agreement East Timor would for the duration of the agreement be denied the rights to lay claims to any future oil and gas finds just outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area?" asks Wesley- Smith.

It's not the first time East Timor's negotiating team appeared to get on the wrong side of Alkatiri. According to sources in East Timor, Alkatiri might only consider putting the boundary negotiation on hold for a short time in return for a minimum share of at least 50% of the lucrative Sunrise gas field with an estimated reserve of 2.05 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Under the terms of the Timor Sea Treaty, East Timor is currently entitled to only a 18% share. Alkatiri also wanted the downstream benefits. This means piping the gas to East Timor, rather than to Darwin.

What the negotiating team was bringing home to Alkatiri was still the one-off additional payment of not more than US$3.5 billion from the revenue of Sunrise; compared with an agreed fixed percentage share. And as an added inducement, some vague promises of helping East Timor set up some infrastructure to manufacture gas for local consumption. In return, East Timor had to agree to put on hold boundary negotiations for between 50 and 99 years.

According to participants on the online East Timorese discussion group Forum-loriku, the deal on offer amounts to giving away East Timor's sovereignty in exchange for a few seashells. If Alkatiri accepts this deal he faces defeat at the next election. It looks like it's back to the drawing board.

Doubts over Timor Sea deal

The Australian - May 14, 2005

Doubts have been raised over whether Australia and East Timor have reached an agreement to carve up multi-billion dollar oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea.

Talks have been drawn out over the past year and have stalled repeatedly over the disputed maritime boundary between Australia and its tiny neighbour. Australia has been accused of playing hardball over the resources -- worth an estimated $41 billion.

The latest round of negotiations concluded in Sydney yesterday, with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer saying they had been successful.

"We feel the discussions were very successful. There will probably be no further need for negotiations," Mr Downer told reporters. "The conclusion that the officials reached will be taken back to ministers in both East Timor and Australia and be given consideration," he said without releasing details.

It is thought the two countries have reached a deal which will defer a decision on permanent maritime boundaries for up to a century. In return, East Timor will get an extra two to five billion dollars from the most profitable Greater Sunrise gas field, according to some media reports today.

But the Melbourne-based Timor Sea Justice Campaign (TSJC) said Mr Downer had made positive sounds about the talks before with no real resolution.

"It's not the first time Mr Downer and his posse have claimed that all is well and settled only to discover that the East Timorese side still had issues to resolve," TSJC spokesman Dan Nicholson said.

Mr Nicholson described Australia's part in the negotiations as forcing a person dying of thirst to bargain for water.

"The Australian Government has taken full advantage of East Timor's desperation," Mr Nicholson said. "While East Timorese children are dying of preventable diseases, the Australian Government has been taking $1 million a day in contested oil and gas royalties."

Prime Minister John Howard, speaking at the Timber Communities Australia national conference in Tasmania, dismissed the criticism.

"You can never guarantee that unreasonable criticism will stop when you have a fair outcome," he told reporters. "All I can say is that we haven't behaved unfairly to East Timor. We've been very generous to East Timor and I hope the matter is fully resolved in a way that is fair and satisfactory to the both sides."

Australia and East Timor signed an interim deal in 2002 -- the Timor Sea Treaty -- to handle the oil and gas resources in what is known as the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA).

Under the deal, East Timor receives 90 per cent of more than $10.2 billion generated from inside the area and Australia gets 10 per cent.

But the bulk of the oil and gas reserves, including the lucrative Greater Sunrise gas field worth around $9 billion, fall outside the JPDA.

Australia, Timor complete talks on Timor Sea pact

Bloomberg News - May 13, 2005

Australia and East Timor completed the latest, and possibly last, round of talks between officials on the split of royalties from oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

"Further substantial progress" was made during the talks, which ended in Sydney today, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in an e-mail. The dispute over royalties and sea boundaries caused Woodside Petroleum Ltd. to halt work Dec. 31 on its proposed $3.7 billion Sunrise gas project.

The two countries last month agreed on "key elements" of a revenue-sharing pact that may provide East Timor with as much as A$5 billion ($3.9 billion) of additional revenue, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on April 29. As part of the deal, East Timor agreed to ratify an accord on the Sunrise project and to defer talks on permanent sea borders, he said.

"There is unlikely to be a need for a further round of negotiations," the department said. "There will now be further consideration of the overall package at the political level in East Timor."

East Timor, or Timor-Leste, broke away from Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest oil producer, in May 2002 after a 24- year armed struggle. It started talks in April 2004 with Australia in a bid to extend its boundaries to a mid-point between the two countries, which would place all of ConocoPhillips's Bayu-Undan gas field, the Sunrise, Laminaria, and Corallina fields customers under East Timor's jurisdiction.

Last year, East Timor declined to ratify a treaty on revenue- sharing from the Sunrise project, saying the existing boundary gives Australia too big a share of royalties.

The agreement between Australia and East Timor could result in East Timor receiving between A$2 billion and A$5 billion depending on oil and gas prices, in addition to its 90 percent share of royalties from fields in an area jointly administered by Australia and East Timor, Downer said April 29.

The months of negotiations between the two countries were "little more than a waiting game" as Australia was able to stall until the smaller country "buckled under financial strain," Stratfor, an Austin, Texas-based intelligence provider, said May 2.

"The Timorese, needing fast cash flow, were forced to accept the Australians' offer in order to survive, regardless of their position in the sea boundary dispute," Stratfor said.

Woodside and its partners in Sunrise, which include Royal Dutch/Shell Group and ConocoPhillips, will wait for "legal and fiscal certainty" before resuming work on the project, Roger Martin, a spokesman for the Perth-based company, said May 2. Osaka Gas Co. also owns a stake in the Sunrise field.

Alkatiri labels report of Timor Sea accord an 'absolute lie'

Lusa - May 13, 2005

Dili -- East Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri denied a report Friday that Dili and Canberra had reached a tentative agreement on the sharing of Timor Sea oil and natural gas revenues, labeling the Australian media report an "absolute lie".

"It's an absolute lie", Alkatiri told Lusa. There is no accord and, if there is one, in the terms announced by ABC, it would be totally against my orientations. And, thus, void".

Bilateral negotiations continued, Alkatiri said, adding that Dili's stance "remains unaltered". "Let us negotiate at the table and not under the pressure of the media", he told Lusa.

Alkatiri+s vehement denial that an accord had been reached, ending a year of snail-paced negotiations, followed a report Friday on Australia's ABC television on-line edition that the two sides had reached a compromise solution, delaying discussions of their maritime border dispute in exchange for large payments to Dili from oil and natural gas operations in the Timor Sea.

ABC on-line said bilateral delegations, meeting in Sydney, had given their OK to a pre-accord based on a draft understanding reached in Dili on April 29.

According to the report, the agreement stipulates that the Timorese parliament must ratify the 2002 International Utilization Accord establishing the framework for operations in disputed areas of the Timor Sea, a document already ratified by Australian lawmakers.

The agreement, denied by Alkatiri, reportedly calls for East Timor to receive up to USD 5 billion over the next 30 to 40 years, while delaying a resumption of negotiations over the maritime border until 2065.

A draft accord would have to be approved by the Dili and Canberra governments.

The alleged accord, as reported by ABC, reaffirms that Dili will continue to receive the lion's share -- 90% -- of revenues from a joint operations zone that is already under development.

The compromise agreement under negotiation has been described as arising from Alkatiri's recent challenge for the deadlocked parties to seek a "creative solution" for the economically crippling impasse.

Under the reported deal, payments to East Timor will depend on oil price fluctuations and the life of the offshore oil fields, but were set at up to USD 5 billion over the next three or four decades.

After the initial pre-agreement in Dili in April, Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta described the solution as a "significant advance", opening the way for "a new era in bilateral relations and economic cooperation".

The border dispute has held up development of the hydrocarbon- rich Timor Sea.

During the difficult one-year-old negotiations, Dili had insisted the border be set according to international norms halfway between the two countries coasts, a framework that would assure it most of the undersea resources.

Canberra, on the other hand, defended the current demarcation it agreed with Indonesia, East Timor's former occupier, one that gives weight to exceptional cases where the continental shelf is the determining factor.

Greens senator denounces Timor Sea offer

Green Left Weekly - May 11, 2005

Vannessa Hearman -- On April 29, Greens Senator Kerry Nettle met with local East Timorese in Darwin and condemned the "resource- sharing" deal offered to the Timorese by the federal Coalition government as "manifestly unfair". She said that the deal currently offered to the Timorese would "rob East Timor of at least $40 billion in revenue".

Nettle challenged Labor leader Kim Beazley to pledge that a future Labor government would refer the boundary negotiations between Australia and East Timor to the International Court of Justice.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin welcomed the imminent deal between Australia and East Timor, arguing that the winners would be "territory business -- and Timor Leste". Yet under this deal, the most lucrative hydrocarbon field, the Greater Sunrise natural gas field, would be divided most inequitably -- with East Timor getting less than 20% of the royalties, whereas it could be entitled to up to 100% of the royalties were the boundaries to be re-drawn using the median line between the two countries.

In recently issued letters to constituents defending the government's stance on the Timor Sea, Coalition MPs have claimed that Australia has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to East Timor. They have also argued that Australia's withdrawal from international jurisdiction on this issue "reflects the government's view that such disputes are best settled by negotiation, not litigation".

Liberal MP Kevin Andrews' letter stakes a claim on Australia's exclusive rights to "all reservoirs lying outside the Timor Sea Treaty JPDA [Joint Petroleum Development Area]" on the grounds that these fields were negotiated under the 1972 Australia- Indonesia Seabed Boundary Agreement. His letter argues that East Timor has made "ambit claims" to these fields which "Australia rightly exercises exclusive sovereign rights". Therefore, according to Andrews, Australia has no obligation to put any proceeds from the oil fields outside of the JPDA into a trust account.

Tomas Freitas, a Timorese activist in Dili with the Movement against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT), told Green Left Weekly that MKOTT is awaiting clarification from East Timorese Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's office about what the contents of the deal are. Until then, MKOTT continues to adhere to the principle that the maritime boundary delimitation is key to this struggle.

Tom Clarke, spokesperson for the Timor Sea Justice Campaign, accused the Australian government of being fearful of the outcome of any international legal proceedings on the Timor Sea issue. "Whatever the percentage split they end up settling on for the $50 billion Greater Sunrise field, it must be remembered that under international law, East Timor has a very strong legal claim over the field, while the Australian government has such a lack of confidence in its legal argument, that it pre-emptively withdrew recognition of the maritime boundary jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice", he said.

The Timor Sea Justice Campaign is calling on all supporters to continue to exert pressure on the Australian government pending further meetings between the two governments. At this stage, meetings are scheduled to take place in Sydney or Brisbane around May 11.

Timor Sea Oil and Gas

ABC Radio National - May 10, 2005

Helen Hill -- On Wednesday in Brisbane, East Timorese and Australian negotiators will again meet to debate rights to the taxation revenues in the Timor Sea.

To most Timorese, this is about determining permanent maritime boundaries with Australia, which they never had and which they regard as their right and part of self-determination.

To the Australian negotiators however, its about creating a legal and financial framework to enable oil and gas investors to begin extracting the hydrocarbons below the sea, and finding a market as soon as possible.

And the vehicle they have chosen to do this is the Timor Sea Treaty, based largely on one negotiated by Gareth Evans and Ali Alatas of Indonesia back in 1989!

Australia admitted what a bad deal it had given the Indonesian's when it gave the Timorese 90% of royalties from the joint development area, in comparison to the Indonesians 50%. Alexander Downer always describes this as 'very generous', but fails to mention that the 90:10 split only operates in one part of the area of overlapping claims, and that the most lucrative oil fields are outside it.

The Greater Sunrise Unitization Agreement was produced by the Australians and attached to the main Timor Sea Treaty for signature by the Timor's Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri at independence in May 2002. It allocates Australia 82% of the revenue from one of the biggest oilfields while East Timor, far closer to Greater Sunrise, gets only 18%. This agreement has still not been ratified by the Timorese Parliament as public opinion in Timor regards it as inequitable.

The Timor Sea Treaty does not prejudice the negotiation of permanent maritime boundaries, and would cease once such boundaries were determined.

Australia, however, wishes to prolong the life of the Treaty, at least until all oil and gas is gone.

After negotiations began, it soon became clear that while Timor- Leste was thinking of 3-5 years as the time by which it should aim to have a permanent maritime boundary with Australia, the Australian government was attempting to put it off for 100 years.

Timor's leaders are now in a difficult position as they need to maintain good relations with the Australian government to give confidence to the companies to invest. They have also been devising 'state of the art' petroleum legislation for fields in their undisputed waters with the assistance of Norway. But they have no way of appealing to the international community for a legal opinion as Australia withdrew itself from the jurisdiction of both the World Court and International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea just before Timor became independent.

However parts of the international community have come to their aid; US Congress members wrote to John Howard and Alexander Downer and the French newspaper Le Monde, editorialised on the case. In Australia, members of churches and humanitarian organisations wrote to their members of Parliament calling for a solution in keeping with international law.

But the response from Downer has been extraordinary, rather than answering his critics with careful argument he has tried to sow confusion between the actual justice of the case and the motivation of people for taking it up.

No one is saying Australia should give away its territory to Timor because it is a poor country, yet he tries to portray his critics as saying just this. When Channel 7's David Koch refused to fall for this one the result was quite comic.

As the two governments were so far apart in their negotiating positions both sides took the view that a 'Creative solution' was necessary. This is one based on not on international law but presumably negotiating prowess and the relative strength of the two countries. It would require the Timorese to postpone their aspirations for permanent maritime boundaries in exchange for some greater percentage of revenues.

One suggestion has been to give Timor a much greater percentage of Greater Sunrise in exchange for postponing their boundary claims. If the figure of 3.9 billion extra quoted by Downer following the last negotiations is accepted by the Timorese, the percentage will only have been raised from 18 to around 50. Timor will have a difficult decision to make, as they believe they could well be entitled to nearly 100 percent under international law.

We live in a world where small countries always lose out to large countries. Whatever the outcome in Brisbane it will not be lost on the other small countries in the region.

Downer's spin and the East Timor talks

Crikey.com.au - May 9, 2005

HT Lee -- The next round of talks between East Timor and Australia over the Timor Sea oil and gas riches begins on Wednesday in Sydney -- just in time to be buried in the post- budget avalanche. Foreign Minister Lord Downer hopes the talks will tie up the loose ends to the creative solutions proposed by his East Timorese counterpart Jose Ramos-Horta.

Under the proposal, East Timor will forgo its claim to maritime boundary for 99 years, in return for a one-off additional payment of not more than $5 billion from the revenue of Greater Sunrise. Both Downer and Horta hope the talks can be finalised in Sydney. However, should there be a hitch hardly anyone would notice it. All the attention in town would be about Costello's budget. And the implanted impression through Downer's spin will still be "Deal reached on Timor Sea oil" as reported by Cynthia Banham in the SMH two weeks ago.

Unfortunately for Downer and Horta their smooth sailing double act is heading towards some troubled waters. The local East Timorese NGOs are not pleased with the deal. Demonstrations are being planned.

And long time Darwin East Timorese activist Rob Wesley Smith has written an open letter to Jose Ramos Horta: "Timor Sea Skulduggery," posted on the online Timor Sea Justice discussion group - http://www.TimorSeaJustice.org/.

The proposed "creative solution", according to Wesley, is short- changing the East Timorese to the tune of billions of dollars in revenue. And he accuses Horta of wanting to "enhance his credentials as a peacemaker to strengthen his claims to be the next Secretary General of the UN." Wesley also pointed out that, according to an AGE article this week, the Sunrise project would not even get started until after 2015 with the first oil and gas on that scenario unlikely to flow until after 2020. So why the hurry?

Is there any truth in Wesley's accusations? The creative solution was first raised in August last year by Horta and Downer. They announced a breakthrough at a joint press conference in Canberra: "We will continue to talk in the next few weeks to work out the details of this arrangement so it is satisfactory to all of us," Downer said. "We have the basic ideas, I think we can meet halfway in the approach and now we just need to work out the details."

Some East Timorese supporters accused Horta of doing his mate Downer a favour because that announcement neutralised the Timor Sea dispute as an election issue. According to sources in East Timor, the creative solution was initiated by Horta and supported by Galbraith.

The deal was for a one-off payment of US$10 billion. In return, East Timor would undertake to put the boundary negotiations on hold for a period up to 99 years -- known as the Hong Kong solution.

At the September round of talks in Canberra, Australia bargained the figure down to US$3 billion. It was agreed that the December round of talks would finalise the deal. However, it appeared the East Timorese negotiators had overstepped their brief from Prime Minister Alkatiri. He took objection to the proposal and insisted that the boundary negotiations would continue.

The Australian negotiators, according to our sources, had no choice but to announced the talks had broken down because the East Timorese had changed the goal posts. The purpose of the announcement was to give the impression the Hong Kong solution was an Australian idea -- protecting the real identities of those who initiated it. Woodside in many ways was pleased the IUA was not ratified by last December because it gave it an out to delay the Sunrise project. They have other more pressing commitments at Browse Basin and other overseas projects. In fact they have pulled out all their engineers from Sunrise to Browse Basin.

In spite of Downer's spin, East Timor is not getting a greater share of Greater Sunrise. Its share of the rich oil and gas reserves is still restricted to the current boundary of the Joint Petroleum Development Area (JPDA) -- 18% of Greater Sunrise; 90% of Bayu Undan; and no share from Laminara/Corralina. The three oil and gas fields have total reserves of 3.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) - Bayu Undan 1.05 billion BOE; Greater Sunrise 2.05 billion BOE; and Laminara/Corralina 0.2 billion BOE. And East Timor's share is still less than 40%.

The US$3.5 billion now on offer can be described as creative accounting. The price of oil has more than doubled since the January 2003 price of US$20 per barrel. According to oil and gas consultant Geoff McKee the all up government take from Sunrise has risen from US$18.5 billion to $US40 billion based on present day value of around US$50 per barrel.

And if you add up the Australian share of the windfall from Bayu Undan and Laminara/Corralina you will get a figure of more than US$3.5 billion without even adding up the windfall from Sunrise.

The creative solution proposal does not include the "with the stroke of the pen" solution first raised by the late Andrew McNaughtan three years ago. To overcome the boundary problems with our neighbours, McNaughtan suggested that Australia could, under the terms of the Timor Sea, Treaty deem East Timor to received a greater share of Greater Sunrise than the 18% to which it is currently entitled.

Alternatively, Australia could agree to expand the boundary of the JPDA to be as close as possible to the boundary claimed by East Timor.

Any oil and gas revenue in the new expanded JPDA could then be shared between Australia and East Timor using a new formula to that of the present 90:10 in favour of East Timor.

McNaughtan handed in his proposals in person to Horta in late 2003 - just before his untimely death. However, Horta appears not to have given McNaughtan's stroke-of-the-pen solution any thought. All the spin and leaks to the media of the success of last month's talks came from Downer and DFAT. This, according to our sources, is to put pressure on Alkatiri and East Timor's parliament to ratify the deal. We now eagerly await the outcome of the Sydney talks.

Timor Sea TV ads banned again

Green Left Weekly - May 4, 2005

Vannessa Hearman, Melbourne -- As talks between East Timor and Australia re-commenced in Dili, the Timor Sea Justice Campaign (TSJC) was notified on April 27 that its latest television commercials were again refused broadcast by TV stations. The ads, written and financed by businessman Ian Melrose, were refused clearance by the Commercials Advice Division of Free TV Australia on the grounds that they could be defamatory.

The ads featured World War II veterans claiming that PM John Howard's actions over the Timor Sea made them ashamed. Marvin "Doc" Wheetly, who served in the 2/2 Independent Company said he owed his life to the East Timorese people. "John Howard, you are making me ashamed", he said in one of the banned ads.

Melrose said that the ban was preventing Australians from understanding what was being committed by the government on behalf of the Australian people. "The Australian government is refusing to play by the rules. It has withdrawn recognition of the maritime boundary jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and it is depriving East Timor of billions of dollars which East Timor is legally entitled to. It doesn't want the Australian public to become aware of this", Melrose claimed. He added that war veterans had a right to express their views about the government's actions on the Timor Sea issue. The ads were to be screened in the week following ANZAC day, while maritime boundary negotiations were held in East Timor. In March, television networks Seven and SBS refused to screen TSJC's ads, which included the sentence "Stealing kills children".

Digger protests for Timor's oil

Green Left Weekly - May 4, 2005

Pip Hinman, Sydney -- Paddy Keneally, a former wharfie and Australian commander in East Timor, condemned the Coalition government for stealing Timor's oil at a rally in Martin Place on April 26. The same day, talks resumed in Dili between Timorese and Australian authorities over the disputed oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

The protest, organised by the Australia East Timor Association (AETA) and supported by the Timor Sea Justice Campaign (TSJC), marched to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) offices to lodge a copy of a letter titled "Your friends will never forget you". This letter was dropped over East Timor during the second world war by the Australian air force, but now had "CANCELLED" scrawled over it.

An emotional Timorese woman, Ina Bradbidge from HOPE, told the protest that her people did not need "aid", but only needed "what is ours". Jeff Lee from AETA explained that while East Timor has an annual budget of just $100 million, Australia takes millions of dollars in oil and gas royalties from the Timor Sea.

Max Lane from Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific described the current sea boundary, negotiated with Indonesia's former dictator president Suharto, as "a border negotiated with the blood of 200,000 East Timorese lives" and argued that the Timorese needed full sovereignty, not blood money.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow urged the government to "stop short-changing maritime boundaries and government royalties", adding that "it is in Australia's best interests to have a prosperous and stable East Timor as our neighbour". The ACTU wants East Timorese people to be employed on the rigs and platforms in the Timor Sea.

Margarita Windisch reports from Melbourne that government offices at Casselden Place were encircled by hundreds of postcards to Howard, signed by supporters of the TSJC.

TSJC spokesperson Vannessa Hearman urged protesters to continue to strengthen the campaign to ensure that the "Timorese are in the best bargaining position possible".

"Because our government refuses to submit to international law, the best hope the Timorese people have is to rely on public pressure here and elsewhere to win this dispute." Timorese activist Alex Tilman reflected on the experiences of his family in East Timor, including those who fought alongside Australian soldiers in the second world war. Tilman said the Timorese still have no access to basic health care and properly-equipped schools and that "the funds from the Timor Sea" are "really needed in East Timor".

Tilman, along with the TSJC's Tom Clarke and businessman Ian Melrose, handed the postcards to DFAT representatives after the rally.

Australia forces deferral of Timor boundary resolution

Green Left Weekly - May 4, 2005

Jon Lamb -- Three days of negotiations over the disputed maritime boundary between East Timor and Australia concluded in Dili on April 29.

Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer announced that in exchange for East Timor's agreement to defer the resolution of the maritime boundary, Australia has agreed to concede a percentage of revenues from the Greater Sunrise field to East Timor. What this percentage will be has not been revealed, but according to Downer, it could add a miserly $2-$5 billion to East Timor's entitlements.

If the maritime boundary between the two countries was set according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, most if not all of Greater Sunrise would be in East Timorese territory, entitling the cash-strapped country to an expected $40-$50 billion in government royalties.

According to the April 30 Sydney Morning Herald, East Timor agreed to defer a maritime boundary agreement for 50 to 60 years.

Public protests and lobbying in Australia and East Timor intensified during the recent negotiations, adding to the growing pressure against PM John Howard's illegal grab for East Timor's oil and gas reserves.

In keeping with the government line pursued since negotiations in 1999, Downer repeated the stock-standard lies that "we've been enormously generous to East Timor" and that East Timor would not be free "if it hadn't been for the Howard government".

As supporters of East Timor have correctly pointed out, the "generosity" has come from East Timor, with the Australian government acquiring royalties in excess of $2 billion (around $1 million a day) from the Laminaria-Corallina oil field since 1999. This field, which is close to being pumped dry, lies within seabed territory that rightfully belongs to East Timor. Another brazen lie was sprouted by Downer in comments reported by ABC Online on April 26. "It's sometimes presented to the Australian public that if we drew a median line between Australia and East Timor, East Timor would get more than they get now -- that's not right", and "If you drew a median line, they may end up with a good deal less than 90% [of royalties from the JPDA -- Joint Petroleum Development Agreement]".

These statements are completely false and intended to sow confusion. If the median line was the location of the maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor, then East Timor would receive 100% of the oil and gas royalties in the JPDA. In addition to this, it would almost certainly receive 100% of Greater Sunrise (which overlaps the JPDA) and 100% of Laminaria- Corallina.

A statement released by the East Timor NGO Forum on April 26 called on the Australian government "to return to the international dispute resolution process for maritime boundaries of the International Court for Justice and the International Court for the Law of the Sea" and to "cease exploration of the Laminaria-Corallina and other fields in the disputed territory, including the granting of new licences".

The statement also requested that the government of East Timor "not rush in obtaining an agreement for the exploration of Greater Sunrise; it is more important that you determine a maritime boundary and a lateral boundary based on international law".

Further discussions between the two countries will take place in Brisbane on May 11.

Timor Sea oil - a question of sovereignty

Green Left Weekly - May 4, 2005

Sibylle Kaczorek -- As the Australian government continues its attempted theft of Timorese oil, solidarity from Australians with the Timorese becomes more important than ever. At Easter, Tomas Freitas, a spokesperson from the East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Development, was a guest at the third Asia-Pacific International Solidarity Conference in Sydney. He explained the position of institute on the issue.

Freitas said that the issue of Timor Sea oil is primarily a question of sovereignty, not resources, and he argued for government transparency in all matters relating to East Timor's oil.

In 1972 Australia and Indonesia negotiated a maritime boundary determined by Australia's continental shelf, which at the time was recognised as in accordance with international practice. Portugal, then the colonial administrative power over East Timor, refused to take part in these negotiations. Subsequently, no maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor was set.

International law changed in 1982 and since then has stipulated that the maritime boundary between two countries with a distance of less than 400 nautical miles of sea between them shall be the mid-point.

In March 2002, only a two months prior to East Timor becoming formally independent, the Australian government took the extraordinary step of not recognising the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in determining maritime boundaries and rejected arbitration by the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. It did so to avoid the new East Timor government taking Australia to these international arbitration agencies to determine a maritime boundary based on international law. Without Australia recognising these international jurisdictions, East Timor is unable to enforce its rights.

Freitas said: "We do not agree with Australia on the continent shelf argument because the agreement was signed in 1972 between Indonesia and Australia. Now, we are a new country. The whole world, including the UN, recognises our sovereignty. That is why we demand a fair maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor." Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and terrorised the population. The Australian government decided that it was more advantageous to deal with Indonesia on the issue of oil and gas in the Timor Sea than an independent East Timor and thus condoned the Indonesian occupation.

Royalty income In 1989, Australia and Indonesia negotiated the Timor Gap Treaty -- a deal between the two countries dividing up the royalties from the Timor Sea's oil and gas within the area, which never saw a maritime boundary negotiated.

All of the royalties from the Laminaria-Corallina oil field are taken by Australia despite the fact that East Timor gained sovereignty in May 2002 and, under international law, the field is completely in East Timor's territory. This oil field will be exhausted within the next couple of years.

Production at Bayu-Undan oil field started in 2004 with a current share in royalty revenue of 90% for East Timor and 10% for Australia. The expected commercial life of this field is 15 years.

The major issue of contention relates to the Greater Sunrise gas field. As with Bayu-Undan, this field is also located within East Timor's territory, providing international law applies. The commercial life of this field is expected to be around 35 years.

When it comes to estimations of the productive value of these fields, the figures disseminated through the corporate media are substantially lower than the to-be-expected value, failing to take into account changes in demand and the price of oil and gas on the world market. Adjusted figures, for instance, estimate Greater Sunrise will produce A$52 billion rather than A$30 billion in government receipts.

Australia's current position on Greater Sunrise is a revenue split of 18% to East Timor and 82% to Australia.

According to Freitas, the East Timorese government has been pushed into a dilemma by the Australian government -- East Timor is forced to accept a few more crumbs off the revenue table for the postponement of a settlement on maritime boundaries for up to 100 years, when all the oil and gas in the Timor Sea is likely to be have been exhausted.

Freitas explained that "East Timor's government perspective on sovereignty is about how to control the oil and gas industry, how to create jobs and how to manage the money. That's what [Prime Minister] Mari Alkatiri said to us on what he meant by sovereignty. We told him that the important thing for us is to determine our boundary rights with Australia. Once the boundary is determined it is much easier to work out issues of production and revenue of the oil and gas resources, not like now where East Timor is getting 18% of Greater Sunrise.

"Determining the maritime boundary first will give us more control. We can decide to approach another company to drill for oil and gas and look for other fields. We can also decide if we do not want to develop a particular field; for instance we might decide that we do not have enough human resources to control the development. We could save a field for another 50 years and when East Timor has more experts, we can have real control about the development and the environmental impact." Pipeline to Timor? Sections of the international solidarity movement have argued for a gas pipeline to be built to East Timor rather than to Darwin. While Freitas agrees with this choice if posed in such a way, he has a different approach.

"A pipeline to Timor would risk damage to our land and sea that we are not able to deal with at this stage, like in Nigeria, where an oil pipeline caused massive destruction. The oil company was meant to repair and maintain the pipeline but it never did and the environmental consequences are massive. "Our government says that a pipeline will create jobs for Timorese. But what jobs would Timorese be able to do? The government talks about more than 10,000 jobs, but I think these jobs will be filled with people from Australia. Our people will end up mowing their lawns, doing their house cleaning.

"We are not ready for a pipeline yet. We don't have to exploit all of the resources now, even though we are a poor country. We also need to develop other sectors of the energy industry, solar power for example." Freitas reported to the conference that seven East Timorese activists representing organisations focusing on environmental issues, human rights, development, labour and women's rights travelled to Nigeria to observe and learn about the effects of petroleum activities on community development.

They observed the Akassa community, where ChevronTexaco had destroyed the rural fishing industry through incessant oil pollution. The delegation also visited the Kolo Creek community, where two huge flares from Shell's pipes had ravaged the local forests, streams and farmlands.

The Nigerian visit led the delegation to conclude that East Timor must be prepared to avoid similar scenarios through having greater transparency and accountability from petroleum management, and that independent oversight mechanisms must exist.

In the days before speaking at the Sydney conference, Freitas attended a meeting in London of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative. Initiated by the British government in June 2003, the proclaimed aims of the EITI is to ensure that the revenues from extractive industries contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction.

Freitas said: "I was invited by the British government, along with government and non-government representatives from other resource rich countries. The meeting was supported by all the big oil companies. One interesting thing about this meeting was that the agenda was all about transparency in the developing countries but nothing about transparency in the developed countries. The discussion was about how to create good conditions for business to explore the oil and gas in the developing countries.

"We recognise that we do not have the capacity to drill for oil and gas yet. But we know from examples around the world that oil and gas companies create disaster everywhere. Their work is never to the benefit of the people who own the oil and gas. I told the British secretary of state that for us it is not only important how to use the natural resources but also how to preserve the resources.

"One of the more important aspects of this meeting was to give our government the understanding that we are demanding full transparency about the oil and gas industry. Mari Alkatiri said that all information is published on the internet and I responded stating that this is not very meaningful with an illiteracy rate of 40% and hardly any access to the internet at all. Even among our NGOs there are only three or four who can access the internet, and that is how people are supposed to know about the industry!" Freitas talked about the implications of a lack of transparency on revenue management. "At the moment we do not have the information on how much money has actually come from Bayu- Undan. That information is not separated out. We also do not know where the money is held -- whether in Dili, Australia, the US or somewhere else.

"Our position is that the money should be invested in East Timor, for our future generations. This is the money of the people of East Timor, not of the Timorese government. We are not happy if the money is invested in the US banks, as this means lending the US money to buy weapons which they take to Iraq and kill innocent people." Freitas concluded: "Unless we can agree on a boundary with Australia, we do not know where the limits of our new country are, nor can we exploit all the resources that are rightfully ours. The future economic independence of East Timor relies on using the natural resources in an ecologically responsible and sustainable way."

Australia managed to out-wait cash-strapped Timor: Stratfor

Australian Associated Press - May 3, 2005

Canberra -- Australia has managed to out-wait a cash strapped East Timor in reaching agreement on lucrative Timor Sea oil and gas revenues, US-based strategic thinktank Stratfor says.

In an analysis of the deal which is set to be finalised in Brisbane on May 11, Stratfor said Dili was always likely to cave in.

"Canberra has very squarely brought East Timor -- a country it once aided in gaining independence from Indonesia -- to Canberra's mercy for its very survival," it said.

Under the agreement, East Timor will receive compensation for a portion of the oil development expected to come from the Timor Sea, in addition to the revenue granted in previous agreements.

Australia and East Timor also agreed to postpone talks regarding the exact settlement of maritime borders for an undisclosed period to bring back investors scared away by the prospect of a border dispute.

Stratfor, which is based in Austin, Texas, said the months of negotiations were little more than a waiting game.

"Australia had the bargaining position and financial resources to stall until the smaller country buckled under financial strain," it said.

"The Timorese, needing fast cash flow, were forced to accept the Australians' offer in order to survive, regardless of their position in the sea boundary dispute."

Stratfor said the extended postponement of the territorial settlement gave East Timor a glimmer of hope that at some stage, they might have sufficient leverage to gain more of the territory.

"However, any ultimate deal probably will allow for the conflict to be settled after oil and gas from the area already has been extracted, with no chance of further profits for the Timorese and thus no reason for conflict," it said.

"The Australians, on the other hand, can reap much quicker financial benefits from the postponement as there is little reason for those investing in the area to further delay explorations.

"Canberra also gets the bonus of additional strength to its security policy in the near abroad and more solid relations with Indonesia."

Stratfor describes itself in its website as the world's leading private intelligence provider, giving what is says is unbiased and accurate analysis of global activities to individuals, corporations, and government agencies.

'What the deal will mean for East Timor's economy'

ABC Radio National - May 2, 2005

Presented by Fran Kelly

The failure to resolve the differences between Australia and East Timor over the gas reserves has delayed large-scale developments like the natural gas field known as Greater Sunrise.

With the resources boom continuing, one consultant to the petroleum industry says revenue from stalled projects like Greater Sunrise could now be four times higher than figures currently used.

Geoff McKee is a lecturer in petroleum engineering at New South Wales University and has consulted on the Timor Sea since 1990. He spoke with us on Radio National Breakfast.

Under a deal being touted, East Timor will receive additional revenues of up to five billion dollars, although a decision on the sea-bed boundary would be deferred.

After independence, East Timor's infrastructure was virtually destroyed and now, six years on, the rebuilding has been painfully slow.

Fran Kelly: Let's stay with East Timor because the failure to resolve its differences with Australia over the Timor Sea has delayed large scale developments like the natural gas field known as Greater Sunrise.

With the resources boom continuing, one consultant to the petroleum industry now says revenue from stalled projects like Greater Sunrise could be four times higher than figures currently used. Geoff McKee is a lecturer in petroleum engineering at New South Wales University and has also been a consultant on the Timor Sea since 1990. He says an increase in crude oil prices make old revenue estimates for Sunrise grossly inadequate. Geoff joins us now.

There's a lost of confusion on Timor Sea and oil and gas revenues. What's your take on this offer of revenue sharing which Alexander Downer says may be worth up to 5 billion dollars?

Geoff McKee: What I'd like to do is to try and encapsulate exactly what the problem is. Because there's a lot of confusion in Australia as to what the problem is between East Timor and Australia after the ratification of the Timor Sea Treaty.

Fran Kelly: I'm warning you Geoff, we've only got five or six minutes for this.

Geoff McKee: OK, I'll just be quick here. My synopsis is that THE problem is the Timor Sea Treaty itself -- and specifically "Annex E".

That is the problem. Now we need to define what the problem IS and what it IS NOT. It is not a legal problem because the Timor Sea Treaty is in fact consistent with international law. The problem is a political problem in Dili where the government is finding it difficult to sell the Timor Sea Treaty -- particularly "Annex E" -- to the people of East Timor. Therefore it [the government of East Timor] needs a solution to this problem. This problem manifests itself in Canberra because it has led to reluctance by the East Timorese parliament to ratify, in effect, "Annex E" of the Timor Tea Treaty, which gives 80% of the Sunrises field to Australia.

So how can the problem be fixed? There are two methods. "Method 1" is to simply terminate the Treaty. And this was the preferred method of the East Timorese Prime Minister and most of the people in East Timor.

That method has proved not possible because of Australian intransigence to agree on permanent seabed boundaries. So hence we now have "Method 2" which is to retain the Treaty and simply pay East Timor to sign "Annex E" of the Treaty which in effect is the "International Unitisation Agreement" [for the Greater Sunrise field]. And the payment appears, as you say, to be in the region of 5 billion dollars.

Fran Kelly: As I understand it, it's a revenue sharing deal, but I guess the question is ... share of what? Because if we look -- the Greater Sunrise field which the major field people are talking about developing now -- it hasn't started, it has been delayed, they don't even have a buyer yet for their oil and gas. Potentially what's it worth? That's the question.

Geoff McKee: Well that's a very good question because it seems to me that the 5 billion is somehow linked to the valuation of [future] government revenue from the Sunrise field. In fact in the Sydney Morning Herald this last weekend there was an article by Cynthia Banham -- it says here "the East Timorese estimate the total government revenue from the Greater Sunrise field to be worth 10 billion dollars and therefore that this deal could be in the vicinity of a 50-50 split [of Sunrise government revenue].

Fran Kelly: So they're putting the price of Greater Sunrise -- its worth then -- at 10 billion. Do you think its worth more than that? Is that right?

Geoff McKee: It is worth more that that. Quite frankly, I think that [the 10 billion figure] is simply government "spin" -- [aimed at] trying to sell the idea of a 50-50 split of Sunrise. My calculations show that the government revenue is more like 40 billion [US dollars] -- when you put in more realistic assumptions for the price of crude oil. That's 25 billion dollars in "government take" and another 14 billion dollars in income tax paid by the joint venture partners, totalling about 39 billion -- or let's say 40 billion. So if they wanted to do a 50-50 split [of Sunrise revenue], Australia should be paying 20 billion.

Fran Kelly: I suppose there's no fixed limit on this. Alexander Downer is saying that the prediction is this will be worth about 5 billion. He's not saying that this will not be worth 20 billion if that's what the oil price gets worth.

Geoff McKee: Well, we'll have to see the details. But let me say I can share Helder da Costa's caution about this. There is a certain amount of caution and confusion about this particular solution to the political problem in Dili. And that's what we're doing. We're giving money to Dili to help them solve their political problem and in exchange they sign the "International Unitisation Agreement" -- and everything is settled! I'd like to say... I've got seven reasons here why I don't think that his deal is going to work.

Fran Kelly: I haven't got time for seven reasons Geoff!

Geoff McKee: (laughing) OK then.

Fran Kelly: But Geoff we'll talk about this more. This story is going to develop obviously over time as you've mentioned. And I'm sure well be speaking about it again. Thanks very much for joining us.

Geoff McKee: OK, you're welcome.

Fran Kelly: That's Geoff McKee, lecturer in Petroleum Engineering at University of New South Wales and a consultant on the Timor Sea since 1990. [ends]

The seven reasons Geoff was going to elaborate on were given to me as follows:

1) pragmatic (won't fix political problem since NGO's in Dili will still be angry at a perceived sell-out of maritime entitlements)

2) unnecessary at this time (indecent haste)

3) "compensation" is inadequate in view of Sunrise evaluation

4) not good for development of democracy in Timor Leste

5) ignores the most important benefit to the people of Timor Leste (Downstream infrastructure fixed direct investment)

6) built on a "lie" (not a "creative solution", in fact quite the oppostite, the most non-creative solution possible)

7) Timor Leste has no reason to extend the time for withholding seabed boundary claims, which already is 30 years under the TST, to 50 or 100 years.

 Transition & reconstruction

East Timor's best chance

Sydney Morning Herald Editorial - May 24, 2005

The Australian-led military intervention in East Timor is considered one of the most successful peacekeeping missions in history. From the rubble of 1999 a mostly stable democratic nation has emerged. When the last of the United Nations peacekeepers pulled out over the weekend, there was good reason to celebrate. Apart from a small contingent of civilian advisers, the UN's mission in East Timor is over. Three years after gaining independence, East Timor is standing alone.

But those who hail East Timor as a textbook model are mainly international experts and diplomats who understand the slow and arduous process of nation-building. The new nation had to be built from scratch because the scorched-earth policy of departing Indonesian troops ensured only chaos was left behind. East Timor had no experience of self-rule, a dire shortage of skilled locals to fill key positions in the bureaucracy, judiciary and security forces, and an entire generation of former pro-independence guerilla fighters to bring in from the jungle. But so much hope had been invested in the independence campaign, and so much sacrificed to it, that popular expectations soared. Many East Timorese have been disappointed.

Those old enemies -- poverty, malnutrition, child mortality, illiteracy, and unemployment -- still haunt their lives.

At the weekend, the President, Xanana Gusmao, reiterated the sombre message that much hard work and sacrifice still lie ahead. Demonstrations and unrest this year suggest public patience is fraying, especially with those members of the new political elite who seem to have come into money, despite their nation's extreme hardship. And with the departure of the UN goes much of the cash which has temporarily buoyed the local economy, and many of the service jobs which supported the international deployment.

It is more urgent than ever for East Timor to gain access to oil and gas revenue from the Timor Sea.

The resolution of the dispute with Australia over the Timor Sea deposits is reportedly imminent. East Timor is expecting a fiscal lifeline worth about $5 billion. The money, however, is no guarantee of prosperity. Poorly governed nations such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea have demonstrated how quickly earnings from finite resources can be squandered. East Timor has a sound long- term investment plan on the books, but much depends on whether the oil and gas revenue can be turned into jobs. With only 800,000 people, no viable industries and barely a trickle of exports, such as coffee and handicrafts, there is no simple answer to East Timor's economic woes.

Australia has much invested in East Timor's future; our security depends on a viable, secure nation to our north. But there is more to it than that.

Australian goodwill dates to World War II. Canberra's reported agreement to share Timor Sea oil and gas revenue more equitably will smooth over an unhappy diplomatic rift. Most importantly, it will give East Timor a realistic chance at self-reliance. How it handles that chance is the real test of the UN mission's success.

Lack of UN peacekeepers worries Dili's leaders

Lusa - May 19, 2005

Dili -- East Timor's political and military leaders unanimously criticized Thursday the UN Security Council's decision to ignore Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation that the new, pruned-back UN mission include a symbolic peacekeeping force.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri told Lusa it was "fortunate" for Dili that the UN was maintaining for one more year a "political mission" in the country.

Alkatiri noted, however, that the Security Council's axing of a peacekeeping component in the new UNOTIL mission, which assumes it mandate Friday, would oblige his cash-strapped administration to make additional investments in its fledgling defense structures.

Annan, who had recommended that UNOTIL include a 144-strong peacekeeping unit, told the Security Council that Dili had advised it was unable to assure security for UN and other international personnel.

In comments to Lusa, Foreign Minister Josi Ramos Horta, pointing his finger at Washington, described the council's decision earlier this week as a short-sighted option to save "some more money".

"Fundamentally", Ramos Horta said, the council overrode Annan's recommendation at the insistence of those, "particularly" the United States, who wanted to "save the maximum in order to transfer savings to other concerns, such as Iraq and Afghanistan".

The chief of staff of Dili's fledgling Defense Force, Brig. Gen.

Taur Matan Ruak, echoed the preoccupations of the country's political leaders, telling Lusa the Security Council appeared to have "no notion of what it's like to have a (UN) mission in East Timor without support" of peacekeepers.

"These people", the Security Council, Gen. Matan Ruak said, "will have to assume the responsibility for that which will arise later".

Annan had warned the council that an extended UN mission without a peacekeeping component would have a "negative impact" on East Timor's security and in other key areas.

East Timor peacekeeping mission ends

Sydney Morning Herald - May 19, 2005

The United Nations has marked the end of its peacekeeping operations on East Timor, celebrating a mission credited with bringing stability to the tiny country following its bloody break with Indonesia in 1999.

But while the last peacekeepers are to head home, a scaled-down UN presence will remain in the impoverished country for another year.

Spurred by concerns about East Timor's stability, the Security Council has delayed a full pullout in favour of reducing staff from the current 900 to about 275 military, police and government advisers.

"Your role throughout these challenging years has been in essence to make peace, keep peace and strengthen peace," East Timor President Xanana Gusmao told about 200 people at a UN compound in Dili following a military parade.

"And in East Timor, you have succeeded admirably." Gusmao invoked the memory of two soldiers -- one from New Zealand, one from Nepal -- who died in the clashes with pro-Jakarta militiamen who went on spree of killings and destruction backed by elements of the Indonesian military aimed at thwarting the UN-sponsored referendum that ended a quarter-century of Indonesian rule. Gusmao also commemorated other troops who died in accidents.

Sukehiro Hasegawa, the UN special representative in East Timor, said the departure of the troops showed just how far the country had come since it became independent in May 2002.

"The fact that there will be no UN peacekeeping forces in the next mission is recognition by the international community that East Timor is safe and peaceful," Hasegawa said.

"This is a tribute not only to all that has been achieved by the United Nations but also to the enlightened leadership of this young country." East Timor's 800,000 people voted for independence in 1999 in a UN-organised referendum.

The Indonesian military and its proxy militias struck back, unleashing a wave of violence that killed 1,500 people and left 300,000 homeless. The violence eased after Australia dispatched the first peacekeepers in a mission that at one point involved more than 9,000 troops.

The world body administered the territory for two and a half years, then handed it to the Timorese on May 20, 2002, but a UN mission has remained in the country. While democracy has taken hold, the country remains one of the poorest in Asia.

In recommending a year-long extension of the UN mission, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said earlier this year that the country still needed international assistance to control its borders, develop a professional police force, establish judicial and financial institutions, and promote democratic governance and human rights.

UN extends role in East Timor

Reuters - May 18, 2005

David Nason, New York -- The Security Council has extended the UN presence in East Timor by implementing the mandate of the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste, which will operate until May 20 next year. Under the unanimously adopted Resolution 1599, the office -- given the acronym UNOTIL -- will replace the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), which is backed by more than 300 armed peacekeepers, mainly from Brazil, Fiji and Australia.

The peacekeeping force has been helping local units patrol the disputed border between East Timor and Indonesian-controlled West Timor, but will not be part of the scaled-down UNOTIL.

Earlier this year, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan backed East Timor's request to retain a reduced deployment of about 150 peacekeepers, but the Security Council adopted the US position that peacekeepers were no longer needed.

Instead, UNOTIL will have the services of 15 military advisers and an extra 20 police advisers to add to the 40 advisers being retained under the new mandate.

Measured hopes for a fledging East Timor

International Herald Tribune - May 14, 2005

Seth Mydans -- Withdrawing in humiliation in 1999 from the land they had occupied for 24 years, Indonesian soldiers scrawled angry graffiti that warned of poverty and hunger ahead. One of them: "A free East Timor will eat stones."

As they departed, they and the local militias they controlled did everything they could to make their words come true.

They razed most of the territory's buildings, wrecked its infrastructure and took with them the last of the Indonesians who had run its schools, clinics, utilities and civil service. It was, one person here said, as if a tsunami had swept most of the nation away.

More than five years later, East Timor is the world's newest nation, with a functioning democratic government, an emerging set of laws and institutions and, crucially, the peace and stability that have made these gains possible.

For the United Nations, which administered it for its first two and a half years and still keeps a close eye on it, these accomplishments make East Timor a success story. It became an independent nation three years ago this month.

But it is also desperately poor and underdeveloped -- the poorest nation in Asia and one of the poorest in the world, on a par with Rwanda, according to a United Nations ranking of quality of life.

For all its emerging institutions, this is the shell of a nation, administered and supported for 400 years by Portugal and then by Indonesia.

It has never been a self-governing state, and it is surviving now with the assistance of large amounts of foreign aid.

It suffers from the limitations that are common to the nation- building efforts of the United Nations, a shortage of educated and qualified people and the lack of a democratic tradition. On many levels, government officials and civil servants are not qualified for their jobs.

The fragility of its institutions and the potential for instability from across the border in Indonesia have caused the United Nations to extend for one more year a presence that was due to end this month.

Its shrinking staff will be further reduced, to 45 civilian advisers, 75 police advisers and up to 10 human rights officers, as well as a peacekeeping force of several hundred soldiers.

The spending of foreign workers like these has had such an impact on this poor nation that their continuing departure is causing its entire economy to contract, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The country's judicial system is seen as the major failure of the United Nations in establishing the institutions of government. Paralyzed by incompetence and corruption, it has collapsed and is being run now by foreign judges. "This was one of the mistakes of the United Nations," said Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta in an interview. "Overall, it's done a reasonable job."

The police force is another weak spot among the institutions set up by the United Nations, criticized by human rights groups for brutality, excessive use of force and lack of discipline.

At the moment, the country's hope for solvency -- some say its only hope -- comes from an infusion of profits from offshore oil and gas that is beginning to be pumped from under the Timor Sea. The income could make the difference between self reliance and collapse.

But economists warn that windfalls of oil and gas money have wrecked the economies of other poor nations and that in any case they are no substitute for a self-sufficient, self-sustaining economy.

The government is taking a cautious approach and is not yet spending its oil money. It is also working slowly to build the legal and institutional foundations of a new nation, leading to impatience and frustration among many people, who do not see improvements in their lives.

Its starting point is almost as low as the one predicted by the departing Indonesian soldiers. Nearly half the population is unemployed and more than half is illiterate, according to various tabulations. Its infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world, while its life expectancy is one of the lowest -- possibly as low as 49 years.

Many of its schoolhouses are in ruins, with too few teachers and almost no books. It is ravaged by diseases like malaria, tuberculosis and dengue fever, but its health system is barely functioning.

Close to half the population lives on less than 55 cents a day, according to a UN report, and there are times when parts of the country have nothing to eat.

As the country struggles, its population of 900,000 is exploding with one of the world's highest birthrates, 3 percent or possibly even 4 percent a year, dragging down efforts at economic growth.

East Timor is hoping for foreign investment in agribusiness and small manufacturing and is trying to create a tourism industry, according to Jose Teixeira, who is the minister, among other things, of both investment and tourism.

The lack of a solid legal foundation has slowed efforts to attract foreign investors, along with high costs brought on by its poor infrastructure.

It has also aggravated widespread land disputes following the destruction in 1999 -- in which not only houses were burned but also the documents of ownership. Partly because of these disputes, the capital is still dotted with the shells of buildings that were burned when the Indonesians departed.

In light of its many problems, it is easy to forget how much worse things could be now. The violence of the Indonesian departure and its legacy of armed militias have not produced the unrest some people expected.

An election three years ago produced a functioning Parliament, and orderly local elections are under way now. A protest over the past two weeks regarding the religious curriculum in schools ended in a peaceful compromise.

"When you look at the starting point and when you look at where we are now, there has been tremendous progress," said Jessica Pearl, the country representative for Catholic Relief Services.

"UNMISET's hastily replacement by UNOTIL in East Timor"

From east-timor@igc.topica.com - May 3, 2005

Paulo Gorjao -- In April 2004, in his progress report regarding the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET), the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, recommended maintaining it for one more year. In May, the UN Security Council did so, but made it quite clear that this was the last extension.

Yet, one year later, against the wishes of some Security Council members', a UN mission in East Timor was, once again, on the table.

Unfortunately, further UN support was needed in East Timor. Thus, following a request made by East Timorese Prime-Minister, Mari Alkatiri, to the Secretary-General in January 2005, and after taking into account the views expressed by the UN Secretariat, Kofi Annan recommended in his February 2005 progress report regarding UNMISET the maintenance of a UN mission in East Timor.

As a result of the above, on 28 April, the Security Council adopted unanimously Resolution 1599, establishing a one year follow-on special political mission in East Timor, the UN Office in Timor Leste (UNOTIL), which will remain in East Timor until 20 May 2006.

The adoption of Resolution 1599 by unanimity is misleading. In the last two months Secretary-General has been in collision course with two Security Council permanent members, the United States and the United Kingdom.

In his February 2005 progress report regarding UNMISET, Kofi Annan advised the Security Council to maintain a UN mission with a scaled down structure for a period of up to another 12 months. The Security Council took into account the Secretary-General's proposal. In other words, as requested by Kofi Annan, Resolution 1599 provided up to 120 civilian, police and military advisers, as well as 10 human rights officers, in order to ensure sustained development and strengthening of key sectors such as the rule of law, police, justice, and human rights.

However, the Security Council disregarded a significant recommendation done by the Secretary-General. Indeed, Resolution 1599 ignored his proposal regarding a 144-person back-up security support, with airborne mobility, which would contribute to capacity-building regarding border patrol, and to monitor security-related developments along the border between East Timor and Indonesia.

East Timor and Portugal considered this a key issue. In their view, despite considerable improvements in the last two years, East Timor continues to be confronted with internal as well as external threats.

In others words, there is a continuing problem regarding not only law and order, but also concerning former militia members based in West Timor.

The United States and Australia share the view that there is a law and order problem in East Timor, but do not think that there is a problem regarding external threats.

Quid juris?

It is undeniable that political and diplomatic relations between East Timor and Indonesia have improved considerably in the last two years.

For instance, between December 2004 and February 2005, East Timor and Indonesia agreed to form a Truth and Friendship Commission to deal with human rights abuses perpetrated in 1999, as well as with other bilateral issues.

Indeed, high-level bilateral meetings became frequent, both in East Timor and Indonesia. The latest high-level meeting took place last March, when the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, visited East Timor and met, among others, his East Timorese counterpart.

Yet, as recently as last January, there were exchanges of gunfire in the border. Five years after the popular consultation in East Timor which, later on, would led to independence, reports of sightings in border areas of alleged former militia members continue to occur.

Thus, a cautious approach would imply the maintenance of some sort of UN military component. In other words, the UN should have kept a peacekeeping force in East Timor, instead of replacing it with a substantially scaled-down special political mission, with only up to 15 military advisers.

This hasty approach was dictated mainly by the United States' concerns with the increasing costs of UN peacekeeping forces. Washington pays a quarter of the UN peacekeeping budget. Whenever it is possible, and reasonable, the United States stands against further extensions of the peacekeeping mandates. East Timor was no exception to this diplomatic guideline.

Unfortunately, East Timor is increasingly out of the diplomatic radar of the international community. Therefore, it would be important to appoint someone with high profile to become the next Special Representative of the Secretary-General in East Timor. In other words, it should be appointed someone capable of coordinating the work of UNOTIL. Equally important, the new Special Representative should be someone with easy personal access to Kofi Annan. Despite significant improvements, East Timor still requires UN support.

Described in the last few years as a UN success story, it would be a shame that, after so much human and financial investment, East Timor ended as another story of UN failure and neglect.

[Paulo Gorjao is a Professor at Lusiada University, in Lisbon, and editor in chief of the Portuguese foreign policy journal, Politica Internacional.]

 Security & boarder issues

Fuel smuggling along border with East Timor 'rampant'

Asia Intelligence Wire - May 22, 2005

[Excerpt from report by Emmy F FROM Detik.com web site on 22 May.]

Atambua -- Smuggling of fuel and various basic commodities across the Indonesia-East Timor border has become rife again. There have been at least 100 cases of smuggling in the past four months via Belu district, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

This smuggling has been triggered by the sharp increase in the cost of goods in East Timor using the US dollar as the country's currency, and also the minimal number of personnel placed in the border region.

The Commander of the Indonesia Border Security Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Yul Avianto, said that in the last four months there had been more than 100 cases of smuggling cases along the border. [passage omitted]

"TNI [Indonesian Armed Forces] has been making maximum efforts to prevent smuggling and the black market. However, the number of personnel posted along the border was still limited because the border between the two countries was more than 200 kilometres," complained Avianto, when contacted by telephone on Sunday (22 May).

Avianto added that there were two battalions with a total number of 1,500 personnel deployed along the border in Belu district. They were distributed to 47 posts. [passage omitted on repetitive details]

The Head of Public Relations with NTT Police, Commissioner Marthen Radja, when contacted separately, said that the police had positioned one Brimob [mobile brigade] company in the border region between the two countries.

Their main duty was to assist TNI with security along the border between the two countries. In Belu district in particular, the police had constructed six guard posts which were located at six gateways into East Timor.

Army to form special battalion to guard border with Timor

Antara - May 9, 2005

Denpasar -- The Indonesian army is to form a special battalion to guard the country's 240-km-long land border with East Timor or Timor Leste in East Nusatenggara, a spokesman said.

"The army's Infantry Battalion 744 in East Nusa Tenggara will be upgraded to become a special battalion. We hope we will accomplish this in 2006," Maj Gen Herry Tjahjana, chief of the Undaya Military Command overseeing East Nusatenggara, said.

The upgrading would mean the battalion's professionalism, equipment and personnel strength would be increased, he said.

"There are still many problems in the border areas," he said. "I think they can all be settled in the future. Especially after we have set up the special battalion," he said.

Aside from Infantry Battalion 744, three other infantry battalions from the Udayana Military Command were currently on duty in areas bordering East Timor.

A special battalion comprises five companies or 1,039 men.

An Indonesian Army officer recently was severely injured in a shootout with East Timorese National Police while trying to foil a fuel oil smuggling attempt in the area.

 West Timor/refugees

Cautious welcome for Government about-face on Timorese

Catholic News - May 20, 2005

Advocate on behalf of East Timorese in Australia, Sr Susan Connelly, has said the Immigration Minister's change of heart on her decision to immediately deport 50 East Timorese asylum seekers who have been living in Australia for more than a decade.

Sr Connelly stressed that the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs announcement allows only for a reconsideration of the cases of those affected, and it does not mean that they can necessarily stay. "Some good news," she said. "It's not over yet, but this is very positive."

The Minister for Immigration, Amanda Vanstone, announced yesterday that the cases, "recently advised that their request for Ministerial intervention had been unsuccessful, will now be reconsidered".

"A number of the East Timorese asylum seekers have asked that their cases be reconsidered and have provided new information in support of their claims since the time that they were advised that their request for intervention had been unsuccessful," she said.

"In the circumstances, I have asked the Department to refer back to me all cases in which I and my predecessor declined to intervene. This is to ensure consistency and fairness in making final decisions across the caseload.

Meanwhile The Age reports today that a planned Sunday vigil for the refugees at St Ignatius Catholic Church in Richmond, Melbourne, with Bishop Hilton Deakin presiding, would be changed to a thanksgiving service.

Spokesperson and East Timorese asylum seeker support worker at the North Richmond Community Health Centre, Etervina Groenen, said the minister's move offered the refugees "breathing space" and "everyone is breathing a sigh of relief".

She hailed Senator Vanstone for letting "common sense" prevail. It showed the Government was listening to community concerns, she said.

She was hopeful of a positive outcome and said: "The present Federal Government had been much more willing to acknowledge that the East Timorese have suffered than the government before it."

A decision could be expected in two to three weeks, with the asylum seekers maintaining their exiting bridging visas and work rights, she said.

Asylum seekers granted reprieve

Melbourne Age - May 20, 2005

Andra Jackson -- Fifty refugees from East Timor facing deportation are celebrating after being told at the last minute their claims for protection will be reconsidered.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone last night announced a reprieve for 50 East Timorese asylum seekers facing deportation. Senator Vanstone said she would reconsider their claims to be allowed to stay in Australia.

Last night one of the refugees, who had faced a deadline of next Monday to accept a voluntary repatriation offer, said: "I am lost for words."

A tearful Frans Lay, 41, from Richmond, who has lived in Australia for 10 years, said: "I would like to say thank you to the Government for giving me a chance and I hope that they will eventually let me stay here permanently." Mr Lay, a cook with an extended family in Melbourne, said: "If I go back to East Timor, I don't know what I would do. In Australia, I have a permanent job and I am very happy here."

Senator Vanstone had previously rejected an appeal for her to intervene in the cases -- the last remaining of more than 1500 East Timorese refugees who had been living in Australia for more than a decade on bridging visas until most received permanent visas two years ago.

The 50 refugees had twice had their applications for protection rejected and were facing a deadline of next Monday to accept a repatriation offer from Senator Vanstone of $2000 a person or $10,000 a family, plus air fares to East Timor.

An East Timorese asylum seeker support worker at the North Richmond Community Health Centre, Etervina Groenen, said the minister's move offered the refugees "breathing space" and "everyone is breathing a sigh of relief".

She hailed Senator Vanstone for letting "common sense" prevail. It showed the Government was listening to community concerns, she said.

She was hopeful of a positive outcome and said: "The present Federal Government had been much more willing to acknowledge that the East Timorese have suffered than the government before it."

A planned Sunday vigil for the refugees at St Ignatius Catholic Church in Richmond, with Bishop Hilton Deakin presiding, would be changed to a thanksgiving service, she said.

Senator Vanstone said she had asked for all the rejected cases to be referred back to her "to ensure consistency and fairness in making final decisions".

A decision could be expected in two to three weeks, with the asylum seekers maintaining their exiting bridging visas and work rights, she said.

Goodbye to his 'friends and mothers', but no place to go

Catholic Weekly (Sydney) - May 8, 2005

Marilyn Rodrigues -- Asylum seeker Sereneu (Simon) Pereira hated to tell his "friends and mothers" at St Anne's Nursing Home, Hunters Hill, that he faces having to leave them and go back to East Timor.

"They are all upset," he said. "I'm here every day, I work here five days a week but sometimes I'm here for seven. They are my friends, many of the women here are [religious] sisters but the ones who aren't I call them my mothers."

Sereneu was 19 when he came to Australia 11 years ago, and has worked as a carer at the nursing home for six years. He is one of five employees who came as refugees from East Timor, and three of them are now permanent residents.

Maureen Scott, the director of residential care, can't understand why Sereneu has been denied residency. "He is a very valued staff member and he has established great relationships with all the staff and the residents," she said.

"For some of our residents he is the only person who can get them to do things, he has such a rapport with them. It is absolutely terrible, it will be a big loss to St Anne's."

Sereneu has no plans. "If I go back I will leave many friends behind," he says. "I will have to start from zero again. I have no place to go."

Shock over rejection of East Timor refugees

Catholic Weekly (Sydney) - May 8, 2005

Marilyn Rodrigues -- Catholic advocates for East Timorese asylum seekers are shocked and disappointed that some have had their residency applications rejected on unnamed "serious character grounds".

More than 1400 East Timorese asylum seekers who came to Australia in the early to mid 1990s have been given permanent residency.

But 50 others were given $2000 repatriation money and 28 days to leave the country. Some of them have had children born here, who know no other home.

The Department of Immigration says the decision has been made because of character issues.

Josephite Sr Susan Connolly believes the decision was timed to deflect attention from Australia's negotiations with East Timor over oil and gas resources.

She said the East Timorese in question "are so upset and bewildered that these accusations are being made against their characters and they are not told what they are".

She added: "If they are so serious that these people should not be allowed to live among us, then why haven't they been charged?"

Sr Susan, assistant director of the Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timorese Studies, says the decision seems arbitrary.

"I feel so sorry for those people who have had their names blackened on national TV," she said. "A lot of them have family members here who have been given permanent residency. One family; a mother, father and their four children have been told to go.

All their family on both sides have been given permanent residency. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason about it. "They do have a chance of appealing again to the Minister for Immigration.

But if they do the decision won't be given within the 28-day period by which they must leave Australia.

"If they make the appeal, it's not guaranteed to succeed, and the government is not obligated to give them a bridging visa, so they are looking at possibly going into detention.

"So they are in a bind, do they take the money and run, or take their chances with an appeal? "There has to be a public uproar."

Phil Glendenning, director of the Edmund Rice Centre, said the East Timorese asylum seekers have been a part of the Australian community for 10 years.

"That is an appalling length of time to take to deal with peoples' claims for asylum", he said.

"Many have families here, have married here and have had children born here, and have been working and paying taxes in this country.

"They have been in Australia for a decade with minimal support and living with the daily uncertainty of not knowing what will happen to them.

"Xanana Gusmao has appealed that Australia allow the East Timorese to stay at least until his country is on its feet economically, which is clearly not today".

Bishop David Cremin, former episcopal vicar for immigration, said he was deeply disappointed to hear the news.

"If there is no good reason, no crimes involved or anything like that, than I will be very saddened and disappointed to see them go," he said. "The East Timorese are beautiful people, really lovely people."

Fr Jason Camilleri of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Fairfield, says a number of the East Timorese asylum seekers have made the parish their home.

"They are very much part of the parish," he said. "This news is a great shock and very disappointing. They are a very generous part of our community and very gentle people. It seems very unjust and to have this come up so suddenly is a terrible thing."

Sr Susan said there is little in East Timor for the asylum seekers to go back to. "There is terrible hunger in East Timor, people don't hear about that, but we know from the Carmelite Sisters who are working there and tell us they have seen people dying before their eyes," she said.

A department of mean spirit

Sydney Morning Herald - May 7, 2005

Mike Carlton -- The mindless cruelties and the rank stupidity of this country's immigration policies grow more disgusting with each passing week.

In a long, descending spiral, we have come now to the late-night knock on the door, a device of dictators everywhere. This is the latest tactic of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs as it goes about the business of cleansing Australia of a wretched handful of refugees from East Timor.

Those on the proscribed list who open their doors in the dark will find two officers from the department with a letter bearing the Commonwealth coat of arms. I have a copy of one, which begins thus: "I refer to your application made on 2 March 1995 for a Protection Visa, which was refused on 19 November 2002 and again by the Refugee Review Tribunal on 24 April 2003.

"I have given this matter much thought, but I have decided not to consider the use [sic] my non-compellable Ministerial power to grant you a visa under section 417 of the Migration Act 1958.

"You should now make arrangements to leave Australia." The signatory is Amanda Vanstone, Minister.

In the past fortnight, some 21 of these letters have been delivered either by night or, more humiliating, to East Timorese at work.

With families included, exactly 50 people are involved, a suspiciously neat figure no doubt pleasing to the bureaucratic mind. All are refugees who fled the Indonesian occupation of their homeland. Some had been at the infamous Dili massacre of November 1991, when Indonesian soldiers slaughtered 271 peaceful demonstrators in the town's Santa Cruz cemetery.

They have since made a new life in Australia, for 10 or 12 years. Most have jobs, paying taxes. They send money to support relatives in East Timor, where the daily wage, if you are lucky enough to have work, is about one Australian dollar. There are children at school, some born here and who speak only English. No reason is given for their deportation. They are kicked out, just like that.

There is a carrot along with the stick, a "re-integration package" of one-way air fares to Dili and cash of up to $10,000 per family. But, as Vanstone informs them: "I must advise you that this offer will remain open for 28 days from the date of this letter.

If you do not accept the offer by that date, the offer will lapse. There will be no extension of time."

And here is the killer: there is no date on the letters. Presumably in her haste to fling these people overboard, the minister neglected to add one. So those who got them do not know when this ultimatum expires.

Distressed and confused, they have no idea how much time they have to uproot for a return to a homeland stricken by drought, poverty and hunger.

One of those ordered out is Simon Pereira, 31, a single man who has worked for six years as an aide at St Anne's Catholic nursing home in Hunters Hill. He came here when he was 21. He studied nursing and gained some qualifications but, as a refugee, was not permitted to complete the degree he had hoped for. From a small wage, he repatriates $500 a month to help his family.

Hurt and bewildered, he told me -- in good English -- that he regards Australia now as his home. "It is very stressful," he said, over and over again, voice breaking. "I do not know what to do. I hope to appeal, but if I do that I do not get the plane ticket and I might be sent to a detention centre." Which is possible.

Sister Susan Connelly, a Josephite nun of the Mary McKillop Institute of East Timor Studies, told me all the deportees are in the same position.

It is catch-22. Appeal, and you might well end up behind the barbed wire in Gulag Vanstone.

"Simon is the salt of the earth," she said, seething with quiet fury. "He is a loving man who does wonders for the elderly people he cares for. To send him back is disgraceful."

The manager at St Anne's confirmed to me that Pereira is a valuable and popular employee, and I also have an email from a dismayed relative of one of the patients singing his praises as an "angel and a treasure".

So why is he going? Bad character, according to the acting Immigration Minister, Peter McGauran, who blandly assured the ABC's Lateline program last week that "overwhelmingly, there were character grounds -- and serious character grounds -- for the 50".

Vanstone has used the same phrase. But both refuse to give details and so does the department, so the accused have no means of defending their reputations from the easy smear.

Pereira tells me that his only brush with the law has been three tickets for speeding.

Among those taking up arms to fight this injustice is Tom Uren, the former Whitlam minister and, before that, a prisoner of war of the Japanese in Timor. He points out that up to 50,000 Timorese were killed during the Japanese occupation. "We owe such a debt to them," he told me. "How could we ever refuse shelter to these people who gave us shelter?"

Sister Connelly makes the same argument. "One of the disgraceful things about this deportation is the unique relationship we have with the people of East Timor. They stood by us. Yet we are sending them back to poverty and hunger." At a loss for any other explanation, she wonders if these 50 souls are being used as some sort of bargaining chip in the Australian Government's negotiations over East Timor's rich oil and gas fields.

"There's something rotten in the state," she said. "I don't know what it is, but it smells like a rat."

This is an intriguing conspiracy theory, but it would credit the department with a competence, however malign, that it demonstrably does not have. Bureaucratic idiocy is the more likely explanation. This is the department which boldly claims it can tell a Pakistani from an Afghan with a few simple questions yet was unable to detect for 11 months that the mentally disturbed Cornelia Rau was an Australian.

More recently, we learnt that these bunglers managed to deport a mentally troubled Australian citizen to the Philippines, where she vanished. On Thursday a Federal Court judge found that another psychiatric patient in detention had been treated with "culpable neglect". Vanstone has conceded that some 20 other Australians have been detained by the department, although according to an ABC news report on Thursday that figure might be as high as 100.

I finish this column sick at heart that these things are happening in my country. I hope you are, too. Be ashamed. Be very ashamed. Then do something about it.

Timorese asylum seekers told to go home

Green Left Weekly - May 4, 2005

Sarah Stephen -- On April 26, 50 East Timorese asylum seekers were hand delivered letters rejecting their applications for refugee status in Australia, and given 28 days to leave the country. The immigration department (DIMIA) is offering individuals $2000 each or up to $10,000 a family, and a one-way ticket to Dili.

The families have been living in Australia on bridging visas for up to 10 years. Their children were born here and only know English. Sister Susan Connelly, assistant director of the Mary MacKillop Institute for East Timor Studies in Sydney, told ABC's Lateline program on April 27 that if an appeal against their rejection fails, the Timorese may be refused bridging visas and could be taken to Villawood detention centre.

Connelly told Green Left Weekly: "The Mary MacKillop Institute and all East Timorese supporters are disgusted with the comments of Mr Peter McGauran, acting minister for immigration, when he said on Lateline that 'serious character grounds' were the basis for refusing 50 Timorese applications for asylum." Connelly said this claim amounts to "stripping these people of their good name", and that they are "hurt and offended" by the accusations.

"Why was this action taken during the absence of the [immigration] minister, Senator [Amanda] Vanstone?", Connelly asked. "Why has this Timorese issue been brought to the spotlight at the same time that the major talks over the resources of the Timor Sea are being held in Dili?" "The spin being put on the story is an exercise in cynical deception unparalleled even by this government", Connelly added. "The announcement that 1500 East Timorese are being allowed to stay is designed to deceive many ill-informed and unwitting Australians who happily swallow much of what is in print. They miss the point that the surreptitious mention of the 50 who have been told to leave is the real story, and are left with the carefully-crafted impression that the government is indeed generous."

 Justice & reconciliation

East Timorese still at risk, UN warned

The Australian - May 30, 2005

Mark Dodd -- Fears have been raised for the safety of scores of witnesses to the atrocities committed against East Timor's final struggle for independence in 1999 as the UN unit responsible for investigating human rights abuses wraps up its work.

In a letter to the senior UN administrator in Dili, Sukehiro Hasegawa, the Serious Crimes Unit warns of the consequences of handing over its intelligence archives to the East Timor Government.

The SCU, which is due to wind up next month, fears the documents could fall into the hands of vengeful Indonesians after the establishment of a controversial Commission of Truth and Friendship between the two countries.

"When gathering the evidence and conducting investigations, many of the victims and witnesses to the violence, which included serious sexual assaults, were afraid and extremely reluctant to give testimony," the letter says.

"This was due to the fear they have of retribution from the perpetrators, including former militias, Indonesian police, TNI (army) and senior members of the Indonesian armed forces and former civil administration."

The Australian has received a copy of the May 2 letter, signed by the SCU's former UN deputy prosecutor-general, police chief and head of investigations. Its authors say failure to properly secure five years of forensic evidence would be a "gross breach of trust" that the victims had placed in the panel.

"With the closure of the SCU there will be no witness management unit, let alone a witness protection asset. The PNTL (East Timor police) are not yet ready to perform that role," they say.

The SCU was set up to investigate human rights abuses linked to 1500 murders in 1999. It was created by the UN body ordered to determine responsibility for the bloodshed. Its murder investigations work ceased almost a year ago and it has been finalising its reports since then.

The warnings in the letter come as the outgoing head of the SCU, Dave Savage, said he was saddened by the lack of international support to prosecute those responsible for the 1999 atrocities.

"I think it was always all of our hopes that investigation would become an international process and we would get access to the main perpetrators the same as in Rwanda and Yugoslavia," Mr Savage said yesterday.

The SCU investigated about half the murders, charging 391 suspects and issuing 327 arrest warrants, including one for former Indonesian presidential candidate and armed forces chief General Wiranto. But Indonesia refused to accept the jurisdiction of the SCU, and no Indonesian suspects were ever handed over to face justice.

Of the 84 convictions for war crimes and human rights abuses, most involved low- to middle-ranking former Timorese militia. A UN commission of experts will now recommend what further action needs to be taken to deliver justice to East Timorese victims.

Activist groups urge US to press Yudhoyono on justice

Lusa - May 25, 2005

Washington -- More than 50 international organizations have appealed to US President George Bush to use a White House meeting Wednesday with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to press for justice for victims of atrocities committed in formerly occupied East Timor.

In a letter to Bush, 53 human rights, religious and labor groups urged the US leader not to resume military cooperation ties with Jakarta until it cleaned up its domestic human rights record and punished those responsible for crimes against humanity in East Timor.

The White House has confirmed Bush would raise the justice issue with Yudhoyono in talks Wednesday.

The resumption of bilateral military relations, largely suspended since an Indonesian army massacre in Dili in 2001, was also expected to be on the White House agenda.

The activist organizations said recent appointments and promotions in Indonesia belied Washington's view that under Yudhoyono Jakarta was taking significant steps to improve respect for human rights.

In their letter to Bush, they also said that a bilateral Truth and Friendship Commission recently established by Jakarta and Dili appeared aimed to "guarantee impunity for violations of human rights rather than to encourage justice".

Hunting down the perpetrators in East Timor

Jakarta Post - May 19, 2005

Taufik Basari, Jakarta -- The atrocities that occurred in East Timor in 1999 have been recognized as gross violations of human rights that constitute international crimes. Elements of these crimes, such as torture, have been recognized as hostis humanis generis, or enemies of all mankind. Consequently, such international crimes are not merely the concerns of particular states, but they constitute international concerns.

Although the report of the Indonesian National Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights Violations in East Timor (KPP-HAM) on Jan. 31, 2000 concluded that 33 individuals should be asked to bear responsibility, including Gen. (ret) Wiranto, only 18 prosecutions where carried out in the ad hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta. One case is still pending on appeal to the Supreme Court. The 17 other persons charged have already been acquitted.

The Special Panel for Serious Crimes in Dili, East Timor had difficulties bringing Indonesian military suspects to court because the Indonesian Government refused to cooperate. The Special Crimes Unit in East Timor had indicted almost 400 defendants, but 303 of them remain free in Indonesia, including General (ret) Wiranto, Lt. Gen. (ret) Kiki Syahnakri, and Maj. Gen. Zacky A. Makarim, all of whom have never been charged in Indonesia. Maj. Gen. Adam Damiri, Maj. Gen. Tono Suratman, and Lt. Col. Yayat Sudradjat, were charged but acquitted by the ad hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta.

On Feb. 17, 2005, the UN Secretary-General appointed a United Nations Commission of Experts to review prosecutions of serious crimes committed in East Timor in 1999. He appointed three experts: Prafullachandra Bhagwati (India), Yozo Yokota (Japan), Shaista Shameem (Fiji). The decision of the UN Secretary General to establish the commission of experts was based on three grounds.

First, "the Security Council's conviction that those responsible for grave violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in East Timor in 1999 should be brought to justice." Second, the Security Council underlines that "the United Nations had a role to play in this process." Third, Security Council resolution 1573 (2004) reaffirms "the need to fight against impunity" and asks for the UN Secretary General's "intention to continue to explore possible ways to address this issue and make proposals as appropriate."

After initially refusing them, finally the government allowed the Commission of Experts to come to Indonesia on May 18-20, 2005. There is no reason for the government to have non-cooperative policy to the work of the Commission of Experts.

The decision of the UN Secretary General to establish Commission of Experts cannot be separated from the Report of the International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor to the Secretary General on Jan. 31, 2000 and subsequent follow up of the reports.

In its response, the Security Council has stated that according to the report, "grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law have been committed; those responsible for these violations should be brought to justice as soon as possible."

Any recommendation of the Commission of Experts can be considered by the Security Council to make a decision. The Security Council has power to force any UN member state to comply with their decisions. Consequently, Indonesia and East Timor should cooperate with the decisions of the Security Council that may be made later.

Having international crimes as their subject, the two kinds of courts -- the ad hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta and Special Panels for Serious Crimes in Dili -- should have met international standards of justice and due process.

The fact that trials have already been held in Jakarta, through the national ad hoc Human Rights Court, does not give the government legitimacy to say that the international community has no reason to "intervene" in the national judicial system. Although there is a "principle favoring national prosecution where possible", courts have to meet international standards because both states, Indonesia and East Timor, and the international community have an obligation to ensure that justice has been done for international crimes.

If the national courts in Jakarta showed an unwillingness and/or an inability to conduct prosecutions for international crimes, or if the courts were intended for the purpose of shielding the persons from criminal responsibility, or if the prosecution had not been conducted independently or impartially, then international mechanisms can play role in resolving the 1999 East Timor case.

Although the government will in all likelihood reject the international mechanism, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter the Security Council has power to compel Indonesia to comply. If this happens, then we can truly say that there is nowhere to hide for the perpetrators of gross violations of human rights.

[The writer is a graduate student at Northwestern University, Chicago, and a public attorney at the Legal Aid Institute of Jakarta (LBH Jakarta).]

The ghosts of East Timor

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 19, 2005

"Don't go around digging up old skeletons," so an old Indonesian saying goes.

Six-and-a-half years after the turmoil that swept the former province of East Timor (now Timor Leste), Indonesia has not respectfully laid to rest the skeletons of that fateful tragedy.

To this day, full accountability has not been rendered. Who was to blame for the crimes inflicted on the people of the territory? Most Indonesians are unaware of the true extent of what happened in East Timor. The culture of leaving skeletons hidden in our closet is seemingly much more comfortable than facing the harsh truth of our own inhumanity.

The general public's lack of concern for the violence in East Timor is matched by the government's apparent indifference to the crimes committed in its name.

Despite the rhetoric, Indonesian governments -- both past and present -- have shown a distinct lack of political will in exposing to the fullest what happened in 1999, and in punishing those responsible.

When faced with demands for justice from East Timor, it has responded with protestations about national sovereignty and face-saving solutions. There would appear to be an unseemly eagerness to move on without saying "we're sorry".

The ad hoc rights tribunal here that tried those suspected of orchestrating the East Timor violence was completely unsatisfactory. No sense of justice was served by the process, which lasted over two years. Two civilian suspects were convicted, one of whom had his conviction overturned by the Supreme Court. The other is waiting for the results of his appeal. It was, in the end, an exercise in futility.

Once a mere pebble in Indonesia's shoe, the failure to uphold justice has made East Timor an embarrassing albatross hanging around the neck of Indonesia's international image. Indonesia may have embraced democracy since 1999, but it remains stubbornly incapable of ensuring that justice is done.

But we should not be surprised. This nation has rarely been able to come to terms with its past and its mistakes, or to accept responsibility for its transgressions.

Whether it be the social upheaval that occurred in the wake of the alleged 1966 coup attempt, rights violations in Aceh and Papua, the Trisakti I and II shootings, or the May riots of 1999, justice has never been fully served, and impunity reigns triumphant.

It is, therefore, no surprise that any new initiative on the East Timor issue from the government will be seen be many as another attempt to once against sweep our blemished past under the carpet -- business as usual and no lessons learned! The Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) is the latest initiative undertaken by Jakarta in cooperation with Dili.

Skeptics lament the CTF as a face-saving strategy designed to allow the two neighbors to look to the future while ignoring the specters of the past.

How the CTF will work remains unclear. Its terms of reference are still being drafted as we speak. While the public may have little say on the matter, it is imperative that pressure is exerted to ensure that the twin goals of seeking truth and ensuring accountability become the primary objectives of the CTF. Otherwise, it will evolve into just another instrument to perpetuate the impunity currently enjoyed by guilty Indonesians and Timorese.

Justice must not prostrated to political interest.

The need for justice on the East Timor issue has was again been brought to the fore by the scheduled arrival here today of a UN- sanctioned Commission of Experts, who are due to report to the UN Secretary General on this very issue.

This shows that the search for justice in East Timor remains very much on the international agenda. We welcome the government's cooperation with the expert commission and hope that the working relationship will continue.

Given that Jakarta and Dili -- the two principal parties involved -- have agreed to resolve the issue through the CTF, it will obviously be difficult for the international community to intervene in an area where it has no political legitimacy. Nevertheless, the oversight of the UN is necessary to ensure that the CTF truly serves justice for Indonesia and East Timor. The assistance of the international community -- financial and technical -- could also help influence the scope of the CTF's work.

Maybe this time justice can be served. It all depends on the transparency and accountability of the CTF's terms of reference, and an earnest intent on the part of all those involved.

The success of the CTF could serve as a point of reference for similar "truth" commissions investigating other historical crimes, while its failure could well be a harbinger that many skeletons will never be laid to rest.

Jakarta gives mixed signals on UN team's visit

Reuters - May 18, 2005

Dean Yates and Achmad Sukarsono -- Indonesia gave mixed signals on Wednesday about a visit by UN experts who will inquire into carnage that swept East Timor in 1999, with one minister calling the trip "irrelevant," but another promising to cooperate.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed several legal experts to a team early this year to also look into Jakarta's accounting for the violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 vote to break from 24 years of brutal Indonesian rule.

"From our perspective and from Timor Leste's (East Timor's) perspective, this is irrelevant," Information Minister Sofyan Djalil said in an interview when asked about the arrival of the experts, who start their inquiry on Thursday.

But Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters that Jakarta would cooperate because the UN experts were expected to recognize the work of a separate truth and friendship commission set up by Indonesia and East Timor in March.

"They will review all the processes in dealing with the human rights cases related to the poll in East Timor. Of course, they will present a recommended solution," Wirajuda said.

The experts would meet him on Thursday, Wirajuda said, adding they would also meet with the attorney general, the justice minister and Supreme Court officials.

Annan's move had already irritated Indonesia, which had initially refused to give the members visas to visit.

A UN official who declined to be identified has said Annan, during a trip to Jakarta last month, raised with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the Indonesian government's refusal to allow the team members to travel here.

The rampage in the former Portuguese colony, carried out by gangs supported by elements in the Indonesian army, was triggered by the 1999 referendum. The United Nations estimates around 1,000 people were killed before and after the ballot.

An Indonesian special human rights court set up after the violence tried 18 Indonesian military, police officers and civilians over the bloodshed.

Most were acquitted in legal hearings that have almost drawn to a close. Some Western countries criticized proceedings.

The UN team of experts includes an Indian judge, a Japanese law professor and a Fijian lawyer.

Indonesia and East Timor had hoped their separate joint truth and friendship commission -- the plan was announced in December -- would head off Annan's initiative.

The truth commission, due to start work in August, will have no power to punish anyone over abuses.

The United States said this month that Indonesia would not enjoy full military ties with Washington until it accounted for the violence in East Timor, saying this included cooperating with the UN team of legal experts.

Washington severed military ties after the sacking of East Timor in 1999, and has only begun to revive such cooperation.

Mainly Catholic East Timor has said it wants to have good ties with its giant Muslim neighbor despite the destruction of most of the tiny territory in 1999.

East Timor became independent in May 2002 after two-and-a-half years of UN administration following the referendum.

(Additional reporting by Muklis Ali)

Indonesia says UN team's visit on Timor 'irrelevant'

Reuters - May 18, 2005

Dean Yates and Achmad Sukarsono, Jakarta -- Indonesia on Wednesday labelled as "irrelevant" a visit by UN experts who will inquire into bloodshed that swept East Timor in 1999 during an independence vote as well as into Jakarta's accounting for the violence.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed several legal experts to a fact-finding team earlier this year, a move that has already irritated Indonesia, which had initially refused to give the members visas to visit.

"From our perspective and from Timor Leste's (East Timor's) perspective, this is irrelevant," Information Minister Sofyan Djalil said in an interview when asked about the visit.

Asked how much the government would cooperate with the experts, who began arriving late on Tuesday, Djalil said: "East Timor and Indonesia have agreed to see our relations as more important for the future than problems of the past... This (UN) issue is not raised by Indonesia or East Timor."

A rampage in the former Portuguese colony, carried out by gangs supported by elements in the Indonesian army, was triggered by a referendum in which East Timor voted to break free from Jakarta after 24 years of brutal military rule.

The United Nations estimates that around 1,000 people were killed before and after the vote. An Indonesian special human rights court set up after the violence tried 18 Indonesian military, police officers and civilians over the violence.

Most were acquitted in legal hearings that have almost drawn to a close. Some Western countries criticised proceedings.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said officials would start meeting the UN experts on Thursday. Officials had said they would begin the review on Wednesday, but not all the experts have arrived.

The UN team includes an Indian judge, a Japanese law professor and a Fijian lawyer.

A UN official who declined to be identified has said Annan, during a trip to Jakarta last month, raised with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the Indonesian government's refusal to allow the team members to visit.

Indonesia and East Timor have set up a separate joint truth and friendship commission, which they had hoped would head off Annan's initiative. The commission, due to start work in August, will have no power to punish anyone over abuses.

The United States said this month that Indonesia would not enjoy full military ties with Washington until it accounted for the violence in East Timor, saying this included cooperating with the UN team of legal experts.

Washington severed military ties after the sacking of East Timor in 1999, and has only begun to revive such cooperation.

Mainly Catholic East Timor has said it wants to have good ties with its giant Muslim neighbour despite the destruction of most of the tiny territory in 1999.

East Timor became independent in May 2002 after two-and-a-half years of UN administration following the referendum.

(Additional reporting by Telly Nathalia)

International initiative needed to create justice

Jakarta Post - May 18, 2005

Agung Yudhawiranata, Jakarta -- In an effort to stave off the creation of an ad hoc international rights tribunal to investigate the clearly orchestrated violence that accompanied the vote for independence in East Timor, Indonesia made unambiguous commitments to the international community and the people of East Timor to prosecute those individuals responsible for the atrocities.

Despite its creation of the Human Rights Court on East Timor in Jakarta (the ad hoc court), which was created specifically to hear these cases, Indonesia has signally failed to keep its commitments. The Special Panels prosecution division at the Dili District Court has only made a modest contribution in addressing the larger issues of justice and accountability that continue to hang over the world's newest country, primarily for technical and financial reasons.

The main reason appears to be the lack of political will in Jakarta to prosecute senior Indonesian officials responsible for the violence. Ironically, such a lack of political will was later endorsed by the East Timorese government.

In fulfillment of the UN Security Council's request that the secretary-general inform it of developments in the area of prosecution of serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in East Timor in 1999, a three-member Commission of Experts was appointed by the UN secretary-general in February 2005 to assess the progress made in bringing to justice those responsible for such violations and to determine whether full accountability has been achieved.

It is inexplicable that, instead of demonstrating a clear commitment to human rights on the world stage, the Indonesian government is instead expressing less than full cooperation regarding the UN security-general's own representatives. The Indonesian government has refused to issue visas to members of the Commission of Experts.

The latest effort to bring to justice those most responsible for atrocities in East Timor is the creation of a bilateral Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), which resulted from a bilateral meeting between the governments of Indonesia and East Timor in Bali on Dec. 14, 2004, in reaction against the establishment of a Commission of Experts by the UN secretary- general.

The working principles of the CTF are, among others: Fist, the CTF shall bear in mind the complexity of the transitional situation in 1999, aiming at further strengthening of reconciliation and friendship between the two countries and peoples. Second, the CTF will not lead to prosecution and will emphasize institutional responsibilities.

Third, the CTF will further promote friendship and cooperation between governments and peoples of the two countries, and promote intra and inter-communal reconciliation to heal the wounds of the past. Fourth, the CTF does not recommend the establishment of any other judicial body.

The CTF shall have the mandate to reveal the factual truths of the violence; the cause and the extent of reported violations of human rights prior to and following the 1999 popular consultation by:

  • Reviewing all the existing materials, with a view to recommending follow-up measures in the context of promoting reconciliation and friendship among peoples of the two countries.
  • Issuing a report establishing the shared historical record of the human rights violation related to the 1999 popular consultation.
  • Devising ways and means as well as recommending appropriate measures to heal the wounds of the past, to rehabilitate and restore human dignity, inter
  • alia: recommending amnesty for those involved in human rights violations that cooperate fully in revealing the truth, recommending rehabilitation measures for those wrongly accused of human rights violations, recommending ways to promote reconciliation between peoples based on customs and religious values, and recommending innovative people-to-people contacts and cooperation to further enhance peace and stability

In the conduct of their work, the commission shall be guaranteed: freedom of movement throughout Indonesia and East Timor; free access, in accordance with the law, to all documents of the KPP HAM, the Ad Hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta, the Special Panels in Dili and the CAVR final report; the right to interview all persons in possession of information considered relevant by the commission, guaranteeing privacy and confidentiality if necessary; and security arrangement by both government to the commission members and persons interviewed by the CTF, and persons who provide information and documents to the CTF, and for documents obtained and retained by the CTF.

From the facts above, one should note that there is no requirement of the CTF -- in their work to try and reveal the truth of the events prior to and following the 1999 popular consultation -- to hold hearings involving both the alleged perpetrators and victims and/or survivors of human rights violations.

Furthermore, the CTF mandate is limited to the examination of documents. However, the CTF does not have guaranteed free access to documents of the Indonesian intelligence and military institutions that played a role in East Timor prior to and following the 1999 popular consultation.

In the same context, the CTF has only the rights to interview all persons in possession of information considered relevant by the commission, but has no right to request by force (subpoena) or to confiscate documents.

There are no problems at all between Indonesians and East Timorese, so a reconciliation between peoples of the two countries is not needed. The problem of human rights violations in East Timor does not lie in people-to-people relations, but lies instead with the TNI and its militias as the alleged perpetrators of the violence against the East Timorese.

It is time for the international community, led by the UN, to launch a new initiative to bring the perpetrators of the violence in East Timor to justice.

[The writer is an international relations researcher at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ESAM), a Jakarta- based rights group.]

Skepticism greets UN mission

Jakarta Post - May 18, 2005

Jakarta -- Observers cast doubt on Tuesday over the ability of the UN-sanctioned Commission of Experts (COE) to bring the perpetrators of the 1999 atrocities in East Timor to justice.

They said the UN mission could instead actually disrupt the efforts by a reconciliation commission jointly established by Indonesia and East Timor to heal past wounds.

Agung Yudhawiranata of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) said the UN and the international community had been facing what he termed "technical and psychological" difficulties in pushing the COE to work optimally as they lacked political support from both Indonesia and East Timor, which have set up the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) to promote reconciliation between the two countries.

"The COE's credibility has been at stake as it is not fully backed up by Indonesia and East Timor. And its position has become more difficult since the Special Panel for Serious Crimes in East Timor and the Indonesian rights tribunal failed to bring the perpetrators of the 1999 mayhem to justice," he said.

COE members Justice Prafullachandra Natwaral Bhagwati from India, Prof. Yozo Yokota from Japan and Dr. Shaista Shameen from Fiji are scheduled to start their three-day mission on Wednesday to evaluate the judicial process against members of the Indonesian military and officials charged with involvement in the 1999 violence in East Timor.

During their visit here, they are slated to meet with the ad hoc rights tribunal's prosecutors and judges to obtain documents on the human rights cases.

Johnson Panjaitan, a member of the team of lawyers representing human rights victims in East Timor, said he and many other lawyers and activists were not only skeptical about the UN mission, but also afraid of the consequences of being outspoken in calling for the trial of the Army generals believed to have been responsible for the crimes against humanity in East Timor.

"It looks unlikely that the UN experts will recommend another ad hoc tribunal or call on the International Court of Justice to try the human rights perpetrators because besides all this being costly, the experts will find it difficult to work independently and objectively simply because they lack support from Indonesia and East Timor," he said.

Johnson said his team had long doubted Indonesia's willingness and ability to carry out a thorough investigation into the gross human rights abuses.

"We were skeptical ever since General Wiranto, who should have been held responsible for the rights violations, became involved in the presidential election last year, while many other generals and officers were acquitted of all charges, and even got promoted," he said.

He also expressed disappointment with East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao, who he once represented when on trial here, as well as former Indonesian presidents Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri for their failures to press for fair and objective trials.

According to Johnson, the most important thing at present was to encourage the victims of the atrocities to seek justice.

Kusnanto Anggoro, a military analyst with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said the ad hoc tribunal has failed to force the Indonesian Military (TNI) to push through its much touted internal reform.

"In fact, the reform process within the TNI has stagnated and it has retained its colonial style. This means there will be no changes as regards its stance on human rights violations, as shown by the way it treats Aceh and Papua," he said.

Timor cases under international spotlight again

Jakarta Post - May 18, 2005

Three members of the UN-sanctioned Commission of Experts (COE) are scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on May 20 to meet with legal people involved in the human rights tribunal for Indonesian officers and officials, who were charged with, but acquitted of rights violations in East Timor.

Indonesia and East Timor jointly created a Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) late last year. Rafendi Djamin, coordinator of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) gave The Jakarta Post's Ridwan Max Sijabat his opinion on COE's mission.

Question: Would you like to comment on the arrival of UN's COE representatives?

Answer: First of all, we support the United Nations' move to seriously deal with human rights abuses in East Timor, especially since the 1999 East Timor violence, which is classified as an international crime against humanity.

Secondly, we also appreciate Indonesia's cooperative gesture shown by the government in the issuance of visas for the three experts. We hope the UN experts will be given a wide access to meet with relevant sides and obtain needed documents so that they can work optimally and finally make an objective report.

Why do you give a thumbs-up to the UN mission?

Speaking frankly, we are disappointed with the Indonesian human rights tribunal since only two -- former East Timor governor Jose Abilio Soares and pro-independence militia leader Eurico Gutteres -- were given a guilty verdict, while all military and police officers and officials allegedly involved in human right abuses were acquitted of all charges.

This has shown Indonesia's unwillingness and incapacity to investigate the human rights abuses thoroughly and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The establishment of the COE is also consistent with the international nature of the 1999 East Timor violence. It is also a good opportunity for local police, prosecutors and judges to give a satisfactory explanation about the unfair tribunal.

Do you think it is possible to establish another tribunal on human rights abuses in East Timor?

Of course, it is impossible to bring suspects again to court for the same cases, but the human rights abuse cases could be reopened to identify other violations, which have not been tried yet. There have been many allegations of rape, slavery and abduction also, none of which have been investigated. Besides, top military and police officials with the responsibility for security and defense in East Timor have not gone to trial.

Do you see any other things the COE should pursue?

The UN experts are also expected to give input and recommendations for the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF), in accomplishing its tasks in accordance with the accountability principle.

They are expected to convince the joint commission on the importance of promoting reconciliation between the two countries without forgetting the human rights abuses and justice.

Are you skeptical about the CTF's commitment to helping settle human rights issues in East Timor?

After learning its terms of reference, we have become skeptical of CTF's commitment to bringing justice with regard to human rights abuses. Article 13 of the terms of reference stipulates that based on the spirit of a forward-looking and reconciliatory approach, the CTF process will not lead to prosecution and will emphasize institutional responsibilities. This means that the CTF will be a chamber of impunity.

The two countries' governments have focused more on strengthening bilateral ties than on prosecuting human rights perpetrators, but many people in East Timor, including the relatives of human rights abuse victims, are still awaiting a fair trial of the human right abuses.

The ad hoc tribunal's failure to imprison notorious military and police top brass has indirectly contributed to the stagnant internal reform in those two institutions.

What is the best that the COE can expect from this mission?

The COE could recommend the establishment of a hybrid tribunal either in Jakarta or Dili, in addition to supporting the ongoing appeal by prosecutors to the Supreme Court for three military and police officers, who were acquitted by the tribunal.

Besides, the COE could also recommend the extension and the empowerment of the special panels for serious crimes in Dili so that they could interrogate former Indonesian officials involved in human rights abuses.

Timor sentences two militiamen to nine years in jail

Associated Press - May 12, 2005

Dili -- An East Timor court sentenced two militiamen Thursday to nine years in jail for taking part in a church massacre and other killings during the country's bloody break from Indonesian rule in 1999.

The case was the last to be heard by the UN-sponsored Serious Crimes Unit that is due to close on May 20. But the unit may have its mandate extended by at least six months based on recommendations by a UN fact-finding team looking into rights issues in East Timor.

Xisto Barros, 30, and Cesar Mendonca, 34, were convicted of killing two civilians during the Suai Church massacre in September 1999, in which Indonesian soldiers and their proxy militiamen stormed a church where refugees were hiding.

At least 31 people -- including three Catholic priests -- perished in theattack, which was among the bloodiest in the aftermath of the UN-organized independence referendum.

The two men also were convicted in a third murder in the village of Lookeu and the forced deportation of hundreds of villagers during a campaign led by the Indonesian military.

East Timor has indicted 440 Indonesian servicemen and militia members for human rights violations over the violence that left 1,500 Timorese dead and East Timor in ruins.

Of those, 339 suspects are believed to be living in Indonesia - including failed Indonesian presidential candidate Gen. Wiranto, who was the country's military chief in 1999.

Jakarta refuses to hand over the suspects, and has said it will not respond to the indictments. East Timor's government also has not pushed to have the defendants turned over, saying good relations with its large neighbor are more important for the country's future.

Jakarta has set up a special tribunal to prosecute Indonesians allegedly responsible for the violence, but the trials have been widely criticized as a sham. All 16 police and military commanders indicted over the bloodshed have been acquitted.

East Timor laying past to rest

International Herald Tribune - May 11, 2005

Seth Mydans, Dili -- East Timor After ducking and dodging for more than five years, it appears that the Indonesian officers responsible for the devastation of East Timor in 1999 have reached safe ground and will avoid prosecution under a new agreement signed by the leaders of both countries.

In March, the two nations agreed to form a Commission of Truth and Friendship that would, in the words of East Timor's foreign minister, Jose Ramos-Horta, "resolve once and for all the events of 1999" and "finally close this chapter."

But from the start, the agreement has been the source of new controversy over the immunity it provides from prosecution for atrocities. In parallel, the United Nations has formed a Commission of Experts that will review the judicial processes in both nations.

After 24 years of occupation in this former Portuguese colony, Indonesia was forced by a binding United Nations-sponsored referendum in September 1999 to pull out its troops. As they retreated, they orchestrated a campaign of destruction in which much of East Timor was razed. An estimated 1,400 people were killed during 1999 and another 250,000 were forced into exile after the vote.

The Truth and Friendship commission, made up of five members from each nation, takes a step backward from attempts around the world in recent years to find ways to call the perpetrators of mass atrocities to account.

The commission will have the power to recommend amnesty for those involved, but its findings explicitly "will not lead to prosecution," according to its charge. It will "emphasize institutional responsibilities" rather than identifying and assigning blame to individual perpetrators. It will have the power to recommend rehabilitation for those "wrongly accused," but no power to propose rehabilitation or reparations for victims.

Ramos-Horta said in an interview that East Timor was bending over backward to accommodate Indonesia because of the futility of pursuing culprits outside its jurisdiction and because of the priority his tiny nation must place on good relations with its powerful neighbor.

Critics say the two nations are putting their current national interests ahead of universal principles of justice.

"Crimes committed against humanity are a matter of concern for the entire international community," the Judicial System Monitoring Program, an independent East Timorese legal organization, said in a statement. "They cannot be ignored or disposed of as a matter of bilateral political concern."

Prosecutions for crimes against humanity have spread since the early 1990s, when international criminal tribunals were set up for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. An International Criminal Court opened in 2002 to operate as a permanent and independent court for judging war crimes.

A different model of mixed international tribunals, including both national and foreign judges, is being pursued in Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Kosovo, as well as East Timor. Each of these, like the new Truth and Friendship Commission, could be used as a precedent, and each sends a signal to both perpetrators and victims in the future.

The creation of the Truth and Friendship Commission does not rule out a future international tribunal. But current politics makes such a tribunal extremely unlikely in the near term, a senior UN official in East Timor said on condition of anonymity.

The United Nations has an unusual stake in the case of East Timor: It was a target in the violence surrounding the referendum. Thirteen United Nations workers were killed, its property was vandalized, and its compound was surrounded and workers harassed.

The UN Commission of Experts, announced in February, will review the failure in both countries to fulfill a UN resolution demanding that "all those responsible for such violence be brought to justice." More than five years later, no Indonesian perpetrator has been punished.

The agreement on the Truth and Friendship Commission is seen by many analysts as an attempt by both countries to pre-empt the work of the UN commission. Indonesia has shown reluctance to cooperate with the UN group and at first denied visas to its members.

In Indonesia, a special tribunal was created in a deal to avoid international prosecutions by the United Nations. All 16 Indonesian defendants went free in politicized trials. A number have been promoted to senior posts in the military. Just one conviction was upheld, that of an East Timorese militia leader.

In East Timor, an ad hoc court set up with the help of the United Nations has indicted nearly 400 people, of whom more than 300 are in Indonesia, including senior military and police officers. The authorities there have refused to extradite any of these to face trial in East Timor. The result is that the only people who have been jailed for the violence are relatively low-level members of East Timorese militias that were created and managed by the Indonesian military.

Ramos-Horta said in the interview that the refusal of Indonesia to extradite defendants illustrates the futility of attempting prosecutions.

He said the hope was that, under a shield of immunity, perpetrators would cooperate with the Truth and Friendship inquiry, "telling the truth, acknowledging responsibility and apologizing to the victims."

He pointed out that unlike other countries that have pursued prosecutions, East Timor is dealing with defendants who are beyond reach in another country.

"Are we going to be playing the role of Don Quixote and run against the winds of justice, or play the role of Lilliputian judges to chase every villain in the world?" he said. "I know our policy is not very popular in this country, but leaders are not expected to follow. We are expected to lead in the best way for the country."

He said this meant cultivating friendly relations with Indonesia, where a still-fragile democracy could be threatened if high ranking military officers are extradited to East Timor.

In addition, he said, in managing the emergence of a new nation in East Timor in the years since Indonesia left, the United Nations failed to establish a strong judicial system capable of handling serious crimes.

While acknowledging these factors, critics in East Timor suggest that there might have been other ways to search for the truth, short of offering explicit immunity.

An independent Indonesian investigation concluded that the violence had been orchestrated by the civilian and military apparatus both in East Timor and at the highest military command levels in Indonesia.

A separate East Timorese investigation is to issue a report soon that is expected to add significantly to the historical record. The investigation, called the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, has spent months interviewing East Timorese victims and perpetrators.

It has produced an East Timorese version of truth and reconciliation in which about 1,500 militia members have confessed in front of their neighbors and agreed to apologize, make restitution and perform community service.

Timor willing to wait 20 years for justice

Associated Press - May 10, 2005

Putrajaya (Malaysia) -- East Timor will wait patiently -- even if takes 20 years -- for Indonesian military and militia members to be tried for human rights abuses during the country's bloody break from Indonesia in 1999, its foreign minister said onTuesday.

Indonesia is in transition toward democracy, and opening old wounds or pushing it too hard for reforms could destabilize the government and push the country into the hands of Islamic radicals, East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta told reporters during a visit to Malaysia.

Horta said the United States and other Western powers should also be patient with Indonesia, and restore military ties with it to improve its military's human rights performance through training.

"We have to sympathize and understand the difficulties of those inside the country who are trying to change Indonesia. If you push too hard and too fast, there can be nationalist and Islamic backlash that... will destabilize the democratic government," said Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

East Timor's limited jurisdiction has failed to punish the perpetrators. An Indonesian court charged 18 people with human rights crimes, but 12 were acquitted and four had their sentences overturned on appeal. Two other appeals were pending.

Human rights groups want the United Nations to oversee an international tribunal to investigate suspects.

But Horta said a truth and friendship panel set up by East Timor and Indonesia will serve justice much better than a normal prosecutorial system -- even if it takes a lot longer.

 Human rights/law

Allegations of abuse by UN staff double

Associated Press - May 5, 2005

United Nations -- Allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN staff more than doubled last year, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said in a report.

There were 121 allegations in 2004 compared to the 53 in 2003, Annan said in a report to the UN general assembly.

"The increase in allegations is deeply troubling," Annan said in the report. He said the rise in allegations could be partly due to new measures put in place by the UN to encourage alleged victims to come forward.

He added that the figures collected for last year may not reflect the extent of the abuse because some victims may still be unwilling to file complaints or because some UN bodies still lack the resources to bolster their efforts to stop the abuse.

Annan said he expected the number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against UN staff to rise as the United Nations stepped up its efforts against sexual misconduct.

The vast majority of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation -- 105 of the total 121 -- were levelled at UN peacekeepers.

Forty-five per cent of allegations against peacekeeping missions involved sex with minors and 15 per cent involved rape or sexual assault. More than one-third -- 31 per cent -- involved prostitution with adult women and the remaining six per cent involved other forms of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Allegations against 53 uniformed personnel were substantiated and they were sent back to their home countries.

UNICEF, the UN children's agency, reported two allegations against its personnel of sex with a minor. One case was dismissed because of insufficient evidence, the other was sent to UN headquarters for disciplinary action.

The World Food Program was investigating one allegation of sexual exploitation which the report characterised as "sex for food".

The Office of Internal Oversight Services, the UN's internal watchdog, reported one allegation of sex with a prostitute but closed the case after the staff member resigned.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported 10 cases of which six were either unsubstantiated or closed and four were pending further investigation. Three of the cases concerned requests for sexual favours from refugee women in return for money or assistance-in-kind, four of the cases involved alleged sexual assault, one involved an allegation of rape, one sex with minors, and one concerned employment for sex.

The UN Volunteers Program reported two cases, one of which had been dismissed and one which was pending further investigation.

In March a report by Prince Zeid Al Hussein, Jordan's UN ambassador on peacekeeper sex abuse, said the UN's military arm was deeply flawed and recommended withholding salaries of the guilty and requiring nations to pursue legal action against perpetrators.

UN peacekeepers have been accused of exploiting the very people they were sent to protect in missions from Bosnia and Kosovo to Cambodia, East Timor and Congo.

UN troops and employees accused of wrongdoing are sent home to be dealt with by their own government but often are never punished.

 News & issues

The trail from Balibo to Bali

Melbourne Age - May 26, 2005

Stephen Senise -- October 16 marks the 30th anniversary of the slaying of five Australian-based journalists during an Indonesian assault on the East Timorese border village of Balibo in 1975. They are the Balibo Five, and they have become part of the Australian mainstream consciousness.

Schapelle Corby, Gold Coast resident and trainee beauty therapist, is set to emulate them. Not in deed, but in effect.

The proposition is not as strange as it may sound. Like the Balibo incident, the Corby affair has the potential to set Australian public sentiment crashing against the best-laid diplomatic plans of Australian and Indonesian officialdom, in their attempts to restore closer ties.

Indications that Corby's plight is having just that effect are already there. Media coverage has been intense, and the Australian public is squarely on her side. That is now not just a fact, it is a political reality.

The emergence of grassroots support campaigns and talk of travel agents boycotting Bali are just the tip of the iceberg. The potential harm that pro-Corby sentiment, by implication antagonistic towards Indonesia, could unleash on the Australian and Indonesian governments' efforts to mend the old fence is what is at stake.

After the upheavals typified by the Australian-led international military intervention in East Timor in 1999, and the shock of bombs exploding in Bali nightclubs in 2002, relations between Australia and Indonesia have been returning, slowly, very slowly, to a somewhat even keel. It has taken some effort on both sides, encouraged by the weight of the relationship.

Testament to that, John Howard's visits to Indonesia average about one a year as Prime Minister. Australia's response to the tsunami disaster has also helped play out a vital diplomatic initiative by way of a welcome injection of goodwill, and by emphasising the positive capacity inherent in friendly ties.

But for all Howard's, and Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's talk about heralding a new era of Indonesia-Australia relations, they both know that the Australian public will have a telling say on the matter, as it has so often before.

As a reference, the Balibo affair is a good example. For nearly a quarter of a century important components of Australian public sentiment would not let the issue rest. Australia's public conscience was reminded via every possible medium, in manner both organised and spontaneous.

Ultimately this interest reflected a genuine concern for what had happened at Balibo, and its aftermath, by Australians at large. Further, it was the cause celebre by which, often, the broader issue of East Timorese independence was kept alive in Australia. Such was its power. A pebble in the shoe was the metaphor long used to describe how events in East Timor had the capacity, time and again, to negatively affect Australia-Indonesian relations. To extend the metaphor, it is right to say that the pebble became lodged at Balibo.

And the Balibo affair returned, time and again, to irritate Indonesian and Australian governments alike. Particularly in the days of Australian de jure recognition of Indonesia's annexation of East Timor. Indeed, any move to further relations with Indonesia during this period was potentially liable to be seen through the prism of East Timor, of which Balibo was an essential component in the minds of many Australians.

As an example, when former prime minister Paul Keating was discreetly putting the finishing touches on a security pact with Indonesian president Soeharto in late 1995, there were MPs of all persuasions publicly criticising Indonesia over the Balibo incident. This, 20 years after the journalists' deaths. At least one Keating government MP was at the forefront of public calls for a royal commission on the Balibo affair, and there had been moves to that end in Parliament.

That such calls could no longer be ignored became clear when, on November 29, 1995, foreign minister Gareth Evans announced an investigation to be headed by National Crime Authority chairman Tom Sherman. However, neither it, nor a second Sherman Inquiry, commissioned by the Howard Government three years later, could stop calls for a full royal commission.

Ultimately, nothing short of a dramatic Australian-led military intervention in East Timor in 1999 was able to quell the feelings of injustice that much of the Australian public had long come to attach to Balibo.

It serves to remind us how prone to festering irritation the Australian-Indonesian relationship can be. Such are the lessons of recent history, and the not-to-be-ignored role of feeling on the street.

Writing in 2001 in Quarterly Essay, John Birmingham summed it up: "Much as the Department of Foreign Affairs would love to be left alone to reconstruct the relationship as they think best, they cannot operate without reference to some base level of public assent. On any given day the electorate is most likely to be profoundly uninterested in foreign policy, but there does come a time at which their lack of engagement ceases, their minds and, more importantly, their passions are aroused, and at that time no government can hope to make policy in the quiet cloisters of some diplomatic arcadia. If they wish to survive as a government, they will have no choice but to prosecute the issue in line with popular feeling, as distasteful and inconvenient as that almost always proves to be."

Like the fates of the Balibo Five, Schapelle Corby's may well force national policymakers to be reminded of that essential dynamic for time to come.

[Stephen Senise is a member of the Brisbane Institute.]

Fretilin shows its strength in anniversary celebrations

Lusa - May 20, 2005

Dili -- Tens of thousands of government supporters gathered in East Timor's capital Friday to mark the 31st anniversary of the foundation of the ruling FRETILIN party in festivities that coincided with the celebration of the country's third independence anniversary.

In a speech to some 20,000 supporters, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, FRETILIN's leader, called for political tolerance, but described the massive turnout as a response to those who questioned his party's grassroots strength.

The partisan celebrations began Wednesday with the arrival in Dili of an estimated 57,000 people from the country's interior.

Alkatiri, in comments to Lusa, denied FRETILIN was trying to outdo the influential Catholic Church that recently mobilized several thousand anti-government demonstrators for three-weeks in non-stop protests in Dili.

While denying FRETILIN aimed to overshadow the Catholic demonstrations that had called for his resignation, Alkatiri said there was "a need for all of us, including ourselves, to see what we represent".

FRETILIN was formally organized as a pro-independence movement from Portugal in September 1974, but Friday's celebrations mark the creation of the party's precursor, the Timorese Social Democratic Association, on May 20, 1974.

The festivities coincided with East Timor's third anniversary of independence, following 24 years of Indonesian occupation and nearly three years under a transition UN administration.

In a wide-ranging speech to the nation Friday, President Xanana Gusmao issued an "alert" to the government and FRETILIN, noting that the ruling party recently accepted into its ranks a mass martial arts group with a violent history, including alleged participation in killings and arson.

The KORKA group's integration into FRETILIN's youth wing, Gusmco warned, could serve "as a bad precedent for the use of youths, as it could lead to the creation of partisan militias".

Later in his remarks to Lusa, Alkatiri downplayed the president's concern. He said FRETILIN's inclusion of KORKA, a group that claims thousands of adherents, aimed "to change the philosophy of martial arts", transforming the past penchant for "violence into one of self- control".

Timor intelligence report awaited

Sydney Morning Herald - May 13, 2005

Marian Wilkinson -- A long-awaited controversial report on the Defence Intelligence Organisation outlining how officials cut off critical intelligence to Australian troops in East Timor is expected to be released soon by the Defence Minister, Robert Hill.

The report vindicates an army intelligence whistleblower, Lieutenant-Colonel Lance Collins, who first reported the damaging incident six years ago only to face an uphill battle to prove his case in the face of repeated denials.

The Government has withheld the report by the Inspector-General of Intelligence, Ian Carnell, for six months after Mr Carnell talked to the former head of the Defence Intelligence Organisation, Frank Lewincamp, about his findings. Appearing before a Senate committee this year, Mr Carnell said he had no doubt that the cutting off of intelligence to Australian troops in December 1999 had been deliberate. The central questions waiting to be answered by the report are who ordered the cut-off and why.

In evidence to a previous inquiry by a naval barrister, Captain Martin Toohey, witnesses said the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, had expressed fury over the leaking of Defence Intelligence Organisation reports during the East Timor crisis in 1999 that linked the Indonesian military to violent local militias.

After the intelligence was restored to the army intelligence officers in East Timor, the Toohey inquiry heard, the officers were specifically instructed not to provide assessments of pro- Indonesian militia activities across the border in West Timor, where rampant abuses of civilians were occurring. Raw data on the activities continued to be collected.

The Government has rejected claims of a cover-up over its previous failure to release the Carnell report. While it was expected to be released last night, a Defence spokesman, Brigadier Mick Moon, told the Herald it was "still in the decision cycle process".

Majority Of Timor Leste's women marginalised

Bernama - May 9, 2005

Rosliwaty Ramly, Putrajaya -- Timor Leste is one of the world's least developed countries whereby the majority of its women are illiterate, uneducated subsistence farmers who are marginalised in the social, cultural, economic and political sectors, according its country report.

Men make up about 80 per cent of the labour force, the report says, attributing this to the fact that women's traditional role as caregivers left them with less time and opportunity to pursue education and work.

In the present situation, the women also tend to be exploited in wage employment, having lower paid jobs with less security, says the report on Promotion of Gender Equality in Timor Leste presented at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women, here Monday.

On the health aspect, it says recent surveys showed that knowledge about HIV/AIDS among the population is still very poor.

Available data suggest that gender-based violence, especially domestic violence, is serious and widespread, affecting both women and children, it adds.

Other major challenges to the ability of women to participate freely in the development of the society are traditional practices rooted in a patriarchal social system, which mostly give older men the power of decision-making.

Customary law related to issues such as land inheritance are discriminatory towards women, the report says, adding that this hinders women's access to and control over assets.

However, on a brighter note, the report says that Timor Leste's Constitution guarantees equal rights and responsibilities for women and men in aspects of family, cultural, social, economic and political life. It also contains an article on non- discrimination, which guarantees protection against discrimination based on sex.

The report says that the Constitution also mandates the state with the responsibility to ensure equality between women and men and that democracy is achievable only through the equal and active participation by women and men in public life. Timor Leste has been independent for close to two-and-a-half years after a transition of almost the same period under the United Nations Transition Administration for East Timor (UNTAET).

The report says the reconstruction and nation-building phases provided ample opportunities for the women's movement to influence the policy-making framework, in particular, that pertaining to women's participation in decision-making.

One of the important decisions made during the transition was the establishment of the Gender Affairs Unit within UNTAET which later gave birth to the Office for the Promotion of Equality (OPE).

The establishment of the OPE in 2001 is an example of the strong political will of the government to pursue its commitment to gender equality, the report adds.

 Catholic Church/religion

Dili returns to normality after accord ends 20-day demo

Lusa - May 9, 2005

Dili -- Traffic moved freely through the center of the East Timorese capital Monday for the first time in nearly three weeks, following the signing of an accord between the government and the Catholic Church that put an end to non-stop, church-sponsored demonstrations.

Thousands of demonstrators dispersed, while hundreds were trucked home to interior villages under police escort, Sunday after an open-air mass in Dili.

The 20 days of anti-government demonstrations came to an end after Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and East Timor's two Catholic bishops, Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili and Basmlio do Nascimento of Baucau, signed a negotiated Joint Declaration Saturday, reaching agreement on a series of policy disputes and creating a Permanent Working Group (GTP).

To be set up within one month, the GTP, which will include representatives of the government, the Catholic Church and of other religious confessions, is mandated to oversee implementation of the bilateral agreement and to seek to "avoid future problems".

The eight-point Joint Declaration underlines the importance of religious values in overwhelmingly Catholic East Timor and guarantees that religious instruction in public schools will remain a required subject, putting an end to a pilot program demoting it to optional status.

The Joint Declaration also stipulates that criminal code proposals before parliament will make voluntary abortion a crime, except where "absolutely necessary" to protect a pregnant woman's life, and will equally declare voluntary prostitution as a crime.

Under the agreement, the government also pledged not to carry out reprisals against protesters, who tied up downtown Dili for nearly three weeks in unauthorized demonstrations outside the government's headquarters, and to provide police escorts for dispersing demonstrators.

The generally peaceful, church-orchestrated protests began April 19 over the religion-in-schools issue, but quickly escalated into broad denunciation of government policies and calls for the prime minister's resignation.

President Xanana Gusmao, who helped mediate the accord and signed it as a witness, was booed by protesters when he went to the demonstration site Saturday to announce a solution had been agreed and to ask demonstrators to go home.

The president was frequently interrupted by protesters who shouted "Down with Alkatiri", demanding the prime minister resign. When Gusmao responded that critics could vote against Alkatiri, the son of minority Muslim family, in elections expected in 2007, protesters began shouting for the president to step down also.

Gusmao, who was accompanied by the two bishops and East Timor's top UN official, Sukehiro Hasegawa, left the site under police escort. Later, some demonstrators hurled bottles and stones at police guarding the government building, slightly injuring two officers.

Catholic leaders give new demands as protest continues

Lusa - May 4, 2005

Dili -- Amid signs in recent days of an emerging settlement to church protests against the East Timor government, leading Catholic clergymen made new demands Wednesday on the Dili executive including a call for a reconsideration of plans to relax the country's abortion laws.

A source involved in negotiations between the Dili authorities and leaders of the church-backed anti-government demonstrations told Lusa that Bishops Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili and Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau have sent fresh demands to Timor's heads of state and government.

Among new appeals from Timor's Catholic hierarchy is the demand that the government gives assurances it will not go ahead with its plans to decriminalize early termination of pregnancy.

On Tuesday, Dili had braced itself for possible clashes between Catholic protestors and and security forces, after police commanders had earlier given a deadline for the 16-day uprising to cease.

However, as the unauthorized protests continued into Tuesday night indications began to emerge of a negotiated end to the demonstrations by about 8,000 church supporters in the capital.

A spokesman for President Xanana Gusmco had told Lusa that Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri responded positively to a presidential initiative to reconsider plans to demote religion classes in state schools.

The government scheme to make religions education non-compulsory in some schools originally sparked the church-organized protest, with demands for the resignation of Alkatiri, a Muslim.

The presence of demonstrating nuns and priest acted to boost numbers of protestors from across Timor who rapidly aired wider grievances against the Dili executive.

Meanwhile, Timor's police chief has proposed to leaders of the Catholic protests that a new location in Dili is used for the demonstrations to continue to avoid disruption in the center of the capital.

At a meeting organized Wednesday by Sukehiro Hasegawa, the UN's special envoy to Timor, Police Chief Paulo Martins told a senior church representative that demonstrators were free to use the square and gardens around the Bishop of Dili's residence.

Martins also gave assurances to international diplomats and UN officials present that police would not carry out their earlier threat to forcibly end the protest centered on the Dili Government Palace.

Uprising threatens government stability

The Australian - May 4, 2005

Mark Dodd -- Armed East Timorese police were last night poised to break up a huge church-backed anti-government protest in Dili, the most serious challenge yet to the authority of the fledgling state.

Police and security forces yesterday sealed off parts of the city, erecting razor-wire cordons around the main government offices and parliament buildings in central Dili.

A threat to use teargas to disperse about 10,000 demonstrators by mid-afternoon yesterday was postponed until this morning, just 16 days before the third anniversary of the nation's independence.

Unconfirmed but reliable reports from Dili referred to dissent within the Government of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri on how to deal with the protest, which began with the backing of the Catholic Church more than two weeks ago.

A Portuguese UN employee was injured after the vehicle he was driving was attacked by protesters, and six Timorese suspected of being pro-government Fretilin spies are alleged to have been detained by the demonstrators.

"It seems anyone with a beef against the Government is joining in," said a senior Australian security official. "There are people coming from all over the country. It has been peaceful so far but any attempt to break it up will be vigorously repelled. There are thousands of people and the potential for violence should not be underestimated."

Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato said yesterday riot police were on standby to deal with any attempt by diehard pro-Indonesian militias to take advantage of the protests.

"The Rapid Response Force has been ready for the last two weeks in case a third party tries to create chaos," Mr Lobato told The Australian. "There are former militia in this group and that is not good because they will take the opportunity to create problems."

Mr Lobato hoped that the protest could be ended peacefully and said the Government was engaged in talks with senior Catholic clergy. "It is important we keep the situation stable," he said.

"The use of force would cause unnecessary victims and that is not good for Timor Leste [East Timor]. We already have too many martyrs. But there are some people in the Catholic Church who might want us to create more martyrs." Mr Lobato warned time was running out for the protesters.

Several Australians working in East Timor claimed a number of police had joined the protesters. The protest began in mid-April with a call by the Catholic clergy for the resignation of Dr Alkatiri, a Muslim, over his decision to drop religious education from the curriculum.

The appeal struck a popular chord, with many in the staunchly conservative Catholic nation already uneasy about being ruled by an un-elected Muslim.

The presence of nuns and priests helped quickly swell the ranks of protesters who came from across the country to air a grab-bag of grievances including lack of employment opportunities, poor living conditions and demands for more schools and hospitals.

Anti-Govt demos continue as police deadline expires

Lusa - May 3, 2005

Dili -- The East Timorese capital braced Tuesday for the possibility of clashes between police and anti-government Catholic demonstrators, but a police deadline for the end of street protests ran down without any confrontation.

As the unauthorized demonstrations continued into the night Tuesday, signs mounted that a negotiated settlement might still be found for the fortnight of protests.

President Xanana Gusmao's spokesman, Agio Pereira, told Lusa that contested Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri had responded positively to a presidential initiative to reconsider plans to demote religion classes in public schools and that Gusmao was awaiting a response from the country's two Catholic bishops.

Meanwhile, police Chief Superintendent Paulo Martins met with UN officials, foreign diplomats and government officials, giving assurances that police forces did not plan to move against the demonstrators, despite the imminent expiration of the deadline for an end to the 15 days of anti-government protests.

"Neither the government nor the police are interested in confrontation with the demonstrators", a senior police officer told Lusa, asking to remain unidentified.

"We will do everything to avoid confrontation", the officer added, lamenting "the provocative attitudes" of "some priest" who, he said, wanted "something to go wrong" in order to blame the government and police.

Many business and offices in central Dili remained closed throughout Tuesday as crowds of anti-government Catholic protesters defied the police-ordered deadline to end the anti- government demonstrations that authorities label as "illegal".

The spokesman for Dili's Catholic Church diocese, Vicar-General Apolinario Guterres, told Lusa Tuesday morning that the continuous protests, involving several thousand people, would "end when it has to end and not because of police ultimatums".

The General Command of Dili's police ordered the church Monday to "end the demonstration Tuesday" or face police action.

Most shops, restaurants, offices and banks located near the government's headquarters, the focus of the fortnight-old demonstrations, closed Tuesday, as police cut traffic, set up barbed- wire barriers and reinforced the number of officers in the zone.

United Nations agencies and the World Bank also closed their offices and an official told Lusa UN personnel had been advised to stay clear of the tense downtown area.

The demonstrators also appeared to reorder their ranks, placing a large number of mostly youthful protest marshals at the front of the crowd, dotted with images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, to face the police cordon.

Father Guterres' reiteration to Lusa that the demonstrations, centered on demands for the ouster of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, would continue in defiance of the police deadline followed a similar declaration Monday.

In a letter responding to the police ultimatum, the spokesman for Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva informed the General Command that the protests would only be called off when the demonstrators' demands were "met in a democratic manner".

The unauthorized demonstrations, which have involved as many as 8,000 people, many trucked into Dili from the interior, began April 19, ostensibly to oppose government plans to demote religion classes in public schools to the status of an optional subject.

Despite efforts at appeasement from Alkatiri and attempts by President Xanana Gusmao to mediate a solution last week, the demands escalated into an all-out challenge to the government, with insistent calls for the prime minister's resignation.

The demonstrations around the Government Palace have been peaceful, marred only by two incidents overnight Sunday in which three Portuguese who drove up close to the demonstrators were roughed up by protest marshals.

 Daily media reviews

East Timor daily media review

UNOTIL - May 31, 2005

Hasegawa presents UNOTIL mission to Xanana

Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Timor-Leste Sukehiro Hasegawa yesterday met with Timor-Leste President Xanana Gusmco at the Presidents Office, in order to discuss the new UNOTIL mission. Speaking after the meeting, Hasegawa told the media that President Xanana is very pleased with the continued presence of the UN in Timor-Leste, to continue to assist in Timor-Leste's development. Hasegawa said that during the meeting he and Xanana mainly discussed the assistance that will continue to be provided by the UN advisors, two of whom will be placed in the President's Office.

Hasegawa reiterated that although the UN remains in Timor-Leste, its mission is much smaller with a reduction from 1500 staff to 360, 150 of whom are international staff and the remaining 210 national staff. (STL)

Rogerio: No negative impact on Indonesia relations

Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato said that the Indonesia Ambassador to Timor-Leste has assured him that Indonesia does not want to politicize the recent border shooting of a TNI soldier, and that there has been no negative impact on relations between the two neighbouring countries as a result of this case. Lobato said that shooting incidences such as these also occur in other countries with similar border situations, and that Timor-Leste will present its findings on the case to Indonesia in the very near future. (Timor Post)

MP Lucia: Viqueque thwart by terror

According to Member of Parliament Lucia Lobato from the Social Democrat Party (PSD), Fretilin have launched a campaign of terror and intimidation toward PSD militants in Uatolari, Viqueque District. Speaking during Parliament's Plenary Session yesterday, Lobato said that these actions are related to the village chief and village council elections, as well as the Church demonstration, which finished some weeks ago. According to Lucia, the Parliament should investigate the situation, as not only Fretilin militants but also government officials are involved in the terror and intimidation. Lobato added that a PSD sympathizer's house had even been burnt down. Fretilin MP Elizario Ferreira rejected the charges, saying that Fretilin militants are educated people, not inclined to engage in terror and intimidation. (STL)

May 30, 2005

Horta: UN needs reforms

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos Horta said that he will discuss UN reforms during his visit to Belgium and Portugal.

Speaking to journalists upon his departure to accompany Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri during his meeting with the European Commission in Belgium, Horta said that he would discuss the matter of internal UN reforms in order to gain some ideas or a consensus on how these reforms may be best implemented, without dividing the international community. Horta said that the UN needs to undergo some reforms as it has existed since 1945 without any. He said that Timor-Leste supports plans to increase the number of permanent members on the Security Council, including possibly Brazil, Germany, India and Japan. (Timor Post)

Hasegawa-Lu Olo discuss new UN mission

Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Timor- Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa met with President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres on Friday to report on his new tasks after the closing of UNMISET last 20 May. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Hasegawa said that during the meeting he requested the National Parliament to build close ties with the new UNOTIL mission. According to Hasegawa, Guterres himself welcomed the new mission. Hasegawa said that the form of future cooperation between Timor-Leste and UNOTIL will be discussed further this coming 14 June, in a meeting attended also by the Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, and donor representatives. According to journalists, Hasegawa also said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has requested that Hasegawa remain in Timor- Leste to head the UNOTIL mission, although this is as yet not official. (STL, Timor Post)

Xanana to invite Castro to East Timor

Timor-Leste President Xanana Gusmco is to invite Cuban President Fidel Castro to visit Timor-Leste. The letter of invitation will be extended personally by Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta when he visits Cuba after his visit accompanying the Prime Minister to Belgium and Portugal.

Speaking at the National Airport before leaving on the trip to Europe, Horta said that it is as yet not clear when Castro will make the visit to Timor-Leste, if he does at all, considering his age and health. Asked whether such a visit would impact negatively on Timor-Leste -- US relations, Horta responded by saying that Washington respects Timor-Leste as an independent nation. (Timor Post)

Timor-Indonesia relations still problematic

Commander of Regional Command 161 in Kupang, Amir Hamka Manan, says that Timor-Leste has failed to fulfil many aspects of the agreements between Timor-Leste and Indonesia, not least in the area of security. Using the example of the recent shooting incident of a TNI soldier by the Border Patrol Unit in the border area, Manan said that there has yet been no court process for the perpetrator/s and that they continue to carry out their everyday functions. Manan said that there have been not just one but four such shooting incidents so far, and that Timor-Leste fails to take such incidents seriously. Manan said that Indonesia felt hurt because they always assist Timor-Leste when Timor-Leste is facing a problem, but that there is no reciprocity. (STL)

UIR celebrates third anniversary The Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) of the Timor-Leste National Police on Saturday celebrated its third anniversary. Participants at the ceremony included Members of Parliament, government representatives, F-FDTL representatives, as well as some religious clergy. At the ceremony PNTL Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins asked members of the Unit to continue training, as it is through training that they can increase their capacity to better serve the community. (STL)

May 27, 2005

Government delays budget approval

Even though the implementation of the 2005-06 budget will begin in July, the Government has not yet sent the budget proposal to the National Parliament for discussion and approval. Manuel Tilman, MP and President of Commission C for Economy and Finance, said that usually it takes the Parliament three months to discuss the upcoming budget, and thus in the current situation most MPs will simply approve the budget with 'their eyes closed' as there is now not enough time to do a proper assessment. (Timor Post)

Instability forecast for 2007 elections

President of the Democrat Party in the Parliament Rui Menezes has said that the terror, threats and intimidation surrounding the village chief elections is an indication that the 2007 general elections will be implemented in an atmosphere of instability and lack of democracy.

Speaking to journalists at the Parliament on Thursday, Menezes said that Fretilin won the second and third stages of the village chief elections because the elections were implemented in an atmosphere of terror and intimidation, with the result that the population were frightened not to vote for certain candidates. (STL)

Peace Memorial inaugurated

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos Horta and the United Nations Special Representative for Timor-Leste Sukehiro Hasegawa yesterday inaugurated the Peace Memorial in Lecidere, Dili, for the victims of the 1999 tragedy. Participants at the ceremony included the diplomatic corps, members of the government and officials from the Serious Crimes Unit of the UN. Speaking to journalists after the inauguration, Horta said that the Peace Memorial is intended to honour those who gave their lives, and a reminder to Timorese not to forget the sacrifice of these heroes. (STL, Timor Post)

Legal practitioners experience language difficulties

The prosecutors and defense lawyers who have not passed their evaluations for the second time in six months of training, are struggling with the language medium of the training. According to Alexander Cortereal, member of the National Parliament, the criteria that the Superior Council of Magistrates uses for the evaluations does not concern the actual capacity of the candidates, but rather their Portuguese language abilities.

Speaking to journalists at the Parliament, Cortereal said that the trainers all teach in Portuguese, and thus the training mechanism is the problem, and not the issue of capacity of the candidates themselves. (Timor Post)

Ramos-Horta to visit Cuba

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos Horta will visit Cuba after accompanying Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri on his trip to Europe.

A press release from the Ministry says that Horta has received an official invitation from the Cuban government, and that the objective of the visit is to further strengthen relations between the two countries. (Timor Post)

May 26, 2005

Legal practitioners fail evaluations

None of the Timorese prosecutors and public defenders who have been undergoing training since January have passed their latest evaluations.

The results of the evaluations were announced by the Appeals Court President Claudio Ximenes yesterday at the Judicial Training Centre in Caicoli, Dili.

According to Ximenes, none of the prosecutors or defense lawyers received the score of 10 needed to pass the training. He said that as none of them have passed and they will continue to attend training at the Centre for another two years. Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos Horta who attended the announcement of the evaluations said that the time that had been lost in the past five years would not have occurred if UNTAET had established a judicial training system in the very beginning. (Timor Post, STL)

Lu-Olo - Undisciplined MP's should resign

President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres (Lu-Olo) has asked those Members of Parliament who do not attend Parliament sessions regularly and who are unable to carry out their tasks as representatives of the people, to resign. According to Parliament regulation, those MP's who expect that they will be absent from Parliament for any reason must submit their justification beforehand. However, according to Lu-Olo, the reality is that some MP's attend Parliament sessions whenever they feel like it, without a proper justification for their absences. (STL)

Democracy and stability threatened

The terror and intimidation toward the community carried out by Fretilin members and sympathizers in the last few months is a threat to the developing democracy and stability in the country, according to Riak Leman an MP from the Social Democrat Party (PSD). Speaking to journalists at the Parliament on Wednesday, Riak said that the terror and intimidation such as occurred in Uatulari sub-district in Viqueque last week, only began after the martial arts group KORK merged with Fretilin. Leman warned that if this behaviour continues, confrontation may arise between the people themselves, as has been the situation in the past. Leman said that for these reasons PSD does not accept martial arts organizations as part of its party membership. (STL)

Timor-Leste to participate in ILO conference

Secretary of State for Labour and Solidarity will request continued assistance from the international community for the development of Timor-Leste's labour force at the upcoming International Labour Organisation Annual Conference to be held in June in Geneva. Arsenio Paixao Bano, who will lead Timor-Leste's delegation, said that the Timor-Leste delegation will request assistance for Timor-Leste from other member countries of the ILO particularly in the area of professional training.

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on Wednesday Bano said that unemployment in Timor-Leste is close to 80%, of which 20% is in Dili and 60% in the rural areas. However Bano said that much unemployment is of an informal nature, so formal unemployment may be closer to between 200 000 and 300 000 people. He said that he is hopeful that by 2012 the Government will be able to significantly reduce the number of unemployed, and that the fact that Timor-Leste has not borrowed money means that inflation is still low and national income is increasing, which is helping to create employment.

Bano added that it is now important for the Timorese people to begin to lose their mentality of dependency. (Timor Post)

Pertamina accused of illegal fuel smuggling

Commander of the TNI Wirasakti Regional Command in East Nusa Tenggara Colonel Amir Hamka Manan says that he believes there are some Pertamina officials involved in the illegal import of fuel into Timor-Leste.

Speaking from Kupang, Manan said that the tanker Buana Raya is an unofficial Pertamina agent which delivers about 300 tonnes of fuel to Timor-Leste about three times per week. Manan said that the only way the tanker can operate freely in its fuel operations in Timor-Leste is if there is involvement from Pertamina officials. He added that the lure of fuel imports to Timor-Leste is the high price that such fuel brings in Timor-Leste's dollar economy. (STL)

Japan trains PNTL on bomb dismantling

In order to increase the skills of the PNTL, the Japanese Government, through the Japanese NGO the De-mining and Reconstruction Assistance Centre, has contracted three Japanese military veterans to train 42 members of the PNTL in dismantling unexploded ordnance. The course, considered a dangerous and risky course, began yesterday. (Timor Post)

Activist groups urge Washington to press Yudhoyono on justice

More than 50 international organizations have appealed to US President George Bush to use a White House meeting Wednesday with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to press for justice for victims of atrocities committed in formerly occupied East Timor. The White House has confirmed Bush would raise the justice issue with Yudhoyono in talks Wednesday.

The resumption of bilateral military relations, largely suspended since an Indonesian army massacre in Dili in 2001, was also expected to be on the White House agenda.

The activist organizations said recent appointments and promotions in Indonesia belied Washington's view that under Yudhoyono, Jakarta was taking significant steps to improve respect for human rights.

In their letter to Bush, they also said that a bilateral Truth and Friendship Commission recently established by Jakarta and Dili appeared aimed to "guarantee impunity for violations of human rights rather than to encourage justice". (Lusa)

May 25, 2005

Ramos-Horta rejects Australian media claims

Timor-Leste Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has rejected claims by the Australian media that the two countries have finally come to an agreement on the exploration of oil and gas by shelving a resolution of the maritime boundary for fifty years. Speaking in an interview with Australia's ABC last Saturday, Ramos-Horta said that the Australian media has blurred the result of constructive discussions between the two parties, and he criticized the Australian media for their lack of professionalism.

Ramos-Horta said that as yet no figures have been discussed nor a resolution of the boundary dispute found.

Meanwhile, MP's from various factions in the National Parliament sharply criticised Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer in relation to his comments that Timor-Leste and Australia had ratified the Greater Sunrise Accord. Eusebio Guterres from the Democratic Party said that recent propaganda will cause the Australian people to lose sympathy for Timor-Leste's cause. Clementino dos Reis Amaral from the KOTA party said that Downer's statements is trying to deny the important role of the Timorese people in protecting Australian soldiers during WWII. (STL, Timor Post)

Police attack village chief

The Village Chief of Leorema from Bazartete sub-district, Liquica, Quintiliano dos Santos alleged that he was attacked by a group of PNTL from the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) on 14 May. Christian Democrat Party MP Lucio Gomes raised the issue in a Plenary Session at the National Parliament on Tuesday, saying that dos Santos was accused by police of hindering activities run by the NGO CARE, and according to newspaper reports, the police kicked dos Santos and forced him into the police vehicle. (STL)

World Vision opens training centre

The NGO World Vision has opened a training centre in Baucau with the aim of increasing the skills of those youth who have completed secondary school but not continued on to university. World Vision representative Rosa M.

de Jesus Pereira said that courses offered at the centre include English language, communications and office administration. De Jesus said that the training will prepare youth for future employment opportunities. (Timor Post)

May 24, 2005

MP: Fretilin exploits 20 May for own interests

A Member of Parliament from the Democratic Party, Rui Menezes, has criticised Fretilin for mobilizing district masses to come to Dili for Independence Day celebrations, only to arrive in Dili to find they were attending a celebration solely for Fretilin. Menezes said that Fretilin exploited Independence Day for its own personal interests and that this is a way of causing division amongst the population.

Speaking in Parliament's Plenary Session yesterday, Menezes said that he also disagrees with Fretilin's use of government vehicles to transport the masses. Menezes said that there is no point in talking about democracy, stability and development if actions contradict these words. (Timor Post, STL)

Karlele's release raises questions of manipulation

Ex-Falintil member Tome Karlele, arrested in front of the Government Palace earlier this month for being in possession of a loaded pistol, was released after being in custody for three days. His release has prompted claims by some that his arrest and subsequent release are a manipulation.

However, according to the Minister of Interior, Rogerio Lobato, this case is not a political game but should be taken as an example to all those who have not yet surrendered weapons to do so. He said that many studying Karlele's case will understand that they will not be sent to prison if they surrender their weapons, but rather a motivation for them to surrender their weapons.

But Karlele's presence and active involvement in Fretilin's anniversary celebrations last Friday has prompted speculation that Karlele is a Fretilin member and thus is being protected by Fretilin. Some have raised concerns that the case has been a political game to persuade people to surrender their weapons. (STL)

TCL Accord no longer valid

The Tactical Coordination Line (TCL) between Timor-Leste and Indonesian West Timor, which was established by the UN and the Indonesian military (TNI) during UNTAET, is no longer valid, according to Secretary-General for Negotiations, Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Nelson Santos. In an interview with Timor Post on Monday, Santos said that the original TCL was established so that the peacekeeping troops and TNI could carry out military patrols in the area, and that the line is not a part of the border agreement, which has just recently been decided between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. (Timor Post)

Lu-Olo comments on todays' ASDT

Fretilin President Francisco Guterres says that the party that Francisco Xavier do Amaral currently leads, ASDT, is not the ASDT that existed in 1974, but was only established after the end of the Indonesian occupation.

Speaking to journalists, Guterres also rejected the claim that Fretilin used government vehicles to transport Fretilin sympathizers to the celebration saying that anyone who makes such a claim has bad eyesight.

Guterres reiterated that the convoys of Fretilin supporters seen around Dili last weekend were not taking part in a political campaign. (Timor Post)

TL to become member of ASEAN POL

General Commander of the PNTL, Paulo de Fatima Martins, returned from Indonesia yesterday after attending the ASEAN POL meeting there as an observer representative of Timor-Leste. Speaking to journalists upon his return, Martins said that issues discussed at the conference included that of trans-national crime, such as drug and people trafficking. Martins said that he expects that Timor-Leste will next year be offered the opportunity to become a member of ASEAN POL. (Timor Post)

Parliament activities stalled for one week

Activities in the National Parliament were stalled last week following the absence of a large number of MP's. KOTA MP Clementino dos Reis Amaral said that to his knowledge the members of Commission C were participating in a retreat in Baucau last week, but many others did not attend Parliament sessions for reasons that are unclear. Amaral said that the competent authorities in the Parliament must explain this otherwise it will look like the MP's are earning the people's money for free and without attending to the needs of the people.

Responding to Amaral's concerns, Fretilin MP Elizario Ferreira said that some of the MP's who did not attend Parliament last week were involved in work in the districts, such as assisting in the village chief and village council elections. (Timor Post)

TVTL crew strike amid restructuring

Timor-Leste Radio and Television (RTTL) last Saturday held the official launch of their new restructuring as well as the inauguration of their new management. But the Director General of RTTL, Virgilio da Costa Guterres, said that some of the television crew have launched a strike, unhappy with the fact that they have not yet been informed of their new positions.

Guterres said that this delay may just be because there have been some changes in some of the senior positions, with the result that these managers have not been able to advise their staff of their positions. (STL)

May 23, 2005

FDTL and PNTL must strive for people's confidence

Timor-Leste's President Xanana Gusmao has asked the FDTL and PNTL to strive even harder so that the people believe in the two security forces, and trust in their protection. Speaking at the Independence Day celebrations at Dili's Municipal Stadium on Friday, President Gusmao requested the two forces establish cooperation and good relations between each other in order to guarantee stability. Gusmao said that only with a guarantee on internal stability can the government focus on economic development. (Timor Post)

20 May celebrations peaceful

Timor-Leste's third anniversary of Independence celebrations ran peacefully. A flag-raising ceremony was held at the Dili Municipal Stadium, followed by parades by the F-FDTL, PNTL and the Fire Service.

Twelve districts also took part in a cultural competition held at the Dili Gymnasium on Thursday and Friday, which was organized by the Ministry for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport. The cultural presentations included traditional dancing, tais (traditional cloth) displays and traditional music. (Timor Post, STL)

Fretilin's anniversary celebrations draw 100,000

Approximately 100,000 Fretilin sympathizers and party members from all districts of Timor-Leste gathered at the Democracy Field in Dili on Friday afternoon to celebrate Fretilin's 31st anniversary. In a long speech to those gathered, Fretilin President, Francisco Guterres 'Lu-Olo', said that he believes that Fretilin will win the 2007 elections.

During the celebration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta, appealed to the party to open its doors and assist the poor and vulnerable. He said that Timorese must leave behind their hatred of others in order to move forward.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Timor, Avelino Coelho, said that the 20 May celebrations this year have caused confusion for much of the population, as they are unsure as to what is being celebrated -- the restoration of independence or the formation of a political party. Coelho said that this confusion is not the fault of Fretilin and that in his opinion the decision to hold the transfer of sovereignty in 2002 on 20 May was a bad decision. According to Coelho, a different day would have been more sensible.

ASDT also held their own anniversary celebrations at Becora, with ASDT President Francisco Xavier do Amaral saying that Fretilin's 'real' anniversary is on 11 September and not 20 May. (Timor Post, STL)

UN mission ends - security guaranteed

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri says that even though the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission has come to an end, it will not have an impact on national security. Alkatiri said that in the past year, Timor-Leste has been responsible for security and not the UN. He said that Timor-Leste's government requested a one-year extension for a UN peacekeeping mission, but the UN did not grant the extension and as such, Timor-Leste must accept that it must now guarantee its own security.

Speaking at the parade for the completion of the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Timor-Leste last Friday, President Xanana Gusmao said that the end of the mission marks an important historical moment for Timor-Leste. He said that the UN peacekeepers have played an important role in the development of this new nation, and that they will always remain in the hearts of Timorese.

During the ceremony Xanana awarded UN service medals to the UN Force Commander from Malaysia, Lieutenant General Khairuddin bin Mat Yusof, and the UNPOL Commander, Saifullah Malik.

At the ceremony, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Timor-Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa, said that an important page has closed for the UN in Timor-Leste as peacekeeping forces prepare to leave the country.

During his speech, Hasegawa congratulated and thanked the men and women who have participated in UN peacekeeping operations for their contribution to the stability and security of Timor-Leste. (Timor Post, STL)

Children's playground inaugurated

President Xanana Gusmao inaugurated two new children's playgrounds in Dili on Saturday. Speaking to journalists after the inauguration, President Gusmao said that the two playgrounds were built with the assistance of the Union of Lusophone Capital Cities (UCCLA), which is part of Lisbon City Council.

The President said that he has asked the Council to also build seats near the playground so that parents have somewhere to sit and he added that the Council is also looking to provide assistance to Oecussi. President Gusmao took this opportunity to ask parents to give their children the opportunity to take time to play and he planted trees at the two playgrounds as a symbol of their inauguration. (Timor Post, STL)

President regrets TL decision not to participate in games

President Xanana Gusmao has spoken out against the decision of the President of the Timor-Leste National Olympic Committee not to allow Timorese athletes to participate in the Arafura Games. The President of the Timor-Leste National Olympic Committee withdrew the athletes based on the argument that the Prime Minister did not receive an invitation to the Games. President Gusmao said that the argument that the Prime Minister did not receive an invitation is an excuse and that the real reason is because the Committee was unprepared. He said that preparation for such an event must begin long before the event and not just before the event begins, which is the Committee's current attitude. (Timor Post)

President Xanana Gusmco Gives Amnesty to 18 Prisoners

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the devolution of power to the legitimate organs of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the re-establishment of National Independence, H.E President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmco, in exercising his constitutional competencies, has today authorized the reduction of sentences with a minimum of six months and a maximum of one year reduction of the original sentences to 18 prisoners. (Press Release: President's Office)

MP: independence has not brought significant changes

Timor-Leste has been independent now for three years, but with little significant change, according to KOTA Member of Parliament Clementino dos Reis Amaral. He said that in his opinion, the Ministry of Health has made the most positive advancements when compared to the ministries of Education and Agriculture, for example. He said the very centralized system in some departments is restricting the movement and initiative of their Ministers.

According to Amaral, there must be changes made to this centralized system otherwise there will still be very little future progress. (Timor Post)

Retreat builds MP capacity

The five-day retreat held by Members of Parliament from Commission C at the Baucau Pousada has built on the capacity of members of the Commission to approve law. President of Commission C for Economy and Finance, Manuel Tilman, said that apart from building capacity, the retreat also helped instil in the MP's the responsibility to approve laws expeditiously. Member of Commission C, Rui Menezes, also said that the retreat has helped members of the Commission to better understand petroleum activities in terms of oil taxes. (Timor Post)

May 19, 2005

Fretilin sympathizers participate in independence celebrations

Fretilin will celebrate tomorrow's Independence Day also with a celebration of the anniversary of Fretilin's transformation from ASDT in 1975. For this commemoration, Fretilin militants and sympathizers have been arriving in Dili from the 13 districts in the past few days. The commemoration will be held on the afternoon of 20 May at the Democracy Field.

According to Francisco Branco, head of the Fretilin faction in the National Parliament, the movement of such a large number of Fretilin sympathizers is not intended as a provocation or a show of force. He added that there is no connection with the large Church demonstration, which finished some weeks ago. (Timor Post, STL)

20 May celebrations to be held tomorrow

Timor-Leste's Independence Day celebrations tomorrow will begin with a flag raising ceremony, led by President Xanana Gusmao at the National Stadium, followed by F-FDTL and PNTL parades. Fretilin will then hold a ceremony to commemorate its anniversary in Democracy Field in the afternoon. There will also be an Arts and Culture Festival sponsored by the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports at the Dili GMT Gymnasium. The festival will include music, dance and displays of traditional dress and will present 160 artists from Timor-Leste's 13 districts.

In an interview with Timor Post, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta said that the government prefers to commemorate this year's Independence Day in a simple manner so as not to outlay a great deal of money. He said that the government has plans for big celebrations in the near future, such as for the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this coming 28 November as well as a larger program for next years 20 May Independence Day celebrations.

Ramos-Horta said that the United Nations will definitely be departing Timor-Leste in 2006 and the government will then want to convey its appreciation to all nations that have assisted Timor-Leste since 1999. (Timor Post)

Indonesian fishing boats found in Timor waters

Nine boats flying Indonesian flags have been found engaged in illegal fishing off the south coast waters of Timor-Leste. A group of Thai researchers and some Timorese came across the illegal fishermen while carrying out research into fish stocks on the southern coast. Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Estanislau da Silva, said that he has spoken to the Minister of Interior and requested him to lodge a formal complaint with the country whose fishermen were found fishing illegally in Timor-Leste's waters. Da Silva lamented that Timor- Leste does not have naval and marine police to patrol Timor- Leste's waters. (STL)

May 18, 2005

President inaugurates members of State Council

President Xanana Gusmao inaugurated 12 members of the Council of State on Tuesday. Members of the Council include the President of the National Parliament, the Prime Minister, leaders of opposition political parties and a member of civil society. The function of the Council of State will be to assist the President in "exercising his constitutional competencies" according to the Constitution.

The functions of the also newly formed Superior Defense and Security Council will be to advise the President during an emergency situation before the President makes any decisions regarding declarations of war or peace.

When asked after the inauguration why no members of the Church had been included as members of the Council of State or the Superior Defense and Security Council, President Xanana responded that while they were invited to participate, Canonical law does not allow members of the clergy to take part in political organs. (Timor Post, STL)

Carrascalao resigns from Parliament

President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Mario Carrascalao has resigned from his post as a Member of the National Parliament so that he may implement his functions as a full time member of the Council of State.

Timor-Leste's Constitution does not allow a Member of Parliament to hold two positions at the same time, and thus Carrascalao was obliged to resign from the Parliament before being inaugurated as a member of the Council.

According to Vice-President of the National Parliament Jacob Fernandes, the PSD President's resignation would give the opportunity for another PSD member to take his place in the Parliament and that it would be up to Carrascalao to decide who that may be. (Timor Post, STL)

STAE announces provisionary election results

Director of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration, Tomas do Rosario Cabral, yesterday announced the results of the village chief elections in three districts, Viqueque, Ermera and Covalima. While Fretilin won the majority of seats, some seats were awarded to candidates from the Social Democratic Party, the Socialist Party of Timor, and independent candidates. In Covalima and Ermera districts, seven candidates elected to hold the post of village chief are women. (Timor Post)

Ramos-Horta admits confusion over border shooting

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta, said that he is still confused as to why PNTL recently shot and injured a TNI soldier.

Speaking to journalists, Ramos-Horta said that the fact that the TNI soldiers had entered Timor-Leste territory was not a reason to shoot.

He added that if the police want to fire a warning shot, they should shoot into the air and not toward the ground. (Timor Post)

Chilean and PNG Ambassadors present credentials

Chilean Ambassador James Sinclair Maler and Papua New Guinea's Ambassador Christopher Mero yesterday presented their credentials to President Xanana Gusmao. President Xanana took the opportunity at the ceremony to invite the Chilean Ambassador to meet with other diplomats in Timor-Leste to ascertain the best means of developing good relations with Timor-Leste. (Timor Post)

May 17, 2005

Timor outcry over Timor Sea deal

Members of the Timor-Leste National Parliament have protested over the Timor Sea accord said to have already been agreed between Timor-Leste and Australia. Member of Parliament Eusebio Guterres, from the Democratic Party, said that postponement of a maritime boundary agreement is not beneficial for Timor-Leste. Guterres said that if Australia refuses to agree to a boundary demarcation then Timor-Leste should just remain calm. "John Howard will not be the Prime Minister of Australia forever. Many Australians support Timor-Leste's claims to its resources," Guterres told journalists yesterday. He said that a 60-year postponement of negotiations is too long and a dangerous commitment for Timor-Leste.

However, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta, said that the recent negotiations between Timor- Leste and Australia in Sydney are not yet final. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Ramos-Horta said that there are still a few items to be discussed and agreed upon.

The Foreign Minister added that discussion of these issues would not involve a large meeting but rather a forum for "sharing of ideas".

Coordinator of local NGO La'o Hamutuk Tomas Freitas told Timor Post that it is important to make sure that what is being reported is correct.

According to Freitas, La'o Hamutuk's data indicates that the agreement that has been reached is about a creative solution for the development of Greater Sunrise and does not involve a postponement of boundary negotiations. (Timor Post)

Timor-PNG must work together

Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea (PNG) must work together in order to benefit the people of the two nations, according to PNG's Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Christopher Mero. Speaking to journalists after meeting with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta, Mero said that Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea are two nations who are just beginning on their road of development and both are experiencing similar problems and difficulties. Mero said that he and Prime Minister Alkatiri came to an agreement on a bilateral assistance program, in which PNG indicated its willingness to assist Timor-Leste in the areas of health, administration, and police. (Timor Post, STL)

Timor to open two new embassies Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta announced that Timor-Leste will open two new embassies in the near future, in Thailand and Japan. However, Ramos-Horta said that the government has not yet been able to identify Ambassadors for these posts. He said that in the next two to three months the Prime Minister must nominate Ambassadors for these posts and present them to the President for approval. He added that some Ambassador posts such as that of the Timor-Leste Ambassadors to Malaysia and Mozambique would also soon be replaced. (Timor Post)

Khairuddin completes mandate on 20 May

Chief of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Timor-Leste, Lieutenant General Khairuddin, from Malaysia will complete his mission on 20 May.

Khairuddin, who has led the UN military in Timor-Leste for one year and nine months, said his official goodbyes to government officials such as the Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato, PNTL General Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins, and President Xanana Gusmao, yesterday. (Timor Post, STL)

Xanana: Young people must not only hope for office jobs

President Xanana Gusmao paid a visit to the Portuguese Primary School in Balide, Dili, yesterday to study the school's conditions. The President also spoke to the students, asking them to continue to prioritise their study of the Portuguese language and to identify how they may best participate in the Timor- Leste's future development. He told them that they must not all hope to obtain jobs as government officials, as Timor-Leste also needs people to work in trades and technical areas. (Timor Post, STL)

May 16, 2005

Indonesia-Timor to discuss border problems

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said that Indonesian and East Timorese governments would soon meet to clearly discuss the border areas of Indonesia and East Timor. "We will hold a meeting of Border Joint Committee with East Timor within this short time," Wirajuda said after a coordination meeting held at the Indonesian Ministry of Political, Law and Security in Jakarta last week. Wirajuda declined to confirm the date of the meeting. (Tempo)

SCU buries unidentified bodies

The Serious Crimes Unit and the Timor-Leste Prosecutor General Longuinhos Martins on Saturday held a burial ceremony for the remains of 33 unidentified bodies from the 1999 violence. The ceremony was held at the Cacaulido cemetery in Fatumeta, Dili, and was attended by senior government officials as well as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa. Some relatives of the victims were also in attendance.

Acting Deputy General Prosecutor for the Serious Crimes Unit, Marek Michon, said that the Serious Crimes Unit has returned the majority of victims' remains from the 1999 violence to their families, but those remains that were not been able to be identified were buried today. (STL)

Portugal-Australia donate to Peace Memorial

Portugal and Australia have each donated $5000 to the Serious Crimes Unit in support of the construction of the Peace Memorial at Lecidere, Dili.

The monument will be a symbol in memory of those Timorese who experienced violence in 1999. The Prosecutor General Longuinhos Monteiro officially accepted $5000 from the Australian Ambassador, Margaret Twomey, and the Portuguese Ambassador, Joao Ramos Pinto, on Friday. (Timor Post)

Malaysia willing to accept female workers

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Jose Ramos-Horta says that the Malaysian government is willing to accept female as well as male workers to join the workforce in Malaysia. Speaking to journalists upon returning from his visit to Malaysia and Singapore with the Secretary of State for Labour and Solidarity Arsenio Bano, Ramos-Horta said that Timorese women maybe able to work in Malaysia as domestic helpers. Ramos-Horta cautioned that the number of Timorese working in Malaysia is not yet certain as Timor-Leste and Malaysia are still negotiating an agreement. (Timor Post)

Martins: Karlele case not a game

National Police Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins said that the detention of ex-Falintil soldier Karlele is not a game being played by the police.

Martins said that the pistol found in Karlele's possession is not the same make as the ones that the police use. Martins was responding to claims from Member of Parliament from KOTA party Clementino dos Reis Amaral, that there has been police manipulation surrounding the Karlele case. Amaral commented that Karlele entered the area around the government building exactly at a time when the police were guarding it fiercely. He said that this was illogical and pointed to police manipulation of the case. (STL)

Japan and East Timor sign clean water accord

The Japanese and Timor-Leste governments have signed an accord for clean water provision in Same and Ainaro districts. The Japanese Ambassador to Timor-Leste Hideaki Asahi and the Timor- Leste Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Olimpio Branco signed the accord at the Memorial Hall Farol on Friday. Ambassador Asahi said the project, worth almost US $10 million, would be implemented over a three-year period. (STL)

Reis: No need for Fretilin to prove themselves

Fretilin's Assistant Secretary General Jose Reis says that the results of the village and hamlet chief elections show that the Fretilin party is still strong and is still very much believed in by the people. Reis said that the initial information shows that Fretilin has won 50% of the votes in the village chief elections in Covalima District and that this reaffirms Fretilin's strength among the Timorese people. (STL)

May 13, 2005

Alkatiri presents remodelling plan to President

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri yesterday presented his government's remodelling plan to President Xanana Gusmao during their weekly meeting.

According to media reports, the plan will include changes to some departments as well as the upgrading of several Secretaries of State to the status of Minister. Some ministers who are not performing well will be dismissed, and there will be three new Secretaries of State recruited to represent the east, west and southern regions of Timor-Leste. The reshuffle is related also to the 2005-2006 budget, which will be finalized next week.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting with the President, Alkatiri said that the priorities for next year's budget will be to repair public infrastructure, such as roads and bridges and the development of schools, hospitals, water systems and electricity. Alkatiri said that there are problems with the agriculture sector, as well as socio-economic problems such as those to do with ex-combatants. He said that the budget had been increased in order for the government to resolve these problems. (Timor Post, STL)

Xanana inaugurates members of SDSC President Xanana Gusmao yesterday inaugurated 11 members of the Superior Defense and Security Council, the membership of which includes a range of ministers, Members of Parliament, F-FDTL and PNTL General Commanders.

With the inauguration, the body is now able to begin its work. (Timor Post, STL)

TL experiences difficulties in financial control

Timor-Leste has difficulty controlling the exit of money from the country, as the US dollar is an international currency. Speaking to journalists, Feliciano de Fatima Alves, member of Commission C for the Economy and Finance in the National Parliament, said that if Timor-Leste was able to exercise more control over its currency then economic growth would increase. Alves said that many of the international staff send all their earnings home and a limited amount is being spent in Timor-Leste due to the nature of the currency. He said that there is a need for legislation that implements greater control over the amount of money that leaves the country. However, if Timor-Leste had its own currency it would be even easier to keep this money in the country. (STL)

Dili backs Portugal's Guterres for UNHCR post

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has written to the UN Secretary- General, Kofi Annan, expressing his personal support as well as that of his government for Portugal's Antonio Guterres to be appointed the next UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In a statement released yesterday, the Prime Minister said he "considers" the former Portuguese Prime Minister and current President of the Socialist International as "the right person to occupy such an important post".

He said his letter to the Secretary-General underlined Guterres' past record as "a leader who defended with determination the rights of the Timorese people", under occupation, "of other peoples and of the universal principles of human rights".

Guterres is one of five names Mr Annan has shortlisted for the UNHCR post. (Lusa, STL, Timor Post)

May 12, 2005

Police arrest armed men trying to enter government headquarters

Police guarding Timor-Leste's government building yesterday arrested three men, one armed with a loaded homemade firearm as they tried to enter the Government Palace, police and military officials said. The officers told Lusa news agency the three men, all members of a dissident former guerilla unit that fought occupying Indonesian forces in the 1990s, were apprehended as they tried to end the government building through a security gate.

Dili's Government Palace was placed under re-enforced guard yesterday, following an Australian diplomatic alert advising its nationals to avoid Timorese government facilities because of a possible terrorist attack.

According to Lusa, the three detainees were all former anti- Indonesian guerrillas who were loyal to Commander Cornelio Gama, popularly known as L7, who has continued to lead a cult-like group that has been very critical of Dili's post-independence authorities.

However, the Timor Post and STL report that PNTL discovered a revolver and seven bullets in the possession of an ex-Falintil solider. The ex-Falintil soldier did not resist arrest and willingly surrendered his bag containing the weapon and bullets to police to be searched. (Lusa, Timor Post, STL)

Timor oil and gas talks restart in Sydney

Australia and Timor-Leste yesterday started new talks on how they will share revenue from future multibillion-dollar oil and gas projects in the Timor Sea. The talks aim to finalize a graft pact agreed to last month, which would allow the neighbouring nations to exploit undeveloped petroleum reserves, including Woodside Petroleum's $5-billion Sunrise gas project.

"Both sides are still talking but it is still in the very early stages," a spokesman for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said. Earlier this week, Doug Chester, Australia's chief negotiator, said he hopes to put the "finishing touches" on the draft during the talks in Sydney that may run for two or three days.

Under the draft deal, impoverished Timor-Leste would get extra revenue of between AUS$2 billion and AUS$5 billion from the petroleum resources and assistance in developing its fledgling oil industry. In return, Timor-Leste would agree to postpone negotiations on a permanent maritime boundary for 50 to 60 years. (Dow Jones)

UN human rights team meets with parliamentary commission

A visiting United Nations mission evaluating a technical cooperation program between the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Government of Timor-Leste yesterday held a meeting with Commission A of the National Parliament. Following the meeting, the head of the team, Professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, told journalists that in the meeting they had discussed future cooperation between the UN and Timor- Leste. The Head of Commission A, Vicente Aparicio Guterres, added that the UN mission had come to Timor-Leste to evaluate human rights and to evaluate the assistance that the UN has provided to Timor-Leste in the area of human rights. (Timor Post)

May 11, 2005

Australia warns of a terrorist attack in Timor

Australia has warned of a possible attack or bombing of government buildings in Timor-Leste today, but gave no information on who was behind the threat. The Australian Government issues a new travel warning late yesterday advising travellers to avoid government buildings in Timor-Leste's capital, Dili.

"We have received new information of a possible attack or bombing against East Timor government buildings in Dili on May 11," it said in a travel advisory issued in Canberra. A spokesman from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said authorities in Australia are working closely with East Timorese authorities to respond to the threat.

Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Police's (AFP) Commissioner, Mick Keelty, said specific information has prompted Australia to issue a warning of a possible attack on government buildings in Timor-Leste. Mr Keelty said the AFP had passed on its intelligence to DFAT and he agreed with the warning.

"Obviously we share intelligence when we receive information of this kind and...it's very specific," he told ABC Radio. "But when we share the intelligence, it's up to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to decide to do with it what they want. And on this occasion, they've issued a very specific travel warning, which I agree with," Commissioner Keelty added.

The police commissioner would not reveal the source of the information but said Australia had passed on the intelligence to East Timorese authorities.

In addition, police in Timor-Leste have boosted security in Dili following the warning received from Australia. Police were checking cars for possible bombs at the parliament building, the Prime Minister's office and other state buildings. Police inspector Ismail Babo said that everything is under control and that nothing suspicious was found. (Reuters, AAP, ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald, Associated Press)

Timor says it's willing to wait 20 years for justice

Timor-Leste will wait patiently, even if it takes 20 years, for Indonesian military and militia members to be tried for human rights abuses committed during the country's bloody break from Indonesia in 1999, said its Foreign Minister. Indonesia is in transition towards democracy, and opening old wounds or pushing it too hard for reforms could destabilize the government and push the country into the hands of Islamic radicals, Jose Ramos-Horta told reporters during a visit to Malaysia yesterday.

Ramos-Horta said that the United States and other Western powers should also be patient with Indonesia and restore military ties with it to improve its military's human rights performance through training. "We have to sympathise and understand the difficulties of those inside the country who are trying to change Indonesia. If you push too hard and too fast, there can be nationalist and Islamic backlash that will destabilize the democratic government," he added.

The Foreign Minister believes the Truth and Friendship Commission established by Timor-Leste and Indonesia will serve justice much better than a normal prosecutorial system, even if it takes longer. "As much as we want those who committed violence to face justice, we have to understand the complex and delicate transition to Indonesia. We have been waiting several hundred years to be free. Can't we be patient and wait 10 to 20 years for democracy and stability to consolidate in Indonesia? Well, we can be very patient," said Ramos-Horta. (Associated Press)

Indonesian army to form special battalion to guard border

The Indonesian army is to form a special battalion to guard the country's 240-kilometre land border with Timor-Leste in East Nusa Tenggara, a spokesman said. "The army's Infantry Battalion 744 in East Nusa Tenggara will be upgraded to become a special battalion. We hope we will accomplish this in 2006," said Major General Henry Tjahjana. "The upgrading would mean the battalion's professionalism, equipment and personnel strength would be increased," he said. A special battalion comprises five companies or 1,039 men. (ANTARA)

Timor not a party to confrontation

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri says that Timor-Leste adheres to a non-confrontation policy with the Indonesian military regarding border issues. Speaking to journalists, Alkatiri said that Timor-Leste prefers to explore options for dialogue in order to resolve situations like the recent shooting incident of a TNI soldier in the border region. He said that other means of dealing with the situation could inflame the issue. According to Alkatiri, border areas between two countries anywhere in the world, experience problems and that information that the border between Timor-Leste and Indonesia has been closed by the TNI is not true, as relations between the two neighbours are still very good. (Timor Post, STL)

Positive response to government remodeling

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri's plan to remodel the government structure has been welcomed by members of the National Parliament. MP's said the remodeling would provide an opportunity for the Prime Minister to replace ministers, vice-ministers and secretaries of state who are not performing well. Both majority party and opposition MP's considered that such action is important if its objective is to fulfill the needs of the people. (Timor Post)

Fretilin not involved in formation of militia groups

Recent claims that Fretilin is transforming one of the Fretilin- affiliated martial arts groups into a militia group has been rejected by Fretilin MP Francisco Branco. Branco emphasized that Fretilin would never form such groups with the aim of threatening others as this contradicts democratic principles followed in Timor-Leste. Branco was responding to complaints from the Socialist Party of Timor's (PST)representative Pedro da Costa that the PST leader had been threatened by members of the martial arts group in retaliation to his statement regarding the distribution of Fretilin pamphlets. (STL)

Border districts to be focus for development

It is time for the border districts to become an area of development concentration, as they have been neglected in the past, according to Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri. Speaking after attending a workshop on rural development yesterday, Alkatiri said that the border districts are vulnerable and that they have never been made a priority for development in the past. He said that in this context the government strongly supports the European Community Rural Development Program in Covalima and Bobonaro districts.

Also speaking after the workshop, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Estanislau Aleixo da Silva, said that the European Community is donating six million euros to this project, which will be split equally between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Public Works who will jointly implement the program. According to da Silva, if the program is successful the Prime Minister will lobby other donors for funds to implement the program in other districts also. (Timor Post, STL)

Parliament votes on members of Councils

The National Parliament yesterday succeeded in electing three MP's to sit on the Superior Council for Security and Defense, and five MP's for the State Council. The inaugural meeting of the Security and Defense Council will be held on Thursday. (Timor Post, STL)

Malaysia considers TL labour proposal

Malaysia will consider Timor-Leste's proposal to provide workers for construction and agriculture work, in particular, oil palm farming, according to Malaysia's Minister of Interior Azmi Khalid. Quoted in the Malaysian press, Azmi said that the ability of Timorese to speak Malay is one favourable consideration. In a press conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Jose Ramos- Horta, Azmi said that the final decision whether to accept Timorese workers would be made by Cabinet. (Timor Post)

May 10, 2005

Government reactions post-demonstration

Members of the National Parliament yesterday congratulated the President, the government and the Church for the peaceful resolution of the demonstrators' demands. While opposition MP's gave their congratulations, President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres said that he was unwilling to convey his congratulations, as it was the duty of the President, the Church and the Government to seek out a solution to the problem. The resolution simply means that each party has fulfilled its obligations to the country and the people, according to Guterres.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri appealed to parents to consider the importance of moral education for their children when making the decision as to whether their children should attend religious lessons in school.

Alkatiri said that naturally students will be provided with religious education according to their individual religious beliefs.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Alkatiri also said that plans are underway to review the government structure. Alkatiri said that these plans are unrelated to the recently concluded demonstration, but that such a re-organization is necessary so that national revenue, which has recently shown an impressive increase, can be better utilized for the development of the country. (Timor Post, STL)

Parliament to hold State Council elections today

The National Parliament will hold elections for candidates to the State Council this afternoon. President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres said that current candidates originate from the PSD, ASDT and Fretilin factions in Parliament. Guterres said that hopefully this morning's session in the Parliament would be used for the election of candidates to the Superior Council for Defense and Security. (Timor Post, STL)

Warehouses planned for food stocks

The Department of Agriculture plans to build three large warehouses to be used for large-scale food stocks, to be drawn on in the event of natural disaster. According to the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, Estanislau Aleixo da Silva, this program will be implemented together with the World Food Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organization, to assist victims of natural disasters and to ensure food security. (Timor Post)

May 9, 2005

Government reaches accord with Catholic Church

Anti-government demonstrations in Timor-Leste backed by the country's Catholic Church, ended on Sunday after the two sides settled a dispute over religious education. Thousands of people had joined the three weeks of protests in Dili against the government's decision that there should be no mandatory religious education in public schools.

The protestors began to disperse after the Bishop of Dili, Alberto Ricardo da Silva, and the Bishop of Baucau, Basilio do Nascimento, read a declaration at mass signed the day before by Church and government officials. The statement called for creating a permanent working group to oversee any problems between the government and members of the Catholic Church as well as other religions in the country. It also noted the importance of religious values in Timor-Leste and called for the teaching of different religions in schools. (AFP)

Investment law follows international standards

Timor-Leste's national and foreign investment laws recently approved by the Parliament, follow international standards as well as take into account the needs of Timor-Leste, said Secretary of State for Tourism, the Environment and Investment, Jose Texeira. Texeira said that the national investment law aims to assist national business people by the use of incentives, while the foreign investment legislation provides guarantees and authorizations for overseas businesses. He added that the laws took almost four years of preparation with assistance from international technical advisors, in particular, from the US government. The two pieces of legislation were approved by the National Parliament last Monday. (Timor Post)

TNI increases border patrols

The Indonesian military's Border Security Task Force deployed along the border of East and West Timor, has increased its border patrols following a decision by the Commander of the TNI Wirasakti Regional Military Command, Col. Inf. Amir Manan, to provisionally cease the routine Tactical Coordination Line meetings. Through the media, Manan declared that the meetings would be temporarily ceased while Timor-Leste is still processing the case of the shooting incident involving a TNI soldier in April. (Timor Post)

May 5, 2005

Alkatiri hopes solution to Church-Government showdown is near

Under fire from Timor-Leste's Catholic Church, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri dismissed any possibility of him resigning and predicted that negotiations under way with the country's bishops would bring an end to 16 days of non-stop anti-government demonstrations in Dili.

Alkatiri met with President Xanana Gusmco, who has been mediating a government-church settlement, for three hours yesterday, later telling journalists he is hopeful that several thousand Catholic protestors would be off Dili's streets by Saturday. "I think we're very close to a solution," Alkatiri said, adding that negotiations faced "a favourable climate".

The Prime Minister also dismissed what he called "rumours" that he planned to announce his resignation to the demonstrators. "If I wanted to present my resignation, I would have done so long ago," he said.

According to Lusa news agency, sources claim that a joint declaration settling the government-church dispute could be signed on Friday. While the bishops' latest position was not made public, the sources said they included new demands. According to Lusa's sources, the Catholic Church now demanded the government make prostitution illegal and that it drop plans to decriminalize early term abortions.

While expressing his optimism a solution was in sight, Alkatiri noted that some of the bishops' demands would require action by parliament and could not be dealt with through a simple "accord between the church and the government". (Lusa, STL, Timor Post)

Manuel Tilman attacked for the second time

The President of KOTA party, Manuel Tilman, has narrowly missed being attacked for the second time by members of the Timor People's Party (PPT) over PPT's claims that he is hoarding $2 million dollars stolen from the United Kingdom in two bank accounts. Approximately 20 members of the PPT surrounded Tilman outside his home on Wednesday morning demanding to know where he has put the money.

Tilman told Timor Post that he immediately called the police and due to their quick action, he was not assaulted. He said that Jacob Xavier, President of PPT, must take responsibility for the latest incident. He added that Xavier needs medical assistance, as sometimes he is normal while at other times he exhibits signs of being ill.

Meanwhile, Xavier said that the PPT members did not assault the KOTA President, but that they simply went to find out where the money is stored.

He said that he would like the problem to be resolved in a proper manner. (Timor Post, STL)

TL delegation to attend Geneva health meeting

A delegation from Timor-Leste will attend the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva later this month. According to the Minister of Health Dr Rui Maria de Araujo, who will lead the delegation, the assembly will discuss many important issues related to health, in particular, achievements gained and obstacles encountered in the health system. Dr Rui said that he would present an analysis of the current health situation in Timor-Leste. (Timor Post)

May 4, 2005

Police rule out force to disperse protestors

Timor-Leste's police will not use force to disperse peaceful anti-government protestors who have gathered for the past two weeks outside of government offices in the capital Dili. Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato said his ministry had written to the nation's powerful Roman Catholic Church, which has backed the protests, to ask that it put an end to the demonstrations.

"This request has been turned down by the protestors. We are going to find a way to get out of the situation without the use of force," he said in an interview with Lisbon-based Radio Renascenca. "The police are not going to use force to force them to leave."

Yesterday, Timor-Leste's capital braced for the possibility of clashes between police and anti-government Catholic demonstrators, but a police deadline for the end of the street protests passed without any confrontation.

The President's Chief of Staff, Agio Pereira, told Lusa news agency that Prime Minister had responded positively to a presidential initiative to reconsider plans to demote religion classes in public schools and that President Gusmao was awaiting a response from the country's two Catholic bishops.

Meanwhile, police Chief Superintendent Paulo Martins met with UN officials, foreign diplomats and government officials, giving them assurances that police forces did not plan to move against the demonstrators.

The spokesman for Dili's Catholic Church diocese, Vicar-General Apolinario Guterres said the protests, involving several thousand people, would "end when it has to end and not because of police ultimatums". While he acknowledged that there had been some violence related to the demonstration, these were isolated incidents and the majority of the demonstrators had shown good behaviour in the two weeks of the demonstration. He said that he welcomed the extra security provided at the demonstration by the PNTL and that the Church will continue to hold a dialogue with the government to resolve this issue.

The police have set up more security posts and placed barbed wire in the vicinity of the demonstration to prevent people from entering the area of the demonstration. (AFP, Lusa, STL, Timor Post)

1500 demonstrators fall ill

Approximately 1500 participants at the Church-led demonstration have fallen ill, with coughs, colds and fever. A member of the Pastoral Commission in charge of health at the demonstration said that the amount of dust and the sleeping conditions were causing many of the demonstrators to fall ill and some of the demonstrators had also begun to show signs of malaria. The spokesperson said that medical staff are always on standby to carry out consultations on sick people and to decide whether they need to be taken to hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, STL reports that 20 sick demonstrators returned to their home district of Same yesterday and were replaced by another 40 from the Same Parish. (STL)

Hasegawa ready to lead new mission

Special Representative of the Secretary General in Timor-Leste, Sukehiro Hasegawa, said that he is prepared to lead the new UN mission (UNOTIL) in Timor-Leste if the Secretary General Kofi Annan requests him to do so.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, Hasegawa said that this new mission needs a senior person as its leader. He said that his relationship with Timorese leaders is very good and it is another reason why it is possible that he be made head of the new mission, which will run until 20 May 2006. (Timor Post)

May 3, 2005

Police give church protestors deadline to end demonstration

Protestors in Timor-Leste have been given a deadline of today by police to call off their demonstration, according to a police source. "The deadline is Tuesday. If there are no evident signs of demobilization, the police will act to restore law and public order," the source in Timor-Leste's national police headquarters told Lusa news agency.

Details of the police ultimatum for the ending of the anti- government protests were given in a letter delivered yesterday to Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili and other senior church officials. A reply to the letter, signed by deputy-Bishop Apolinario Guterres, was received at Dili's police command, said the source, with the senior clergyman stating that the "demonstration will continue".

According to the police, the demonstrators have not complied with their declaration of a peaceful demonstration following several violent actions which have occurred in the past few days. PNTL Commander General Paulo de Fatima Martins said that the demonstration had degenerated to become a provocation and an agitation.

Meanwhile, the number of participants at the demonstration continues to grow, with a reported 20 trucks with an estimated 850 people on board arriving from Ermera district yesterday afternoon. At the weekend, the power struggle pitting Timor's powerful church against the government gained new momentum, as signs of a possible rapprochement mediated by President Xanana Gusmao appeared to evaporate.

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, whose resignation has become the demonstrators' central demand, told Lusa on Saturday the FRETILIN party did "not exclude the possibility" of mobilizing counter- demonstrations in support of the government. (Lusa, Timor Post)

Religion to be included in school curriculum

Timor-Leste's government has decided to include religion in the school curriculum. Speaking to journalists after meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos-Horta, said that while the government had made this decision, it would still be up to the parents of individual children to determine whether their child should take part in the religion lessons. Ramos-Horta said that this decision should be viewed as a positive conclusion for the demonstrators and that they would all be able to return to their homes after the meeting today between the government and the two bishops. He said that the Prime Minister felt optimistic that a proper conclusion to the matter would be found in the meeting. (Timor Post)

Demonstration a show of disgruntlement at lack of attention

According to the head of the National Party of Timor (PNT) in the National Parliament, Alianca da Conceicao Araujo, the demonstration against the government's education policy represents an accumulation of discontent and frustration within the Church, and thus the problem which has arisen is nobodys fault.

She said that the demonstration is reminiscent of demonstrations organized by the former Falintil guerillas, who also have experienced discontent with the government. Araujo said that the Church played an important role during Indonesian times as one of the fronts against colonialism. But since then, the role of the Church in the struggle has been forgotten and this has brought about anger within the Church.

Araujo said that Fretilin leaders such as Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri and Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato do not understand the situation of the people during the occupation, and thus the demands of the former clandestine network and Falintil guerillas are not given the attention that they deserve. She said that the only person that understands the situation of the people during Indonesian times is President Xanana Gusmao and therefore the key to solving this problem lies with him. She said that he must not avoid this problem but must play a key role in resolving it. (STL)

Horta to speak to Australia on deportation

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Ramos- Horta, said that he would speak to the Australian government to request them to permit 50 Timorese, planned for deportation, to remain in Australia. However, Ramos-Horta said that he would first need to ascertain whether the 50 really are Timorese.

He added that Australia's decision to deport the 50 is not related to the Timor Sea issue. Timor Post yesterday reported that the Australian government had decided to allow 1400 Timorese asylum seekers to remain permanently in Australia, while a further 50 will be returned to Timor-Leste. (Timor Post)

Suspected Fretilin involvement in illegal levies

A group of people identifying themselves as representatives of a Fretilin youth organization are suspected of being involved in the collection of illegal levies from foreign business people in Dili, said to be used to assist the ongoing Church demonstration. According to Member of Parliament Antonio Ximenes from the Christian Democrat Party, there is nothing wrong with the collection of such funds as long as it is done without threat or force. However, Ximenes said that the use of threats or force for levy collection is against Timor-Leste law and religious norms and thus the parliament would form a parliamentary group to investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, Elizario Ferreira, a member of a Fretilin youth organization, rejected the accusation, saying that Fretilin leaders had not authorized the involvement of any of the Fretilin youth organizations in the demonstration. (STL)

May 2, 2005

United States ready to assist in new mission

United States' Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Grover Joseph Rees, said that as an international friend and one of the donor countries to Timor-Leste, the US is very pleased with the decision of the United Nations to extend its presence in Timor- Leste for another year. Speaking to journalists at UNMISET's headquarters in Dili on Friday, Rees said that the Timorese people have made good progress, but there is not yet a fully sustainable system, thus assistance from UN advisors is still required. He added that in one more year the United States would congratulate the United Nations and the Timorese people upon the completion of the mission. (Timor Post)

Fretilin continues support for PM

Fretilin held an all-inclusive meeting of the Fretilin Central Committee on Saturday, resulting in a statement reaffirming Fretilin's support for the Constitutional Government headed by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri as well as calling for a dialogue to be held to resolve the current concerns.

The meeting was held to confront the political situation that has arisen in the country and was attended by members of Fretilin's central and district bodies, representatives of people's organizations and militants. The President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres said in the statement that the number of people attending the demonstration, approximately 2000, is not representative of the aspirations of all the people of Timor-Leste. He added that forcing the Prime Minister to resign via a demonstration is not a good precedent for this new nation. (Timor Post, STL)

Portuguese citizens under the influence

The Dili Diocese Vicar-General, Apolinario Aparicio, has told journalists that the two Portuguese citizens, who suffered injuries on Friday evening, were drunk. Their car was zigzagging on the road heading in the direction of the demonstrators who were praying at the time and some religious statues placed in the area when they were stopped by the demonstrators and accompanied to the Bishop's residence. The two suffered minor injuries.

Timor Post cites the Portuguese Ambassador as being informed of the incident, and he has requested Portuguese citizens to stay clear of the area of the demonstration. (Timor Post)

TL Defense policy must be better defined

According to the Commander of the F-FDTL Taur Matan Ruak, Timor- Leste's defense policy is very important, as the UN's peacekeeping operation in Timor-Leste will soon end. Speaking at the international symposium held last week to evaluate the work of the UN in the past six years, Ruak said that there needs to be a thorough analysis of financial and human resources available to the F-FDTL as well as an effort made to define priorities and capabilities in terms of sustainability. (STL)


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