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East Timor News Digest 4 – April 1-30, 2008
Australian Associated Press - April 26, 2008
Australia will withdraw 200 troops deployed to East Timor
following February's attacks on the troubled country's president
and prime minister, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.
Mr Rudd said the Australian and East Timorese governments had
assessed the security situation as stable following the return
home of East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta and the lifting
of a state of emergency.
The decision means a rifle company group will not be replaced
when it completes its tour of duty on Sunday.
After the February 11 attacks, the Timorese government requested
the immediate deployment of additional defence and police
personnel. Mr Rudd said the force had successfully achieved its
job of helping stabilise security in the country.
"Prime Minister (Xanana) Gusmao has written to me supporting this
decision. He has thanked Australia for its assistance following
the attacks and for our continuing support," Mr Rudd said in a
statement.
The government has advised the United Nations and its partner in
East Timor, New Zealand, of the decision.
After the removal of the extra troops, the Australian commitment
will return to the pre-February level of approximately 750
personnel.
Mr Rudd said Australia remains strongly committed to supporting
the Timorese government and will continue to work with
authorities and the United Nations to help it handle security and
other challenges.
Dr Ramos Horta was critically injured in the February 11 attack
on his home by rebels led by Alfredo Reinado, who was killed in
the shootout. The attacks also targeted Mr Gusmao, who escaped
unharmed.
Dr Ramos Horta returned to the tiny country for the first time
last week following treatment in Darwin.
Jakarta Post - April 17, 2008
Jakarta – Fresh from his acquittal of past human rights
violation charges in East Timor, former pro-Indonesia militia
leader Eurico Guterres said Thursday he would meet Timor Leste
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao to push for reconciliation between
the two countries. The reconciliatory talk is set for April 28 in
Dili.
Eurico said the reconciliation effort should go ahead under the
Commission for Truth and Friendship, set up by the two countries
to seek out the truth surrounding the violence before and after
the referendum for independence in the then Indonesian province
in 1999.
The commission has delayed submitting its final report to both
the presidents of Indonesia and Timor Leste, pending the full
recovery of Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta, who was shot
in a coup attempt in January.
February 11 shooting
Truth & Friendship Commission
Social conflicts/refugees
Justice & reconciliation
Indonesia
Police/military
Opinion & analysis
East Timor media review
News & issues
Australia to cut East Timor troop numbers
Acquitted Eurico to meet Xanana
Alarm at China's influence in East Timor
The Australian - April 16, 2008
Mark Dodd – Impoverished East Timor has signed a $28 million deal with China to buy two advanced patrol boats in a move that will alarm Australia and Indonesia about increasing Chinese influence in the struggling nation.
The deal was signed on April 12 by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, Secretary of State for Defence Julio Pinto and Hao Yantan from the Chinese defence company Poly-Technic.
China has been steadily increasing its presence in East Timor. It is involved in oil and gas exploration and was responsible for compiling a geological survey of the half-island state. China has also recently built a massive Foreign Ministry office on Dili's waterfront.
The contract for the patrol boats provides for 30 East Timorese defence force personnel to undergo training in China. Foreign policy experts yesterday expressed concern at the deal and said money would be better spent on social infrastructure.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, East Timor is the poorest country in the Asia-Pacific region. It was ranked 142nd of 177 countries in the 2006 UN Human Development Report, and fared poorly on key indicators such as life expectancy, literacy and GDP per capita. About 44 per cent of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
Details of the agreement were confirmed yesterday by Dili-based diplomatic sources. The patrol boat purchase was foreshadowed in an East Timor defence blueprint called the Force 2020 Report, details of which were first revealed in The Australian last June.
A DFAT spokesman said it had no public comment to make about the deal. But respected defence strategist Paul Dibb said if the patrol boats came armed, it would be a concern for Canberra, which is expected to provide more than $72 million in foreign aid to East Timor this year.
"It's a matter of how much further it goes, and what sort of footprint China sees it has the right to have in our immediate neighbourhood where clearly we (Australia) see ourselves as the leading power with the most influence," Professor Dibb said.
"If they are basically civilian-type Customs patrol boats, then that's one thing. But if they are built by the PLA (People's Liberation Army) and were armed, then that might start to raise a deal more interest (in Canberra)," he added.
Defence expert Alan Behm said East Timor would learn quickly that patrol boats were expensive to operate and maintain. He said a better investment would have been for the Gusmao-led Government in Dili to improve social infrastructure.
The East Timor deal follows moves by Indonesia to acquire Russian submarines and other military equipment, part of a $1.2 billion line of credit offered by President Vladimir Putin on a visit to Jakarta last September.
Former foreign minister Alexander Downer described as "totally unrealistic" the Force 2020 military blueprint, which called for a 3000-strong defence force backed by missile-equipped warships.
He said East Timor's priorities should be to focus on improving living standards rather than spending on sophisticated military equipment.
A report this week in East Timor's Diario Nacional newspaper quoted government officials as saying the boats would be 43m long and would be used to patrol East Timor's fishing grounds that, like Australia's northern coast, suffer from poaching.
Former colonial power Portugal gave East Timor two ageing Albatross-class patrol boats armed with 20mm cannon but both ships are in need of repairs. The East Timorese defence force was also hard-pressed to find the $500,000 a year required to keep the boats running.
"Nobody is arguing that East Timor needs to be able to control its own waters, but to sign a $28 million patrol boat contract with the Chinese raises questions about affordability and says much about the expanding role of China here," said a Dili-based Western security analyst, who asked not to be named.
Prensa Latina - April 8, 2008
Dili – Authorities from Timor Leste have expressed gratitude for collaboration in several fronts and the humanitarian labour of Cuban physicians and teachers in this small south Asian country.
At the act to open the hospital located in the Oeccusse enclave, Jorge Male, Secretary of State for that region, and Health Minister Doctor Nelson Martins, expressed this nations thanks for the unconditional Cuban support in this sector.
Male stressed the Latin American country's support in the independentist struggles, the UN and other international forums, to highlight a new, cooperative and humane expression in medical and educational collaboration.
Moreover, Martin praised the importance of that health care to prevent and eradicate diseases affecting the people of Timor Leste.
European Union (EU) ambassador to Dili Juan Carlos Reis also gave special recognition to the Cuban physicians' labor in this country.
Turned into an institution for consultations, the construction of the hospital was financed by the EU at $3 million.
The ceremony was also presided over by Havana ambassador to this capital Ramon Hernandez Vazquez and Doctor Alberto Felipe Rignak Diaz, coordinator of the Cuban medical brigade. (nm/iff/sus/mf)
| February 11 shooting |
The Australian - April 30, 2008
Paul Toohey – East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday came face to face with and shook the hand of the rebel he believes shot him on February 11 at a formal surrender ceremony in Dili that marked the end of a two-year rebellion.
Deep anger showed on the face of the President, who said nothing to Marcelo Caetano, one of 12 rebels led in by Lieutenant Gastao Salsinha who officially surrendered yesterday after two years on the run.
Salsinha surrendered his weapon on Friday night in a house in Ermera, in the country's west, but used his influence over the following days to persuade other members of his band to come to Dili with him.
Speaking to the rebel group as a whole, Mr Ramos Horta said: "I know the man who shot me. As a human and a Christian, I can forgive the man who shot me, but as the head of state and a citizen of Timor, this man must face justice."
A witness said Mr Ramos Horta and Caetano had difficulty looking each other in the eye.
Mr Ramos Horta said he had spent two years trying to persuade the group, who deserted from the army in early 2006, to come in. "I was going up in the hills talking to you and trying to get a result without bloodshed, but I had to pay the price myself," he said.
As Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao was visiting Indonesia, Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres took over running of the ceremony at the Government Palace and declared East Timor at peace.
"The rebellion is over," he told The Australian. "There was an official ceremony and officially the rebellion is ended. Right now they (the rebels) are leaving for the joint-command headquarters in order to give more statements."
The group arrived in Dili at midday in a large convoy under the control of the F-FDTL (army) and the police, after attending mass in the hills. The Australian-led International Stabilisation Force appeared to play no part in the event.
Mr Guterres said Salsinha was "very relaxed and I think he is prepared to face justice and that is a great thing for the country". "He just smiled when we shook hands but I think it is great to have all them in," Mr Guterres said.
Mr Gusmao, speaking in Jakarta after meetings on trade with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, hailed the surrender.
"I must praise our military and police for working together with the community to end that situation," he said. "What can they (the rebels) do now? Absolutely nothing, because they are now in the hands of the judicial system."
Mr Gusmao and Mr Yudhoyono discussed developing closer ties, which could include an Indonesian training program for East Timor's army.
Almost 600 soldiers from the west of the country abandoned army service in 2006, claiming they had been overlooked for promotion in a military dominated by easterner veterans who, as the westerners saw it, had been given control of the army in return for running the anti-Indonesian armed struggle between 1975 and 1999.
Salsinha and his petitioners, including Alfredo Reinado, who joined the rebels later, were always thought to have a strong natural justice case.
Over time, patience was lost as Reinado, who came to lead the group, made ever-shifting demands on the Government. On February 11, he stormed the President's compound and was shot. Mr Ramos Horta, returning from a morning walk, was shot twice by a man he has identified as Caetano, a member of Reinado's band. Another group led by Salsinha almost simultaneously staged an unsuccessful ambush on Mr Gusmao's motorcade as the Prime Minister headed to his offices.
[With additional reporting by Stephen Fitzpatrick.]
Reuters - April 29, 2008
Tito Belo, Dili – The leader of a group of East Timor rebels accused of trying to assassinate President Jose Ramos-Horta surrendered on Tuesday, raising hopes that the troubled young nation can find some rare stability.
Gastao Salsinha and 12 of his men surrendered to Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres in a closed-door meeting at the government palace in the capital Dili, witnessed by other officials including Ramos-Horta.
"As an individual I have no hatred against the one who shot me, I forgive him, but as the head of state he has to face court to explain it," added Ramos-Horta, who has previously singled out one of the fugitive rebels as being his shooter.
The 58-year-old Nobel laureate, who was critically wounded during the February attacks on his Dili home, recently returned to Dili after recuperating for two months in Australia.
"The people want to know who gave them the support of uniforms, weapons and bullets," added Ramos-Horta, who upset Jakarta by suggesting that elements from neighboring Indonesia were behind the plot.
During the surrender, the rebels handed over guns and other military equipment, including camouflage uniforms and grenades.
Salsinha, who took command of the rebels after their leader, Alfredo Reinado, was killed in the February 11 attack, had been negotiating with authorities from a house in Ermera district, 75 km (47 miles) west of the capital.
Salsinha told reporters that he and his men had "surrendered to justice not to the government."
East Timor had issued arrest warrants for Salsinha, a former army lieutenant, and 22 others over the attacks, which also targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, who escaped unhurt. An army major said that two rebels remained in hiding.
'Great day'
Deputy prime minister Guterres described the surrender as a "great day for the East Timor people."
The country's tiny army imploded along regional lines in 2006, when about 600 soldiers were sacked, triggering violence that killed 37 people and drove 150,000 from their homes.
East Timor called in foreign troops to help restore order, but a hard-core of the fugitive troops frequently embarrassed the security forces by melting away even when apparently surrounded.
Gusmao, who is on a visit to Jakarta, praised the cooperation of state institutions, and the work of the army and police in bringing about the surrender. "We just want to avoid more violence," he said.
Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed the country later that year, maintaining a huge and sometimes harsh military presence and fighting rebels for more than two decades.
East Timor, which is one of the world's poorest nations but has rich oil and gas reserves, became fully independent in May 2002 after a UN transitional administration.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that East Timor should stop hinting that Indonesia was involved in the attacks as this could hurt relations between the two countries.
East Timor's parliament agreed last week to lift a state of emergency imposed following the attack on Ramos-Horta, although the state of alert was extended for another month in Ermera.
Reflecting improvements in security, Australia will withdraw 200 troops from East Timor, sent following the February assassination attempt, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.
More than 2,500 foreign troops and police remain in the country to help local security forces maintain stability.
[Additional reporting by Ahmad Pathoni in Jakarta, Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Alex Richardson.]
Australian Associated Press - April 23, 2008
Karen Michelmore, Jakarta – East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta today said some people involved in the attempt on his life had fled to Australia.
He said "elements" outside East Timor had provided support to rebel leader Alfredo Reinado for at least a year leading up to the February attacks, including money, communications equipment and clothing.
Others had fled East Timor to Australia and Indonesia after the attacks, which also targeted Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, he said.
"Straight after the attack on myself and the prime minister, certain Timorese with Australian nationality fled to Australia," Ramos Horta said in a speech to parliament today. "Other elements outside of the country are implicated in these hideous crimes."
Indonesian authorities arrested three former East Timor soldiers who escaped to the neighbouring country after the assassination attempts. Ramos Horta has repeatedly demanded Australia's urgent assistance in tracing dozens of telephone calls made to Reinado before and after the attacks.
Reinado was killed in the attack on the president's home. Ramos Horta was critically injured, but Gusmao escaped unharmed.
Ramos Horta had threatened to lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council unless Australia immediately releases details of a $A1 million Darwin bank account held by Reinado and Timorese-born Australian Angelita Pires. The president has claimed Pires was Reinado's lover and held great influence over him.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith yesterday said the information would be provided as soon as East Timor made a request through the proper channels.
Despite his warning to Australia, Ramos Horta today said he had "total confidence" that authorities there and in Indonesia would get to the bottom of what had happened.
He also announced he would pardon 80 criminals on next month's anniversary of independence, including jailed former government minister Rogerio Lobato. Lobato has served just five months of a seven-year sentence for arming hit squads during the violence that destabilised the nation in 2006.
The decision means not one single person is in jail over the 2006 violence, which killed 37 people and forced 150,000 to flee their homes.
SBS Dateline - April 16, 2008
East Timor, tomorrow, that deeply troubled nation will welcome home its President, Jose Ramos-Horta, who has been hospitalised in Darwin after being gunned down near his home three months ago. On that quite extraordinary morning, the Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao was also attacked and rebel leader Alfredo Reinado shot dead.
Dateline's Mark Davis – no stranger to the twists and turns of East Timorese politics – has been in the tiny island nation, piecing together events that led to the attack, including exclusive interviews with the woman accused by Ramos-Horta of influencing the assault, plus Reinado's deputy, who is still hiding in the hills behind the capital, Dili.
Reporter: Mark Davis
For the past two years this village, sitting at the very top of East Timor, has been a rebel stronghold. Today the East Timorese police and army are back in force on a mission to hunt down the would-be assassins of the nation's President and Prime Minister.
Soldier (Translation): We are here at Letefoho. He's north of here.
In an extended game of cat and mouse the soldiers are circling the remnants of the rebel army of Alfredo Reinado and his Lieutenant Gastao Salsinha.
Soldier (Translation): The information we have is that these guys are there, but when we went, they were not there. Dare has just contacted me, move in fast.
This is good country to hide out in. But what is also hidden with the rebels in these mountains is the real story of what happened in Dili in the attack on President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. Two months have past and there is still little more than a swirl of rumours about what happened that day.
Monday morning, February 11, and Dili awakes to a chaotic scene. President Ramos-Horta shot and struggling for his life. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao showered with gunfire but managing to escape. And Alfredo Reinado, a folk hero to many, shot dead. Buried with him was the mystery of what his plan was in coming to Dili – an assassination, a kidnapping, a coup. All of them possible for a man who dominated events in East Timor for the past two tumultuous years.
Since 2006 Alfredo Reinado ruled the mountains in the west of East Timor like a personal fiefdom – as he showed in his own DVD that he released late last year, complete with his favourite classical backing. Together with Salsinha, Alfredo ran an army of aggrieved soldiers from the west of East Timor, known as the petitioners. Hundreds of soldiers that had been dismissed when they alleged they were being discriminated by an eastern faction in the armed forces. From his mountain-top lair Alfredo would hurl abuse at the government below and issue threats about the coming year.
Alfredo Reinado, rebel leader: There is no guarantee. So you see who is guarantee that, this is after the new year that things will fine. It is nothing. I can tell you that going even worst. And I say all those foreign investors, don't waste your time to invest in the time because nothing is guaranteed there.
Clearly Alfredo Reinado had grand visions of his power and considerable support to fund his army – support, encouragement and funding widely believed to be coming from East Timorese politicians and businesspeople, amongst others.
Alfredo Reinado: Oh, why they know whoever is supporting us, why they didn't go out and get them, why they just talk? Talk and talk, no reality. It's only talk. Stand there and get some. You will see what will come or what will happen.
Plenty of supporters, apparently, but according to senior figures in East Timor, the main supporter, the real mastermind of his attack on February 11 is a surprising individual – an Australian Timorese woman living in a suburb in Dili. Angelita Pires reads almost daily accounts of accusations against her by Ramos-Horta, the state prosecutor and multiple unnamed sources implying she was the key player in a bloody plot. A femme fatale leading poor Reinado astray, a lady Macbeth ready to seize power with murder and mayhem.
Angelita Pires: I am innocent I know this, so the people are still out there. The real perpetrators or whoever, what ever instigated this is still out there. And justice won't be made.
Angelita worked on Alfredo's legal matters before becoming his lover late last year, around the same time this video was shot.
Angelita Pires: I suppose when you are close to somebody there are always accusations, but as I said I was close, I am not denying our relationship and that we wanted a future together I'm not denying that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. I guess, because we were close – people always make stories and in the end, as I said, I don't want to be a scapegoat, I don't want to be made a scapegoat simply because they can't or is too difficult to find solutions and get to the real facts.
Angelita is not under house arrest but is afraid to appear in public, branded as she is of plotting to murder the most revered person in the country. The guys who've been waving all the guns have all been given their presumption of innocence. Since the Horta shooting, hundreds of Reinado's men have surrendered and are being housed under light security in Dili.
Speaker (Translation): You have to tell the truth about what you have done. What you have done... and tell the truth.
Most of these men have already been released after filling in a 2-page confessional questionnaire. Others directly involved in the attack on Horta and Xanana have been granted tea and biscuits with the Prime Minister, an honourable handover of weapons and a 'sorry' go a long way with the PM
Reporter: Who is responsible for Alfredo, now at the moment all we hear about is his girlfriend, Angelita Pires, why is she the only focus, while clearly so many people were behind this man?
Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister: I cannot say, I am chief- executive, not the judicial.
Prosecutor Longuinhos Monterio is maintaining a professional and stony silence on Reinado's many associates and accomplices, with one exception.
Longuinhos Monterio, prosecutor: It is not proper to talk in advance.
Reporter: But you have accused her of giving drugs to him, you have accused her of giving money to him.
Longuinhos Monterio: Not all the information we get is based on information from the witnesses on the ground. The witnesses are the ones together with them, so whoever that wanted to challenge this information, let them challenge it in the court.
Reporter: Why do you think the attention has been on you?
Angelita Pires: Maybe they are trying to – I don't know, maybe they are rushing, they are not getting the real facts.
There may be claims Angelita Pires was the mastermind of the plan but it seems no-one has the slightest idea what the plan was. The answer is still hidden in the hills being searched by the East Timorese army. Utilising informers and rebels who have surrendered, the police and army are moving village to village and house to house, encouraging friends and relatives of the rebels to give them up.
Major Nevis (Translation): Maybe you're encouraging them to run. That's why they go. Who feeds them? Maybe you people from the villages.
Major Nevis is in charge of this mountain campaign and he knows that he has more than just family loyalty to overcome. Salsinha's key claim that people in the west are discriminated against runs deep here.
Major Nevis (Translation): They say we are discriminating, that the people from the west can only be foot soldiers and the people from the east are officers. So we ask them is Lietenant-Colonel Meno from the east or from the west? They can't answer. How about Lieutenant-Colonel Koliati?
Salsinha won't be given up easily. And with a tightening military cordon it is now virtually impossible for anyone to reach him.
Reporter: You now know a lot about these guys, what you think the intention was when they went to Dili, on February 11th?
Major Nevis (Translation): I can't respond, the only people who can answer are Salsinha and Alfredo as to why they went to Dili on February 11.
Reporter: We would like to ask Salsinha, we want to ask Salsinha, we just can't find him.
Our first attempts to find Salsinha fail but Salsinha finds us and sends this video.
Salsinha (Translation): We won't give up.
This is the first account of what happened in Dili on Feb 11.
Salsinha (Translation): There are many accusations about us, about Major Alfredo's death and the President being wounded and also the attack on the Prime Minister. They all say that we were planning a coup. But they are lying. Whoever says that is trying to sully our reputation.
The rebels split into two when they came to Dili – Alfredo entering the President's house and Salsinha leading the group that shot at Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
Salsinha (Translation): I was there but had no intention to launch a coup or harm the Prime Minister. If we'd planned to harm the Prime Minister, he would not have made it to Dili.
Salsinha emphatically claims that the mission wasn't an attempted coup, assassination or kidnapping, but what was it? Travelling with Timorese journalist Jose Belo, we can't get into the bush unobserved, but we manage to arrange a phone contact with one of the rebels involved in the attack on the Horta house. His code name is Teboko and his account is a remarkable one – he believed Alfredo had an appointment with the President.
Teboko: We had an order from Alfredo not to attack the residence of the President. It's clear. You can imagine that if we were going to attack him... we could have shot him in Maubisse or Suai when we met him. We did not think of this. It was not in our minds. We had an appointment with the President from Major Alfredo and we were going with two vehicles and we arrived without any weapon discharge. As we know on the FDTL part, they shoot at us first. They killed Major Alfredo and a member Leopoldino.
Teboko acknowledges that he and his men disarmed the guards at Horta's gate but believes they may not have known about the meeting.
Teboko: OK, no trouble. We're just here to see the president.
According to Teboko, about 10 minutes after entering the compound with no gun fire and none threatened, Alfredo Reinado was suddenly shot dead. Meeting closed.
Reporter: Were the other men, the men that are with you now, when you ask them did they also believe it was a meeting or did they believe it was an attack?
Teboko: They believed Alfredo was going to a meeting.
Even if the men believed they were attending a meeting with Horta – they'd done that before – what was Alfredo Reinado thinking? In recent months he had certainly been threatening enough and in his most recent DVD particularly hostile to Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
Alfredo Reinado (Translation): I'm telling you Mr Xanana, me Alfredo, I have no fear. Never, so don't bother to threaten me. If I make an ultimatum, the streets of Dili will be empty. And if he forces me, you will see my ultimatum.
Reinado's DVD has never been broadcast but has been circulated in East Timor. In essence Reinado accuses Xanana of supporting his uprising against the army and the then Fretilin government of Mari Alkatiri.
Alfredo Reinado (Translation): Now he's against us, he ordered us to make things turn out as they have. He is the one who supported the petitioners.
Xanana Gusmao: We told him – if you have something about justice, go to the trial and you tell there. By attacking the President means that he had nothing to say. That is the conclusion that you can have.
In 2006 when Salsinha and the Reinado led their troops out of their bases, claiming discrimination, the national divide between east and west soon escalated. Rival gangs spiralled out of control, leaving dozens dead, thousands of houses destroyed and tens of thousands uprooted as refugees. The ensuing chaos helped bring down the government of Mari Alkatiri in the middle of his term.
Mari Alkatiri, former Prime Minister: It was used politically. It could have been handed over very easily if it was not used politically. It was used politically by Xanana and others and now as you can see, it got out of control.
Xanana Gusmao: I don't respond, I don't comment.
There was never any crime in Xanana expressing support for the petitioners, certainly initially. The dispute may be best left between Alkatiri and Xanana, but it does afford an insight into Reinado's state of resentment in the months leading up to February.
Reporter: If Xanana and Horta to some degree, exerted influence at least over Reinado, when did they loose control over him?
Mari Alkatiri: I think immediately after the elections they start to loose control over him, because he was waiting to be bought back as a hero? Yes.
Reporter: And why didn't they do that then?
Mari Alkatiri: It's not easy, there are a lot of elements in that you have the commander of the army who does not want them back...
Reporter: And sections of their own government who don't want them back and obviously Fretilin, the opposition doesn't want them back.
To Reinado, others came to enjoy power after the fall of Alkatiri and he was left on a mountain top with outstanding murder charges against him. Another insight into his state of mind is given when we finally make contact with his deputy Salsinha.
salsinha (Translation): Yes, he was drunk, stressed and angry with the soldiers. At 9:30, Major Alfredo came to our place. He came drunk and told us to prepare the soldiers to go to Dili. He said "I'm going down to Dili to meet the leaders, the Prime Minister and the President." When the leader speaks, we never question, we just follow.
A drunk stresses and angry Reinado mustering his men in the middle of the night doesn't sound like a pre-planned military assault.
Reporter: What was the order?
Salsinha (Translation): The order was not clear. He only said that we should go to the Prime Minister's house.
Salsinha claims that all he knew was that he was await further instructions while Reinado met with Horta. He was still waiting when news came that Reinado was shot.
Reporter: I find that hard to believe sir, if you have been sent to Xanana's house or on the road, I find it hard to believe that you didn't have an order to do something. You weren't going to have a cup of tea?
Salsinha (Translation): He didn't say we were to have a cup of tea together. Maybe it's better to ask his lawyer about the plan. Ask Angelita Pires to explain clearly what happened, because Major Alfredo is dead. Go back and ask Angelita Pires about the plan.
Angelita denies that Reinado ever discussed any such plan with her and certainly not on the night in question. It doesn't make sense, she claims, because he was looking forward to an amnesty.
Angelita Pires: He discussed at a future where he could live in peace, he could live contained, but in peace, yeah.
Salsinha confirms that a confidential amnesty had been offered by President Ramos-Horta in the middle of January.
Reporter: Sir did Alfredo and yourself believe you were going to get an amnesty after discussions with the President. Were you offered amnesty in May?
Salsinha (Translation): From the meeting in Maubisse, the President himself talked about an amnesty. Alfredo is dead but the other main witness is the Development Minister, Joao Goncalves.
Minister Joao Goncalves, who knew Reinado from their time together in Australia, attended the meeting with Horta and Reinado where an amnesty was offered.
Minister Joao Goncalves: In Maubisse the President told in fact that he intended to announce on 20th May an Amnesty that would cover all the crimes and everything that happened from the 2006 crisis.
Thursday 7 February and Horta has a fateful meeting at his home to discuss the amnesty and related issues. The entire political elite of East Timor arrived, walking up the driveway where Alfredo Reinado will lie dead in four days time.
Reporter: Did Horta advise that he had offered an amnesty to Reinado? And was he very keen for agreement on amnesty to be reached?
Mari Alkatiri: Yes.
All factions of the coalition government and Mari Alkatiri's Fretilin opposition have been invited as a gesture of national unity, but a consensus can't be reached.
Mari Alkatiri: Amnesty in this country is not really in the competence of the President.
Reporter: So it seems that Horta can't deliver on that promise of an amnesty The meeting is amicable. The amnesty isn't rejected outright but critically, no decision is made.
Mari Alkatiri: We decided to have another two meetings on 12 and 14 of February.
Reporter: And on the 11th Reinado attacked.
The meeting concludes that evening and Ramos-Horta gives it the best spin that he can.
Ramos Horta: We in the parliament, in the major parties can cooperate in order to resolve some of the pressing issues, like peace...
But he has a problem. He now has to tell Alfredo Reinado that there has been a hiccup in their plan. An emissary will be dispatched over the weekend. On Sunday the 10th, Angelita Pires heads up the mountain to have lunch with Alfredo Reinado. That's where the day started to go wrong, according to Salsinha.
Salsinha (Translation): He drank with Angelita Pires on Sunday around 2 o'clock. The wine that they had was bought by Angela. Bought by Angela to the major's place. While they were drinking I didn't come near.
He doesn't know what time Angelita leaves, but believes she still could be there when Alfredo flies into his drunken rage at 9:30 that night.
Angelita Pires: No, no no. First, that's not true. Well, I don't know, that's not true with me and my friends. We left at 3:30, 4:00, no drinks were consumed, zero.
Reporter: So by 4:00 you'd left?
Angelita Pires: Yes, 4:00, yes.
Reporter: Others would testify to that?
Angelita Pires: I drove back with my friends. I took a lift there and came back with my friends.
I checked with Angelita's friend, who confirms that they had left certainly before dark, so who was with Reinado in the hours before he forms his drunken decision to amble to Dili. Angelita claims that when she left there were other visitors who remained – one of who she recognised. And he works at the President's office. Ramos-Horta's office in Dili houses a group called MUNJ, the Movement for National Unity and Justice. They were acting as go-betweens for Horta and Reinado. Augusto Junior is it's director and spokesman.
Since the Horta shooting MUNJ have been particularly coy about their presence in Reinado's camp the night before the attack. It's clear that they were delivering a message from Horta, but it is totally unclear what time they left. And oddly, Salsinha is equally vague when asked the same question.
Reporter: What time did the people from the Presidents office leave?
Salsinha (Translation): I have not yet confirmed with them what time they left. What time I haven't yet confirmed.
It seems that no one wants to be placed with Alfredo in the early evening hours of Sunday the 10th. It is clear he would be infuriated to hear of the meeting in Dili, where it would seem that every politician in the country had just betrayed him. Whatever conclusions he reached, what ever advice was given seems to have occurred in the hours just before 9:30 – when he lurches into his soldiers' camp with an urgent need to meet with Ramos- Horta. The answer to at least part of that mystery – those few key hours – may lay inside the walls of the President's Dili office.
Credits
Reuters - April 20, 2008
Jakarta – East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta denied on Sunday that he had linked Indonesia's army to an attack on him after Jakarta said such a suggestion could hurt ties between the countries.
The 58-year-old Nobel laureate nearly lost his life when he was shot twice after gunmen loyal to rebel leader Alfredo Reinado launched early-morning attacks on the president and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao in Dili in February.
Ramos-Horta said his remarks on Thursday, upon his return home from Australia, that investigations indicated the involvement of elements within Indonesia in Reinado's action had been misinterpreted. He said he had not blamed the Indonesian government or military.
"I always said individuals in Indonesia, and individuals can be of East Timorese origin although they might already be Indonesian citizens," Ramos-Horta said after mass in a Dili church. "I never said the Indonesian public or TNI." TNI refers to the Indonesian armed forces.
His remarks came after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that East Timor should stop hinting that Indonesia was involved in the attacks as this could hurt relations between the two countries.
Yudhoyono made the comment on Friday while announcing the arrest of three East Timorese soldiers in Indonesia in relation to the attacks on Ramos-Horta and Gusmao. The three had entered Indonesia illegally, he said.
Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975 and annexed East Timor later that year, maintaining a huge and sometimes harsh military presence and fighting rebels for more than two decades.
East Timorese voted overwhelmingly to split from Indonesian rule but some pro-Jakarta voters say the referendum was rigged by the UN, despite the presence of numerous independent observers who concluded the ballot was largely fair.
Indonesia's military was accused of backing pro-Jakarta militia groups that went on a rampage in East Timor before and after the independence vote. About 1,000 East Timorese died during the post-vote mayhem, the UN estimates.
East Timor became fully independent in May 2002 after a UN transitional administration.
As Asia's youngest nation, East Timor has been unable to achieve stability since its hard-won independence from Indonesia, despite its oil and gas resources. The East Timor army tore apart along regional lines in 2006, when about 600 soldiers were sacked, triggering factional violence that killed 37 people.
Melbourne Age - April 20, 2008
Lindsay Murdoch – Three rebels involved in attacks on East Timor's top two political leaders have been arrested in Indonesian West Timor where they were staying at the invitation of Joao Tavares, a notorious former pro-Jakarta militia commander.
Indonesian security forces traced the men to Mr Tavares, who was described by United Nations war crimes prosecutors as the supreme militia commander in East Timor in 1999 when 1500 people were killed and 70% of the country's infrastructure destroyed.
The arrests came after Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told his East Timor counterpart, Jose Ramos Horta, on the phone last week that Jakarta would crack down on any support for the rebels coming from Indonesia.
The investigation into the attacks is focusing on contacts rebel leader Alfredo Reinado – who led the attack on the two leaders and was killed during it – had with people in Indonesia, including a Timorese-born Jakarta gangster, Hercules Rozario Marcal. Reinado's mobile telephone listed 21 Indonesian contact numbers, including one for "Hercul".
The two men spoke together by phone on January 19, three weeks before the attempted assassination of Mr Ramos Horta and the attempted abduction of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
On January 21, Marcal visited Dili with an Indonesian business delegation. Investigators in Dili are trying to confirm information that Reinado also travelled to the Indonesian island of Batam in May last year under the assumed name Simlisio De La Crus with his Timorese-born Australian lover, Angelita Pires, and Marcal.
Investigators see the arrests in West Timor, particularly that of Ismail Moniz Soares, also known as Asanco, as an important breakthrough.
They want to question Soares about why he rang a security guard at Mr Ramos Horta's house on Dili's outskirts at 6.04 on the morning of the attacks, minutes before Reinado and nine other rebels stormed the house. The call indicates that Mr Ramos Horta may have been betrayed by at least one of his guards.
Soares is alleged to have been among the rebels who ambushed Mr Gusmao, who escaped unhurt into jungle near his home. The other rebels arrested, Jose Gomez and Egidio Carvalho, were at Mr Ramos Horta's house when the President was shot and seriously wounded and Reinado was shot dead.
Mr Ramos Horta has stressed in his public comments that neither the Indonesian Government nor the Indonesian military as an institution are implicated in providing support for Reinado.
But announcing the arrests in Jakarta late on Friday, President Yudhoyono said he asked East Timor "not to issue statements which may seem like Indonesia is involved (in the attacks) because it can disrupt the good relationship".
Indonesia swiftly supplied East Timor with information about calls Reinado made to Indonesian numbers. Investigators are still waiting for information from Australia about numbers Reinado called before the attacks.
Australian Federal Police are also investigating the source of $800,000 in a Commonwealth Bank account that Reinado accessed through ATMs in Dili. He had US$30,000 ($A32,000) on his body when he was killed. The account was opened by Ms Pires, who is under a court order in Dili to report regularly to police as the investigation continues. Ms Pires, who is unemployed, has denied any prior knowledge of the attacks.
Sydney Morning Herald - April 16, 2008
Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – Rebels who attacked East Timor's top two political leaders had no instructions to kill them but had been ordered to Dili by their leader, Alfredo Reinado, for prearranged meetings, two rebels say.
Gastao Salsinha, the leader of a group of rebels being hunted in East Timor's mountains, says Reinado was "drunk and angry" when he called his men together at 9.30 the night before the attacks and told them he was taking them to Dili for meetings with President Jose Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao.
"He did not have special instructions that we were going to kill anyone or take up arms or anything like that," Salsinha says in an interview with SBS's Dateline program, which goes to air tonight.
The Dateline program indicates that Reinado had been enraged because he thought an offer of amnesty was slipping away from him.
Another rebel, codenamed Teboko, told Dateline that none of the rebels was prepared for a fight.
He said he was one of 10 rebels who went to Mr Ramos Horta's house on Dili's outskirts where Reinado and one of his men were shot dead shortly after dawn on February 11. "We had an appointment with the President," Teboko said, but he admitted to Dateline that they disarmed the guards at the President's front gate.
"We just came inside and Alfredo just said to them, 'Hello, good morning. It's OK. No problem. We just want to talk with the President'."
Teboko said Timorese soldiers inside the house compound fired first. He said he saw that Reinado was dead "so we tried to save ourselves and ran way".
An investigation has established that the soldier guard who shot Reinado stalked him in the President's compound before firing his machine-gun.
Mr Ramos Horta was shot and seriously wounded when he returned to the house from a morning walk after being told a gun battle had erupted there.
In a telephone interview from the mountains, Salsinha said he would surrender after Mr Ramos Horta returned to Dili tomorrow from Darwin, where he has been recovering.
He said that the day before the attacks Reinado had been drinking wine with his Timorese-born Australian lover Angelita Pires, who he said was the only person Reinado listened to. "Major Alfredo never listened to us. He listened exclusively to Angelita," he said.
But Ms Pires, who grew up in Darwin, told Dateline she did not influence Reinado to harm anybody. "You know, I've planned a future with this man, so obviously it's crazy," she said.
Ms Pires, who is politically well connected in Dili, denied Reinado was drunk when she left him late in the afternoon before the attacks to return to Dili. She said she drank only tea with him.
Both Salsinha and Ms Pires confirmed that a group of men met Reinado at a mountain camp near the town of Gleno the evening before the attacks.
At least one of them was from a group called MUNJ – the Movement for National Unity and Justice – which had been acting as an intermediary in negotiations to try to persuade Reinado to surrender.
In Darwin, Mr Ramos Horta told CNN there was "increasing evidence pointing a finger at external elements" that were supporting Reinado. "These are elements interested in destabilising East Timor, plunging it into an endless civil war so it could be declared a failed state," he said.
Sydney Morning Herald - April 15, 2008
Lindsay Murdoch, Dili – The rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was involved in 47 telephone calls to or from Australia in the hours before he was shot dead at the home of East Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, investigators have found.
Authorities in Dili want Australian agencies to tell them the names of the telephone subscribers as they focus their inquiries on calls Reinado and his men made before and after the attacks in Dili on February 11.
They also want Australian intelligence agencies to send them any telephone conversations they recorded that relate to the attacks on Mr Ramos-Horta and East Timor's Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao.
East Timor's Prosecutor-General, Longuinhos Monteiro, who is in charge of the investigation, told the Herald yesterday he had been unable to establish the identities of the subscribers in Australia.
Earlier, he told East Timor's Parliament he had asked the Rudd Government to sign a memorandum of understanding so authorities in Australia could pass information to him. He said he was finding the investigation into the calls "difficult", partly because East Timor's Portuguese-design telephone system had been "unhelpful". "I don't know Australia's system – I think it would be good," he said.
Asked about the request, a spokesman for the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, said that "as a matter of practice we don't comment when we have received requests for information in criminal matters from other countries".
For more than 12 months Reinado had been hunted or closely monitored by Australian soldiers in East Timor, including elite SAS commandos.
During telephone conversations with journalists Reinado, who was trained by the Australian military, often said he was certain his telephone was being tapped and his conversations recorded in Australia.
A Portuguese magazine journalist, Felicia Cabrita, claims to have obtained details of calls made around the time of the attacks by the key people involved. One call, she said, was made by one of Reinado's men, Assanku, to Albino Assis, one of the soldiers providing security at Mr Ramos-Horta's house. Asked about the call last week, Mr Ramos-Horta told the Herald he did not believe Mr Assis betrayed him.
Cabrita said also that telephone records showed that until February 28 – two weeks after the attacks – Reinado's co- commander, Gastao Salsinha, and a Timorese Australian woman, Angelita Pires, were in contact with soldiers who killed Reinado.
Ms Pires has admitted she was Reinado's lover but has denied accusations she influenced him in the lead-up to the attacks. Salsinha is on the run in East Timor's mountains.
Mr Monteiro told Parliament his investigation had identified some people who had influenced Reinado's actions. But he declined to name them. Rumours are rife in Dili about who they are.
Mr Ramos-Horta is expected to return to a hero's welcome in Dili on Thursday after recovering in Darwin from serious gunshot wounds.
Sydney Morning Herald - April 8, 2008
Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – The East Timorese rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was under the influence of alcohol and the drug methamphetamine when he led the attacks in Dili in February, East Timor's President, Jose Ramos-Horta, has disclosed.
He rejected speculation in Dili that a powerful Timorese politician was behind the attacks, saying Reinado did not take orders from anyone.
"I do not know of any political figure who was involved in any way whatsoever in supporting Alfredo Reinado," Mr Ramos-Horta told the Herald in Darwin, where he is recovering from gunshot wounds.
Mr Ramos-Horta said Reinado "came to my house on his own while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, although behind the scenes he was also manipulated by certain people. "Whether his intent was to kidnap me to exert pressure on the Government, I don't know."
Mr Ramos-Horta said Reinado probably believed his support base was being undermined by a deal under which 600 soldiers who were sacked in 2006 would be either reinstated to the army or given compensation.
The Government, with Mr Ramos-Horta's support, had insisted that Reinado's case be dealt with as a matter of military discipline and justice, separate from the soldiers, who are known in Dili as the petitioners.
Mr Ramos-Horta earlier named a Timorese-born Australian woman, Angelita Pires, as one of the people who influenced Reinado in the lead-up to the attacks. Ms Pires has admitted she was Reinado's lover but has denied exerting any influence over him.
Mr Ramos-Horta said there was no information that Reinado was supported by sources from Indonesia or Australia but he said there were indications that Timorese individuals in non- government-organisations provided cash and other support, such a telephone cards, to Reinado, which were passed to him by Ms Pires.
The President told the Herald he wants East Timor's Prosecutor- General, Longuinhos Monteiro, who is leading the investigation into the attacks, to report his findings to Parliament as soon as possible to prevent unfounded speculation that could further destabilise the country. Mr Monteiro briefed Mr Ramos-Horta on the investigation yesterday.
Mr Ramos-Horta said he had known since 2006 that Reinado was abusing alcohol and methamphetamine, or "ice", but the rebel had been sober on the occasions he met him in the country's mountains when trying to negotiate his surrender.
He also said Reinado was "highly temperamental and unstable". Mr Ramos-Horta expects to return to Dili late this month.
Melbourne Age - April 2, 2008
Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin – Timorese-born Australian Angelita Pires admits she was the lover of rebel leader Alfredo Reinado and says she understands why she has been accused of influencing him in the lead-up to last month's attacks in Dili.
But in her first public statement since wounded president Jose Ramos Horta last week publicly accused her of manipulating Reinado, Ms Pires claimed she had been made a scapegoat.
"I appreciate the President of the Republic and I understand his reaction," Ms Pires said. "He is a man who always fights for peace and equality – because of this he did not deserve to suffer or to continue to suffer."
Mr Ramos Horta had described Reinado as an "unstable" person who was influenced and manipulated by several people including Ms Pires.
However, Ms Pires claimed in the statement obtained by The Age that she stopped providing legal advice to Reinado in December. "But both of us had private relations – there was no connection with his case," she said.
Ms Pires, who is under house detention in Dili while investigations into the attacks continue, called on Timorese to wait for the facts to be put before the courts before condemning her.
"I am innocent," she said. Ms Pires denied that she had influenced "Reinado or anyone else to destroy or kill anyone else".
She was detained only days after Reinado and his co-commander, Gastao Salsinha, led attacks on Mr Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao soon after dawn on February 11. Mr Gusmao escaped unhurt. Mr Ramos Horta received two gunshot wounds and is recovering in a Darwin residence.
Ms Pires, who grew up in Darwin and returned to East Timor in the early 1990s, said her job before December was in part to co- ordinate Reinado's movements with security agencies. She said she urged Reinado to be non-violent and submit to justice.
Reinado, an Australian-trained army officer, was wanted for multiple murder and armed rebellion when he was shot dead at Mr Ramos Horta's house on the morning of the attacks.
Ms Pires has told a judge when questioned last month that she was with Reinado the evening before the attacks. "I have told everything I know to the investigation judge to help establish the truth," she said.
Some members of parliament in Dili believe that Reinado was lured to Mr Ramos Horta's house where gunmen were waiting to assassinate him. Salsinha and a small group of rebels are still on the run in East Timor's mountains.
| Truth & Friendship Commission |
Jakarta Post - April 8, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – US support for the final report of the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) and the release of a former Timor Leste militia leader are face- saving efforts, says an expert.
University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan said Indonesia and the United States apparently wanted to say there were no gross human rights violations before and after the 1999 referendum in the then Indonesian province of East Timor, and all incidents from 1975 onward were not by design but by default.
"These are face-saving efforts of Indonesia and the United States. By saying the incidents were by default, they mean to say 'There's no one to blame, so let's just forget it and move on,'" he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met last Friday with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during his tour of Southeast Asia, which included stops in Indonesia and Timor Leste.
After the meeting, he said the United States would accept the findings of the commission probing killings by Indonesian troops during Timor Leste's break from Jakarta, despite a boycott of the process by the United Nations and criticism by rights groups.
"If it's good enough for East Timor and Indonesia, it should be good enough for us. What we want to see is reconciliation between Indonesia and East Timor. This is the way to go. If you look at East Timor's future, it needs a good relationship with Indonesia," Hill said.
After months of delay, the CTF is expected to present its final report to the presidents of both Indonesia and Timor Leste next week.
Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal confirmed that Timor Leste was one of the topics, besides North Korea, Myanmar and the Middle East, discussed by the President and Hill. However, he stressed the independence of the CTF, saying the commission's work was an effort to seek truth so the two countries could work together in the future.
"The long delay of the commission to issue its final report shows there is genuine debate among its members. It shows they are independent," he said.
Hariyadi, however, questioned the coincidence of Hill's visit to Jakarta and Dili and the release of Eurico Guterres ahead of the release of the CTF's final report.
The Supreme Court cleared Guterres, the only person jailed over the violence surrounding East Timor's 1999 vote for independence, after it found he was not proven to have structural command to coordinate attacks.
"I think the events are all connected. If it is true, then the CTF's final credibility is under question as many will see there has been general pre-negotiation between the United States and Indonesia on the results," he said.
Hariyadi said the United States had an interest in speeding up the commission's work as many have accused it of pushing Soeharto to invade East Timor to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia after it couldn't prevent the fall of Vietnam to communism in 1975.
Many observers have suggested the United States would not allow the lack of justice over past rights abuses to hurt its growing ties with Indonesia, a nation seen as a counterbalance to China's growing clout in Asia.
"I am afraid the CTF final report will be designed to just make everybody happy," Hariyadi said.
International law expert at the University of Indonesia Hikmahanto Juwana said the CTF's final report would determine the fate of the human rights cases and future Indonesia-Timor Leste relations.
Australian Associated Press - April 7, 2008
Karen Michelmore, Jakarta – East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta has taken aim at Indonesian military officers involved in the violence surrounding East Timor's historic 1999 vote for independence.
Ramos Horta has urged the officers to "come clean" and acknowledge their actions, as a controversial truth commission prepares to hand down its findings into the violence that wracked the country. The Indonesia-East Timor Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) is due to hand its final report on the violence that claimed 1500 lives within weeks.
It comes as Indonesian authorities prepare to release the only Indonesian jailed over the 1999 violence.
Eurico Guterres, who led the notorious Aitarak militia gang that wreaked havoc in East Timor's capital Dili, could be released from his Jakarta prison within days after being acquitted following a final appeal of his case, his lawyer Mahendradatta said. He had served less than two years of a 10-year jail term.
"Until now, he is still in prison," Mahendradatta said. "The problem now is not in legal (institutions) but in bureaucracy. The (court's decision) document hasn't yet been delivered to Central Jakarta District Court from the Supreme Court."
Mahendradatta said the Supreme Court upheld the final appeal, known as a judicial review, because some of the evidence previously presented to court was "wrong".
Guterres was one of several alleged perpetrators who testified at public hearings of the CTF in Indonesia last year. Few, if any, of the militia leaders or senior Indonesian military officers admitted contributing to the violence in 1999, some even denying human rights violations had occurred.
A recent report by the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) found the truth body was "deeply flawed" and many alleged perpetrators at the public hearings had presented an "alarming version of events".
Ramos Horta today told Fairfax media that Indonesian officers had failed in their responsibilities to provide security in East Timor before, during and after the 1999 ballot.
"Although we don't want to revisit the past, although we don't want to point fingers, although we don't want anybody to go to jail, they should have at least had the courage and humility to tell their country and the Timorese people that they were wrong and apologise," he said.
"That would have been enough. "They didn't – they kept blaming the United Nations – well, the UN was not responsible for security... the UN was only responsible for organising the referendum."
Indonesia's military today said both countries should wait until the CTF report is released to comment.
Jakarta Post - April 7, 2008
Jakarta – The Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF) must disclose who was behind the 1999 violence in East Timor despite a Supreme Court ruling to free all civilians involved, human rights activists said here Saturday.
The court had previously freed 18 people charged over the violence in East Timor prior to and following the independence vote there. It cleared former militia leader Eurico Guterres from all criminal charges last month (although it was only announced Friday), rectifying its 2006 verdict that sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Choirul Anam from the Indonesian Non-Governmental Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy said Saturday the commission must be courageous and mention any names, both civilians and military officials allegedly involved in the riots.
"It would be useless if the commission only blames a certain institution as it is difficult for the government to bring an institution to the international court," he said.
Choirul said the commission should refer to the report from the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), mentioning several high-ranking military officials, including former general Wiranto and Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin who were allegedly involved in the unrest.
"Unfortunately, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) had excluded Wiranto as a potential suspect in the case," he said.
Choirul also said the commission needed political will to include names responsible for the incident because many military officials were rumored to have masterminded the unrest.
Rafendi Djamin, also from the coalition, said the CTF could be considered a failure if it is not brave enough to announce any suspects in the case. "This failure will add to other failures like the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies," he said.
Both the Trisakti and Semanggi tragedies saw university students killed in the 1998 rallies prior to the resignation of former president Soeharto, and marked the emergence of the reform era.
Rafendi said the commission should elaborate in detail all facts surrounding the incidents, including names of all victims and perpetrators, if it did wish to point out individual suspects. "I hope the commission will present all the facts transparently," he said.
Indonesia and Timor Leste agreed to establish the commission in 2005 to investigate alleged human rights violations involving the Indonesian Military (TNI) prior to and following the UN- administered referendum in the former Indonesian province in 1999.
TNI-backed militia groups were blamed for the deaths of hundreds of people and the destruction of infrastructure following East Timor's vote for independence.
The commission is set to present findings to the Indonesian and Timor Leste governments next month after repeatedly delaying their submission in January and March this year. The two governments will review the joint commission's findings before the report is made public. (ewd)
Associated Press - April 4, 2008
Jakarta – The United States has said it would accept the findings of a truth commission probing killings by Indonesian troops during East Timor's break from Jakarta – despite a boycott of the process by the United Nations and criticism by rights groups.
The joint Indonesian and East Timorese commission is expected to present its final report to the presidents of both countries within weeks. Its members have worked for months to find an account that is acceptable to both sides.
"If it's good enough for East Timor and Indonesia, it should be good enough for us," Christopher Hill, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Friday in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
Hill's comments to The Associated Press are the strongest indication yet that the United States will not allow the lack of justice over past rights abuses to hurt its growing ties with Indonesia, a large Muslim nation seen as a counterbalance to China's growing clout in Asia.
"What we want to see is reconciliation between Indonesia and East Timor," he said. "This is the way to go. If you look at East Timor's future, it needs a good relationship with Indonesia."
| Social conflicts/refugees |
Agence France Presse - April 9, 2008
Dili – Two years after street violence in East Timor left dozens dead, many displaced by the unrest say they no longer fear violence, but are unable to return because their homes were destroyed.
Grigorio Sousa sits outside his tent in a makeshift camp in East Timor's violence-scarred capital and hugs his son as he speaks longingly of one day returning home.
Sousa, 32, is one of nearly 7,000 refugees still living in the converted convent after fleeing their homes in 2006. Sousa, who ekes out a living in the camp selling food and cigarettes, is hoping the government will help him and his family find a new home in his native village.
"I really want to go home as soon as possible, but I do not know where I could go after here. That is why I am still living here," he said. "If the government gives us the choice and helps us financially, I will return to my village."
Some 155,000 people – about 15 percent of East Timor's population – were estimated to have fled their homes in April and May 2006 amid the sudden bloodshed that followed the sacking of deserting soldiers. Ethnic divisions arose among people from the east and west, dividing neighbourhoods.
An estimated 100,000 people are still living away from home, 30,000 of them in camps in the capital, Dili – a situation the International Crisis Group (ICG) has described as a "humanitarian tragedy."
"The government thought that once the immediate crisis was over, the IDPs (internally displaced persons) would return home, but many no longer had homes to return to, or no longer felt safe to go back," the think tank said in a report last month.
Filomena Soares has lived in the camp with her family since their home in the west of the country was set on fire during the unrest because her husband came from the east.
"We don't have a home to go back to. Even if we wanted to leave, where would we go? We can't just live under the stars," said the 32-year-old mother of two, who sells street food to support her family.
"We are ready to go back if the state provides us with financial assistance to repair our home and make it liveable again," she added. "Security is not a problem for us now, the people there want to welcome us back."
Since rebel leader Alfredo Reinado was killed in the February attacks on East Timor's president and prime minister, several hundred families have left the camps and returned home. Nearly 6,000 more have registered their desire to be resettled, Deputy Prime Minister Jose-Luis Guterres told an international donors' meeting in March.
But the ICG said that for some, free food and shelter in Dili was proving hard to give up, particularly as the capital offers better economic opportunities than rural areas of East Timor.
A World Food Programme (WFP) survey conducted last September showed half the 73,500 people receiving food aid did not need it as they received an income from paid employment or other sources. Rations for those living in the camps were halved in February and this month the WFP stopped providing food altogether, saying it did not want IDPs to become dependent on the handouts.
"(The survey) found that if food aid was stopped, half of the people in the IDP camps would have no problem. The other half needs assistance, but not just with food," Joan Fleuren, the WFP country director for East Timor, told AFP.
Fleuren said the WFP was now focusing on helping vulnerable people in the population as a whole, rather than just the IDPs.
Unemployment is high in East Timor, where the average income is just 50 cents per day, according to World Bank figures. A 20-kilo bag of rice costs around 18 dollars.
For those living in the camps, the government has stepped in to provide a monthly ration of four kilos of rice.
"The crisis is over," Maria Dominggas Alves, minister for labour and community reinsertion, said. "Now it is the government's responsibility to give the IDPs aid, starting in April and until they all move out."
But the government concedes that rehousing East Timor's displaced, some of whom have had their homes occupied by squatters in their absence, will be a slow process.
"It will take time, but we are all working hard and some of the IDPs have now gone home," Guterres told AFP. "I believe that we will reach a time when no one will live in camps anymore."
| Justice & reconciliation |
Melbourne Age - April 13, 2008
Tom Hyland – Canberra is maintaining a diplomatic silence over Indonesia's failure to punish anyone implicated in the mass murders that led to Australia's military intervention in East Timor in 1999.
Instead, the Federal Government has backed a "friendship" commission set up by Indonesia and East Timor, which is about to report but has no power to call for prosecutions and was boycotted by the UN.
The release last week of former militia leader Eurico Guterres after a Jakarta court overthrew his conviction means all those charged by Indonesian prosecutors over the violence that killed about 1500 people have now been freed. Mr Guterres, a former petty criminal with powerful backers in Jakarta, now plans to run for the Indonesian parliament next year.
The other 17 people tried by a special Indonesian court – created to sidestep pressure for an international tribunal to try those responsible for crimes during the 1999 independence referendum – were found not guilty or acquitted on appeal.
The failure of the prosecutions has been condemned by Indonesian, East Timorese and international human rights groups as a whitewash. They have warned that the imminent report of the Commission on Truth and Friendship, set up by the Indonesian and East Timorese governments, could confirm a culture of impunity.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith refused to respond to emailed questions from The Sunday Age about the collapse of the Indonesian prosecutions. Instead, Mr Smith's office replied with a brief statement, attributed to a spokesperson, that said the Government "notes" Mr Guterres' acquittal.
"This ruling was confirmed by the Indonesia Supreme Court as part of the Indonesian legal process," the statement said.
"Australia will continue to be guided by East Timor's and Indonesia's agreed approach to taking forward the processes of justice for human rights abuses in East Timor up to and including the 1999 atrocities."
Mr Smith's press secretary said he would not comment further. His reticence contrasts with the strong stand taken by Labor while in opposition during the 1999 crisis.
Labor's then foreign affairs spokesman, Laurie Brereton, demanded Australia support an international tribunal along the lines of those for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, to pursue those responsible for atrocities in East Timor.
Amnesty International said Mr Guterres' release was "a deliberate miscarriage of justice" that reversed progress on human rights under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
In a commentary in the Jakarta Post Indonesian artist Bramantyo Prijosusilo said the fact no one was convicted would confirm a widely held view in Jakarta that Indonesian forces did not commit abuses in East Timor. "Everyone indicted for crimes against humanity in East Timor has now been acquitted," Bramantyo wrote. "As there is no one guilty, it easily goes that there were no crimes."
In an editorial, the Jakarta Post said the fact no one was guilty meant "impunity reigns". Nor was the Commission on Truth and Friendship report likely to shed light on the guilty parties, it said, given the commission had no mandate to call for prosecutions or declare anyone guilty.
The East Timor Government, keen for good relations with its powerful neighbour and aware of a lack of international support for a war crimes tribunal, agreed to set up the commission in 2005.
In January, the International Centre for Transitional Justice, a US-based human rights group, said the commission appeared more interested in friendship than in truth, and in protecting perpetrators of abuses.
It warned that the commission risked being seen as a "diplomatic charade". The UN boycotted the body because its mandate precluded prosecutions but allowed it to recommend amnesties.
The Economist - April 10, 2008
The birth and infancy of Timor-Leste have been attended by spasms of violence. As the former East Timor separated from Indonesia in 1999, murderous unionist mobs killed hundreds. In 2006 the harsh suppression of a protest by sacked soldiers triggered factional fighting that brought the country back to the brink of civil war, requiring the hasty dispatch of Australian-led peacekeepers. And in February this year President Josi Ramos-Horta was shot and almost died in an attack led by the rebel soldiers' leader, Alfredo Reinado, who was himself shot dead. An attempt was also made on the life of the prime minister, Xanana Gusmco.
Indonesia set up a special human-rights court, supposedly to bring those responsible for the 1999 killings to justice. But it was a whitewash.
It absolved all the Indonesian army leaders suspected of orchestrating the violence – including General Wiranto, a former and perhaps future presidential candidate. The only person jailed was Eurico Guterres, the leader of an anti-independence militia. On April 7th Mr Guterres was freed after the Supreme Court, which had in 2006 upheld his ten-year sentence, decided he was not after all responsible for his militia's slaughter.
Another whitewash is expected soon. A "commission for truth and friendship", created in 2005 by the governments of Indonesia and Timor-Leste, announced in late March that it was finishing its investigations into the 1999 violence and would shortly submit its final report to the two countries' presidents. As noted in a report in January by the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), a human-rights group, the commission's main aim seems to have been to smother attempts at bringing culprits to book, because the two countries' leaders find it more convenient to pursue "friendship" than seek justice. The United Nations regarded the truth commission as deeply flawed and boycotted it. The ICTJ's report says the commission's hearings gave those accused of violence a platform to make "self-serving" justifications without facing rigorous questioning. Indeed, it seemed to be more concerned with helping to rehabilitate the accused than helping the victims. Its chances of bringing justice were doomed before it started.
It was given the power to recommend amnesties for perpetrators but barred from calling for prosecutions.
A tribunal set up in 2001 in East Timor under UN auspices did seek to prosecute Indonesian generals but foundered for lack of jurisdiction.
At the same time an earlier truth and reconciliation commission, set up with the UN's backing, looked at allegations over the period from Indonesia's invasion in 1975 to the killings as it withdrew in 1999. Its report, in 2005, did call for prosecutions. But it has been ignored.
The UN still talks of seeking some way to bring prosecutions. But there is little enthusiasm for this among world powers – as illustrated by comments on April 4th from Christopher Hill, a senior American official. Visiting the region, Mr Hill dismissed the need for an international tribunal, saying that if the current, toothless commission was good enough for Timor-Leste's and Indonesia's governments, "it should be good enough for us."
The chances of bringing people to justice over the more recent violence also seem slim. A new report by the International Crisis Group, a think-tank, says around 100,000 Timorese – a tenth of the population – remain in the refugee camps to which they fled in the 2006 conflict. Four soldiers, convicted of shooting eight policemen in the clashes, were freed on appeal and allowed to vanish. As for February's attack on the president and prime minister, Mr Ramos-Horta accuses the UN police and Australian peacekeepers of not trying to catch the rebels immediately after the shootings. Timor-Leste's police and army are being accused of abuses as they hunt the remaining rebels and their new leader, Gastco Salsinha. Even so, some Timorese suspect they could have caught them already had they really tried.
Lusa - April 9, 2008
Dili – A complete analysis of the 1999 crimes in Timor-Leste "will probably take a generation," affirmed the US Ambassador in Dili during an interview with the Lusa news agency.
"There has to be justice," replied the Ambassador when questioned about the US position with regards to the verdict of the crimes committed in 1999.
"There has to be some sort of responsibility for the acts which occurred in 1999, and before. And also for what occurred in 2006. The truth needs to be determined and judgments accelerated in favor of the victims," sustained the US Ambassador.
"Moreover, there are recent examples of countries like Chile, Argentina and others, maybe even Indonesia, in which responsibility for past crimes were obtained through a process of economic development and, more important, a democratic one," declared Hans Klemm.
"It took one generation before those countries were able to bring those responsible to justice," highlighted the American Ambassador.
"The Timorese leaders with whom I've spoken with say that maybe there will have to be a process similar in Indonesia before the violence that occurred in Timor-Leste can be judged. The US wishes it took place sooner," concluded the American Ambassador.
Hans Klemm replied to a question regarding the Truth and Friendship Commission (TFC - KPP in Indonesian acronym), created between Indonesia and Timor-Leste to investigate the violence committed before and after the independence referendum. The TFC must soon present its final report to the presidents of both countries and to the Timorese prime minister.
Last week, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Christopher R. Hill, stated that if the TFC's findings "are good enough for Indonesia and for East Timor, then they are also good enough for the United States."
The statement was condemned by various human rights groups which interpreted the words of the American diplomat as legitimizing the TFC. "The TFC has a limited mandate and we recognize that," explained Hans Klemm to Lusa.
"However, we hope the report is an important step to place responsibility on those blamed for the violence. It's important to note that we still have not read the report. Not one page. It is unjust to question its credibility without reading it," noted the American Ambassador in Dili.
Kyodo News - April 4, 2008
Christine T. Tjandraningsih, Jakarta – Former pro-Jakarta East Timor militia leader Eurico Guterres, who had been jailed in Indonesia since 2006 for having committed gross human rights violations in East Timor in 1999, has been acquitted, a Supreme Court judge said Friday.
"We found new evidence which was enough to acquit him," Justice Iskandar Kamil, who led a panel dealing with Guterres' judicial review, told Kyodo News.
The "new evidence," he clarified, consisted of earlier court rulings to acquit other individuals implicated in the violence that occurred prior to, during and after a referendum for independence in East Timor in 1999.
With the acquittal of Guterres, all 18 individuals who were implicated in the East Timor violence, under pressure on Indonesia from the international community to act, have now been acquitted.
On March 13, 2006, the Supreme Court overturned an August 2004 ruling by the Ad Hoc Human Rights Appeal Tribunal that had halved the prison term for Guterres. It restored the original 10-year term set by the Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal and he began his jail term two months later.
The Ad Hoc Human Rights Tribunal, set up to try those who allegedly committed crimes against humanity before, during and after East Timor's bloody vote for independence, had handed down the 10-year sentence to Guterres in November 2002.
Guterres was jailed for failing to control his men on April 17, 1999, when they attacked 136 pro-independence refugees taking shelter at the residence of pro-independence leader Manuel Viegas Carrascalao, killing 12 people, including Carrascalao's son.
Guterres' men also attacked and damaged the residence of Leandro Isaac, another pro-independence leader, later the same day. Militia groups, allegedly armed and supported by the Indonesian military, in April 1999 began escalating their acts of violence and intimidation against pro-independence East Timorese in the run-up to the UN-organized referendum on independence held Aug. 30 that year.
Soon after the results of the vote were announced Sept. 4 that year, the militia groups launched a campaign of violence and destruction across East Timor, which was a Portuguese colony for more than 400 years before being invaded by Indonesia in 1975.
Hundreds of people were killed, hundred thousands more forcibly displaced and 70 percent of the territory's buildings and houses were destroyed.
The small half-island became fully independent on May 2002 after more than 24 years under Indonesian occupation and two-and-a-half years under UN transitional administration.
A report compiled by the UN-sponsored Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation concluded that more than 100,000 people were killed or disappeared during Indonesia's 24-year occupation. The report said many were subjected to human rights violations, including torture, starvation, sexual violence and napalm attacks.
But East Timor's government has ruled out the idea of seeking justice at an international tribunal and has instead made efforts to build a close relationship with its former occupier and giant neighbor.
| Indonesia |
Jakarta Post - April 30, 2008
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta has expressed regret for publicly accusing Indonesian elements of being involved in an assassination attempt against him, the neighboring country's prime minister said here Tuesday.
Xanana Gusmao said Horta had requested him to convey his regrets over the statements to the media about individuals who facilitated the entry of Timor Lester armed rebel leader Alfredo Reinado into Indonesia for an interview with MetroTV.
However, Xanana did not say if Horta withdrew his statements. Horta specifically mentioned MetroTV presenter Desi Anwar as being among the accused Indonesian elements.
"I'm going to have a meeting with Desi Anwar to talk about this issue very frankly and to convey the regret over the statement," Xanana said at a joint press briefing after a bilateral meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
"Bapak President (Yudhoyono) showed a very comprehensive political behavior, inviting and accepting us here to gather and talk about many issues," he said.
Xanana asked Indonesians to consider and understand the condition of Horta, who had just emerged from a two-week coma after the assassination attempt.
Yudhoyono said he appreciated Horta's regret and Xanana's plan to meet Desi to settle the row.
"In the beginning of our meeting I expressed my annoyance concerning President Ramos-Horta's statement about the involvement of Indonesian individuals, including Desi Anwar. I hope both of us can solve this problem well in a friendly manner," the President said.
"After hearing the explanation from Prime Minister Xanana, we expect that this problem will not spark more misunderstanding between us and will not disrupt our bilateral relationship."
Yudhoyono said the Indonesian police and Timor Leste's attorney general's office were maintaining their cooperation to bring the perpetrators of the attempted assassination to court.
"Thanks to the cooperation and professionalism of the law enforcers, four persons allegedly implicated in the incident have been arrested," he said.
National Police chief Gen. Sutanto said his office would immediately extradite four Timor Leste military deserters who were recently arrested for their alleged involvement in the assassination attempt.
About the recent surrender of Gastao Salsinha, who took over the command of Timor Leste's rebel group after Reinado's death during the attack, Xanana said his government would entrust the legal process to the law enforcers.
"The situation in Timor Leste has recovered after the shooting incident, the result of good coordination among state institutions, and we appreciate the good work of our police," he said.
Xanana said the government would avoid violence against the rebel group and would allow the court to settle the case.
Jakarta Post - April 30, 2008
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Timor Leste and Indonesia agreed Tuesday to greater cooperation on many issues, with the leaders of the two nations expressing a commitment to preserving good bilateral ties.
The agreement followed a meeting between visiting Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Bilateral relations between the neighbors were recently put at risk following repeated allegations by Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta that individuals in Indonesia were to connected to the attempted assassinations of him and Xanana in February.
The two leaders discussed the completion of border demarcation, said Yudhoyono at a joint press conference.
"We're both glad that 97 percent of the area along the border has been demarcated. And we hope the technical committee can complete the process by this year or next year," Yudhoyono said. He added he would support a lenient arrangement for traditional border crossers.
The two countries agreed on 97 percent of the land border spanning 268.8 kilometers, following a discussion at the Technical Sub-Committee on Border Demarcation and Regulation in Bali in February. There are three border sections which have remained unresolved, covering Dilumil/Memo, Bijael Sunan Oben and Noel Besi/Citrana.
The two countries have also agreed to boost defense cooperation, Yudhoyono said, which could include education for military personnel and courtesy calls.
During the meeting, Yudhoyono supported the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Missions in Timor Leste (UNMIT), which will finish February next year. He also supported Timor Leste's preparation for their admission into ASEAN in 2012.
Indonesia has appointed Ambassador Agus Tarmidzi as a senior advisor to Timor Leste foreign affairs ministry to help the country prepare.
On education and cultural issues, Yudhoyono said he welcomed Timor Leste students who pursue education here and appreciated the establishment of the Indonesian Language and Cultural Center in Dili.
On climate change issues, Yudhoyono welcomed Timor Leste's participation in the Coral Triangle Initiative, a multilateral cooperation involving six Asian-Pacific countries, including Indonesia, to safeguard coral reefs from degradation and the impact from global warming.
The two leaders witnessed the signing of a trade agreement and memorandum of understanding (MOU) on technical cooperation and trade between the Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu and Timor Leste's Minister for Tourism, Commerce and Industry Gil da Costa Alves.
Later in the day, Timor Leste and Indonesian trade ministers signed a MOU on technical cooperation concerning small and medium industries.
The ceremony also included the signing of MOU on technical cooperation on drug and food control. It was signed by Indonesia's Drug and Food Supervisory Agency Husnia Rubiana Thamrin Akib and Timor Leste's Minister of Health Nelson Martinus.
Timor Leste still depends on Indonesia's supply of staple foods, with some 75 percent of its commodities imported from Indonesia.
Trade cooperation between the two countries, in which Indonesia always enjoys a surplus, has shown a downward trend since 2003. Last year, the trade value decreased by 74.7 percent from 2006's US$30.69 million.
Agence France Presse - April 5, 2008
Kupang – International aid agencies have evacuated staff from Indonesia's West Timor after violent demonstrations by ex-East Timorese refugees continued for a fifth day, social workers said on Saturday.
Thousands of refugees in Atambua, near the border with East Timor, have since Tuesday been protesting for financial help from Indonesian officials, and said they will seize foreign aid workers if their demands are not met.
Matheus Guedes, a demonstration organiser, said activists would "take hostage (local government) officials" unless they give 80 billion rupiah (8.72 million dollars) of aid to around 16,400 ex-East Timorese refugees.
Staff at the World Food Programme office were evacuated by police on Friday after protesters tried to ransack the building. Five demonstrators were injured in the violence.
Guedes said they will continue their protest until their demands are met.
International organisations began leaving Atambua on Wednesday after violence escalated in the town. "We have evacuated four of our staff to Kupang since Thursday," a local Oxfam project manager John Takerting told AFP.
Care International said 22 of its staff, including several foreign nationals, had also left the town, a worker with the group said, declining to give his name in fear of his safety.
The demonstrators are among thousands of people who fled to West Timor after the outbreak of deadly violence during East Timor's vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999.
A local parliament member Yoseph Manggo told Antara state news agency that authorities had stopped handing out aid to the refugees in 2006.
"Since then, we have not used the term 'refugees'. That is why their demand on social aid does not make sense because that fund does not exist anymore," he said.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2008
Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Protesters continued occupying a legislative building in Atambua, East Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, awaiting a central government response on the question of aid disbursement for former East Timorese refugees.
The occupation of the Belu legislative council's building since Tuesday after a series of protests on Monday has practically halted all activities as protesters occupied most rooms and had erected makeshift tents enabling them to cook at the building compound.
Before occupying the building, thousands of the protesters attacked the Belu social service office, damaging some of its facilities. The protesters threw stones at the windows and the office's roof amid a large number of security officers, who did nothing to stop them.
"I don't know why the protesters damaged the office," head of the East Nusa Tenggara social service office Frans Salem said in Kupang.
Witnesses said protesters tried to set the office on fire but their act was foiled by security officers. "They attacked the office all of the sudden. They damaged windows, doors and office equipment. We preferred to run away to save ourselves," one of the office's employees who asked for anonymity said.
Three tourists from El Salvador, identified as Edgard, Edward and Francisco, nearly fell victims to the brutality of the protest when they were mistakenly identified as Portuguese and Australians.
The former East Timorese refugees, who wanted Indonesian citizenship following the United Nations-sponsored referendum that led to Timor Leste's independence in 1999, blamed Australia and Portugal for fully supporting the independence movement.
The three tourists were evacuated by members of the police's mobile brigade, which had been assigned to back-up security operations there.
The tourists told reporters they were suddenly surrounded by the protesters after visiting an Internet cafe located next to the council's building. "The protesters suddenly chased us when we were watching the protest," Edward said.
In their protest the former refugees demanded the central government explain why assistance had failed to reach them. They have demanded that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono respond to their complaint, which was faxed to the State Palace in Jakarta.
"We will stay at the council building until the government responds as to when the assistance for the former refugees will be disbursed," Matheus BC Guedes, secretary-general of the Humanitarian Forum for Indonesian Citizens, said by mobile phone.
Jakarta Post - April 2, 2008
Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Thousands of former East Timorese refugees occupied the Belu Legislative Council building in Atambua on Tuesday, demanding the central government explain why assistance has failed to reach them.
This is the second such action staged by the group, who have chosen to become Indonesian citizens rather than return to their home country. The first incident took place last week when they occupied the council building for three days, bringing activity at the building to a halt.
The former refugees have demanded that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono respond to their complaint, which was sent to the State Palace in Jakarta by facsimile.
"We will stay at the council building until the government responds as to when the due assistance for the former refugees was disbursed," Matheus BC Guedes, secretary-general of the Humanitarian Forum for Indonesian Citizens, which consists of former refugees from East Timor, said by mobile phone.
Matheus said the former refugees were owed an estimated Rp 80 billion (US$8.80 million) in assistance over the last three years. The money was originally earmarked for the social assimilation of 16,400 families.
"Each family should have received Rp 4 million. As each family was given only Rp 503,000 in 2006, where is the rest of the money?" Matheus asked.
Commenting on the delayed disbursement of the assistance, head of the East Nusa Tenggara Social Services Office, Frans Salim, said Tuesday social assimilation funds for the refugees in East Nusa Tenggara reached only Rp 40 billion.
The money would be distributed to eight regencies and cities – Kupang, Timor Tengah Utara, Timor Tengah Selatan, Belu, Sumba Timur, Sumba Barat, Alor and Kupang city – Salim said, adding that the Belu regency alone received an allocation of only Rp 8 billion for 1,500 families.
What happened, Salim said, was that all refugees, including former members of the Indonesian Military and National Police, and former East Timorese civil servants, now living in Belu were demanding money from the fund. The money, he said, will be given only to former refugees who have assimilated with local residents.
"It's not for all former East Timorese refugees." About 2,000 additional families who are demanding a portion of the assistance funds, Salim said they were not entitled to the money because they did not register with authorities in 2005.
The protesters arrived at the council building in Atambua at 9 a.m. by truck and motorcycle. They unfurled banners and demanded the central government stop treating them as second-class citizens. "We came to Belu not at our own request, but as political victims," Matheus said.
He demanded the government resolve the issue as soon as possible, including providing the former refugees with housing and jobs so they could properly raise their children.
Matheus said the protesters would not leave the council building until they had received assurances their demand would be met. Hundreds of policemen and soldiers have been deployed around the council building.
| Police/military |
The Australian - April 8, 2008
Mark Dodd – East Timor's police force is tribalised, corrupt, inadequately trained and has no public trust. A scathing UN report, obtained by The Australian, argues the force is politically manipulated, chronically mismanaged and massively underfunded.
And it warns a long-term commitment is needed by East Timor's international backers to repair the damage exacerbated by deadly inter-communal violence in 2006.
Australia – East Timor's principal national security guarantor – is expected to shoulder a significant part of the financial and training burden to rebuild the police force.
But experts warn there are few examples in the world of a successfully rebuilt police force when there is no stable democratic government.
The frailty of the force was underscored in February when army rebel Alfredo Reinado and armed supporters were involved in an alleged assassination attempt against Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and a separate attack that left President Jose Ramos Horta critically wounded.
During political violence in April and May 2006, which cost 38 lives, the East Timor police commander, his two deputies and senior officers deserted their posts, leading to the disintegration of the force.
Since then, police training has been uncoordinated, with most officers failing to gain even a basic understanding of criminal or human rights law.
The UN report said political interference in the 3200-strong police force was rife. Of special concern, the report warned of a potential "lack of political will to approve the needed changes" to reform the police.
The UN report – "PNTL (police) Organisation, Strategic Plan for Reform, Restructuring and Rebuilding" – argues the force's problems range from a lack of a strategic development plan to basic logistics.
Security for most police buildings, "in addition to their state of decay", is "non-existent". Detention facilities are criticised as being in most cases sub-standard, failing to meet the basic minimum required by international human rights provisions of which East Timor is a signatory.
There is no functioning national police radio network to allow stations scattered across the remote mountainous half-island country to stay in touch, while most portable radio equipment lies in disrepair.
Police transport is pitiful. "The current state of the PNTL vehicle fleet is indicative of the failure to have in place adequate vehicle maintenance and replacement programs," the report says.
Contact between police officers and court officials including judges and prosecutors is minimal, with many cases being resolved by "traditional means".
A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus said the minister wanted to examine the report's findings before making a response.
Since 1999, Canberra has provided more than $500 million in aid to East Timor, including funding to rebuild and train the police force.
Respected national security expert Hugh White told The Australian a radical new approach was needed in rebuilding the East Timor police force.
"I think there are real grounds for asking whether the approach we are taking in East Timor... is going to make any real difference. The fact is we don't have a model. There is no ready template that this is the way you build a police force when you don't have a decent government."
ABC News Online - April 7, 2008
East Timor's armed forces are being accused of using violence against civilians as they hunt for rebel soldiers involved in February's attacks on the country's President and Prime Minister.
Almost two months after the attacks, reports from Dili confirm that many of those responsible for the attempted assassinations remain on the run.
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao escaped without injury but President Jose Ramos-Horta nearly died after being shot in the stomach in the February 11 attacks.
Hundreds of police and military have been searching countryside in Ermera district in the mountainous interior without success. But as the hunt continues there have been a growing number of reports of violence against civilians by the military.
East Timorese MP and leader of the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights, Fernanda Borges, says her constituents in Ermera have complained of beatings and aggressive interrogations by military personnel, who are seeking rebel leader Gastao Salsinha.
"There are questions like 'were you involved?' 'did you know him?' and sometimes when the answer is not to their liking they get beaten up," Ms Borges said.
Last month the Government acknowledged that inappropriate tactics had been used as part of the operation to locate the rebel attackers, and promised to investigate complaints of abuse.
It has also offered to give each of the 52 communities in Ermera which have complained a $US600 grant towards holding belated Easter parties, although on the condition that military and police officials be invited.
"We want the community to understand first that they should celebrate this Easter together with FFDTL and PNTL," said East Timor State Secretary for Security Francisco Gutteres. "We would like them to understand that these two institutions are the state institutions that will protect them."
One community which will receive the grant is Erulu, a small mountain village in Ermera which is home to some of rebel leader Salsinha's family members. Erulu village chief Lenilda Maia says the community has received an apology after a number of young people were physically abused by military personnel.
She says locals remain nervous, and are reluctant to begin the coffee harvest for fear of encountering military personnel or rebel troops. She says if the problem is not resolved soon, the harvest will rot and crucial income will be lost.
However she says there is no guarantee an Easter party will restore damaged relations with the military. "We don't really know if the money makes up for it, but we'll see after the party," she said.
Mr Gutteres says a number of military personnel have been suspended from active duty pending investigations, but says they will not be dismissed regardless of the investigation outcome. "We will not dismiss these guys just because of a slap on people," he said.
Ms Borges says the military's response risks "fostering impunity". "That is not a strong disciplinary measure, (and) that is not stating 'no-tolerance' to human rights violations," she said.
She has criticised the decision to offer communities money in return for forgiveness of abuse. "They shouldn't start a practice of using money, because it's still very much an unprofessional force," she said.
Meanwhile United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill has praised East Timor for its response to the attempted assassinations. On a visit to Dili, Mr Hill told reporters that the government had handled the crisis "pretty well".
| Opinion & analysis |
Asia Times - April 30, 2008
Loro Horta, Dili – With its political and security institutions in shambles, East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, is now emerging as a soft landing spot for regional organized crime syndicates. In early January, United Nations Police (UNPOL) and their Timorese counterparts launched a series of raids in the capital Dili aimed at disrupting growing narcotics and human trafficking operations in the country.
Two Chinese-run bars were targeted where 15 Chinese females and a handful of suspected ringleaders were detained on prostitution and immigration violations. On interrogation it became apparent to the authorities that some of the Chinese women were likely misled to Timor on false offers of legitimate jobs and forced into the sex trade once in the country. The recovery during the raids of a Taser electroshock weapon and the fact that the women's passports were found in the possession of the alleged gang leader suggested to police authorities that the Chinese women were being held against their will.
During the same police operation, seven Indonesian and one Timorese female were also detained on suspicion of being prostitutes and immigration violations. The presence of Chinese and Indonesian women indicated to authorities the wider links of the Chinese crime syndicates now operating in Dili. Interrogation of the various Timorese detained during the crackdown revealed that Chinese crime syndicates are also increasingly spreading to the rural areas, mainly in search of young Timorese girls for the sex trade.
In early December 2007 members of a self-proclaimed French-run non-governmental organization (NGO) were detained by the local police in the remote Timor town of Bastugade near the border with Indonesia while attempting to cross the border with 18 undocumented Timorese girls. The Bastugade case notably came just a week after members of another French pseudo-charity were sentenced in the African state of Chad for allegedly trying to smuggle 100 children out of that country.
In the second week of January, Timorese police also detained another group of individuals who had tried to smuggle an unspecified number of young Timorese girls to Indonesia. An undisclosed number of foreigners, including a Nigerian national, had their requests to adopt young Timorese girls denied on suspicion they could end up in the sex trade.
The police raids also seized unspecified quantities of narcotics, including amphetamines, "ice" and several opium-derived drugs. While there is no reliable data available about the depth and dimensions of Timor's illegal drug trade, authorities believe it is growing rapidly and is beginning to undermine the already delicate law and order situation in this politically unstable nation.
The fast-growing trade in amphetamines and the crystallized methamphetamine "ice" has reportedly led to more violence among Timor's youth, while at the same time brings some of the most dangerous criminal elements in the region, including Chinese triads, into the country.
UNPOL and Timorese security personnel have expressed their concerns that ice and amphetamine use is spiking among local martial arts gangs, which often engage in criminal activities and are routinely used as thugs-for-hire by political groups. For instance, during the May 2006 crisis various political figures were known to have distributed upper narcotics, particularly ice, to local youths to lure them into acts of violence on their behalf.
The January raids on the Chinese-run bars showed to police officials how deeply organized Chinese crime syndicates have over the past three years taken root in Timor. They are not alone, however. Indonesian crime rings, engaged primarily in smuggling, are also said to be increasingly active. Knowing that Timor has only two aging gunboats – one of which has been in repair in Indonesia for the past six months, to cover 870 kilometers of coastline – Indonesian smugglers have increased their operations in Timor's maritime area.
Criminal profits
As a result, Timor is losing an estimated US$45 million annually from smuggling and poaching activities, equivalent to 11% of the government's current annual budget or more than the entire police and defense budget combined, according to official estimates. That figure, of course, may be much higher if the true scale of the problem was better known.
Meanwhile, Timor's lack of naval assets has allowed for the indiscriminate plunder of its fisheries, with as many as 100 vessels from Indonesia, China, Thailand and South Korea believed to be illegally operating in Timorese waters at any given time.
The recent police raids no doubt revealed only the tip of the organized crime iceberg and the revelations from those operations represent the latest jarring development for the country's already battered and bruised political establishment. Some in Dili note that while the authorities targeted several Chinese-run bars, several other suspected underground establishments were left unmolested, allegedly due to their close ties with senior politicians and police officials. A month after the Moonlight and Mona Lisa were raided, both now are for unknown reasons back in business.
A joke now doing the rounds in Dili is that certain establishments were not raided because UNPOL feared that it may have to arrest half of the government in the process and that early elections would have to be called as a result. There is also growing evidence of expanding protection rackets, allegedly run by local thugs with powerful political and police backers. The local heavies hail primarily from the various martial arts gangs active in Dili and prey on everyone from small street sellers to major commercial establishments.
All of this points to major corruption in Timor's already fragile security institutions and is fast infecting other sectors of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao's multiparty coalition government. For instance, a leader of the so-called "petitioners", the group of army soldiers who to disastrous effect deserted from the defense forces in February 2006 on complaints of unfair treatment, was recently caught with an entire truckload of sandalwood he had attempted to smuggle out to Indonesia using a military vehicle.
There is also emerging evidence that organized crime elements, in association with local political actors, played a role in the February assassination attempts against President Jose Ramos Horta and Gusmao. An autopsy conducted on Alfredo Reinado, the rebel leader who shot Horta and was killed during the melee, showed that he was on ice at the time.
In any country plagued by the presence of strong crime syndicates alongside a weak state apparatus basic law and order comes under threat. In a country as politically and economically fragile as Timor, if left to fester without sweeping reforms, it could prove fatal to national survival.
[Loro Horta is a research associate fellow at Singapore's S Rajartnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technology University. He also served as a former advisor to the Timorese Defense Department.]
Financial Times - April 29, 2008
John Aglionby, Jakarta – Justice for the victims of Indonesia's occupation of East Timor appeared more remote than ever on Tuesday after the two nations' leaders said they would draw a line under the past and forge a relationship focused on co-operation.
The declaration pre-empts the recommendations due next month of a commission set up by the two countries to determine the truth behind widespread violence in East Timor in 1999, allegedly instigated by elements of the Indonesian military attempting to sabotage a referendum on independence. As many as 1,500 people, including Financial Times correspondent Sander Thoenes, were killed during the violence.
Diplomats and human rights workers fear that if prosecutions do not follow the publication of the Truth and Friendship Commission's report, the culture of impunity that pervades both countries would be reinforced and could trigger further instability in East Timor.
The committee, which the UN has refused to join for fear that the report could be a whitewash, is expected to put some blame on the Indonesian military but not name individuals or recommend prosecutions.
An earlier UN inquiry recommended an international tribunal prosecute those responsible for the 1999 violence. But that appears unlikely, particularly after the US announced this month it would accept the bilateral commission's recommendations.
East Timor became independent in 2002 after a three-year transition period, overseen by the UN, following Indonesia's 24- year occupation. It collapsed into anarchy in 2006 after a mutiny in the army and the implosion of the police. International troops were deployed to restore order and the UN reinforced its mission.
The nation's security was rocked again in February when some mutineers tried to assassinate Josi Ramos-Horta, the largely ceremonial president, and Xanana Gusmco, the prime minister. The last of the armed mutineers surrendered on Tuesday, prompting hopes that the country could move on from this instable period.
Mr Gusmco, a former leader of the armed resistance to Indonesian rule, said during a press conference with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian president: "We hope that the two states and two governments will soon come together to close a chapter of our common history and open a new chapter."
Many analysts believe that East Timor, a half-island nation with a population of fewer than a million, will struggle to survive unless it buries the hatchet with its much larger neighbour.
Despite the leaders' conciliatory approach, there is widespread resentment that no Indonesians have been held accountable for the 1999 violence.
Straits Times - April 26, 2008
John McBeth – When Mr Xanana Gusmao pays his first visit to Indonesia as Timor Leste's Prime Minister next week, the former guerilla leader and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will have plenty to talk about – including possibly an Indonesian television talk show called Kick Andi.
With the past continuing to haunt bilateral relations, the main issue is likely to be how the two governments handle the pending Indonesia-Timor Leste Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on the militia-led rampage following Dili's vote for independence in August 1999.
Sources close to the commission say the report, which has more than 300 pages, will be personally handed to President Yudhoyono, Mr Gusmao and Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta at the end of May, and it will be up to them to decide when to release it to the public.
President Yudhoyono and Mr Gusmao are also expected to focus on who may have been behind the near-fatal shooting of Mr Ramos- Horta on Feb 11 and how the leader of the plot, Alfredo Reinado, was able to appear on Jakarta TV last year when he was on the run.
No one is linking the two events at this point, but much depends on the outcome of police inquiries into the origin of A$800,000 (S$1 million) which was transferred to the Darwin bank account of Reinado's lover prior to the assassination bid that cost the rebel army officer his life.
Reinado is reported to have accessed about A$200,000 of that money through a Dili bank, including A$30,000 in cash which was found stuffed in his pockets after he was gunned down by Mr Ramos-Horta's security guards in the early-morning shoot-out.
Why it is taking the Australian authorities so long to trace the source of the money puzzles Mr Ramos-Horta and many other observers, given the way they have Timor Leste and the immediate region literally wired for sound.
The answer probably lies in the fact that the whole episode is politically sensitive, as shown by President Yudhoyono's angry reaction when Mr Ramos-Horta reportedly blamed Indonesian elements for the attempt on his life after his return on April 17 from two months of recuperation in Australia.
The Indonesian President warned Mr Ramos-Horta he was putting ties between the two countries in jeopardy, saying he had breached the confidentiality of a phone conversation the two had held a week before on who may have been involved in the plot.
"What got the President cross was Ramos-Horta jumping to conclusions and getting ahead of himself," spokesman Dino Djalal told The Straits Times. "We still don't know where the money may have come from."
Still in obvious discomfort from the two chest wounds that almost ended his life, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate later insisted he had been misquoted. But he did not retreat from his claim that individuals in Indonesia were involved in the plot.
Acting on information supplied by the Dili prosecutor's office, Indonesian police have so far detained four former soldiers from Timor Leste who fled into West Timor in the aftermath of the assassination attempt.
Mr Ramos-Horta, however, seemed more interested in the implications of Reinado's movements in Indonesia last May, two months after mutinous troops loyal to the rebel leader triggered the worst disturbances in Dili since 1999.
The Timor Leste President wanted to know what help Reinardo had received in crossing the border without proper papers and making his way to Jakarta for a studio interview.
Equally curious has been the role of Hercules Rozario Marcal, a one-armed Timor-born gang leader with close ties to at least one retired senior intelligence officer and other individuals in the Indonesian military.
Reinado, Hercules and militia leader Eurico Guterres, recently cleared of human rights violations in the 1999 rampage, all served as porters for Indonesian special forces in the 1980s during Jakarta's 25-year occupation of the former Portuguese colony.
Complicating the picture is the fact that only three weeks before the Ramos-Horta shooting, Mr Gusmao had received Hercules and a delegation of Indonesian businessmen who supposedly wanted to invest in a five-star hotel and an upscale housing development.
Mr Ramos-Horta muddied the waters himself by linking well-known presenter Desi Anwar with Reinado's interview, when it actually aired on Kick Andi, a twice-weekly evening show hosted by Metro TV chief editor Andy Noya.
Ms Anwar, who hardly looks the part of a Mata Hari, was incensed that Mr Ramos-Horta seemed to be implying she had a hand in the assassination conspiracy. "If he can't get even the most basic information correct, then perhaps everything he is being fed is bogus," she said. Good point. Except that no one at Metro wanted to address the more cogent question of where the Reinado interview took place. The station's public relations manager wasn't saying and Mr Noya himself was honouring a promise to keep the information confidential.
Sporting newly dyed red hair, which kicked off a fashion trend among his supporters in Dili, Reinado was interviewed for the programme against a black cloth background in a supposed 'secret location'. Hercules appeared on the same show several days later.
Spokesman Djalal could shed no light on the location, but he did have one observation: "These (TV) guys are quite resourceful. It was all very hush-hush and when the programme was aired, he (Reinado) had already gone."
The whole episode raises questions about the shadowy figures, some of them self-appointed guardians of the unitary state, who still haunt Indonesian politics. As one retired Indonesian general put it: "There will always be elements fighting for their interests in the context of 1999."
Similar suspicions attend the long-stuttering investigation into the bizarre 2004 murder of Indonesian human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib, and widespread fears of agitation in Aceh where independence conspiracy theories abound ahead of the 2009 elections.
It is still unclear what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has come up with in its findings and how the two governments will act on its non-binding recommendations. But The Straits Times has learnt that both sides did reach a consensus without resorting to a vote.
In the end, the report is likely to be viewed with scepticism by the United Nations and Western governments, given the widely held perception that Timor Leste has little choice but to appease its giant neighbour.
The Indonesian Supreme Court's recent acquittal of Guterres, the only person convicted for his role in the 1999 violence, has only served to underline the fact that Indonesia continues to see itself as much an aggrieved party as Timor Leste.
The Australian - April 22, 2008
Paul Toohey – East Timor has been consumed with rumours since President Jose Ramos Horta began looking beyond his own shores to an international conspiracy to assassinate him on February 11.
The President has claimed that Angelita Pires and her dead rebel lover, Major Alfredo Reinado, held a joint bank account in Darwin currently holding more than US$700,000, and has demanded the Australian Federal Police identify who deposited the money. It suggests the pair had powerful foreign backers, but does the money really exist?
The head of the investigation into the events of February 11, which left Ramos Horta wounded and Reinado dead, is East Timor Prosecutor-General Longinhos Monteiro. Monteiro has questioned the money claim, saying the investigators will not know how much money was in the account until a "mutual justice agreement" was signed between East Timor and Australia.
And Australian Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, told ABC today: "All the East Timor authorities need to do, and they've been on notice for a month, is to follow the appropriate procedures, and the information that they're currently seeking, will be made available."
Mr Longuinhos told The Australian last week he had phone text evidence retrieved from Reinado's phone, in which Ms Pires allegedly sent a message to Reinado saying funds had been shifted to the Commonwealth Bank. Mr Monteiro said Ms Pires sent her lover a pin number and account number.
Mr Longinhos said he was surprised how the President knew that was the amount, and repeated that investigators did not know how much was in the account.
The mutual agreement Mr Monteiro seeks is not just for bank details but also relates to 47 incoming and outgoing calls to Australia logged on Reinado's phone. Those calls relate to the period between February 1 and February 11, when Reinado was shot in the President's compound.
Some of the calls were logged after Reinado was shot, but Mr Monteiro, who believes most of the calls were non-suspicious, still wants to know who the callers were.
Monteiro and Ramos Horta want Australian intelligence to reveal any voice recordings and text messages they have stored, and has expressed frustration with the bureaucratic agreement process – especially given that Indonesian police were unhesitating in provided intelligence information relating to 31 calls on Reinado's phone to and from that country from the same period.
President Ramos Horta told The Australian on Saturday that he was stunned by the amount Reinado and Ms Pires held. He said the account opened with $US1 million but after withdrawals was now more than $700,000. He complained he could never raise such a sum when he was trying to gather donations to relieve poverty in his country.
While believing the amount he described was correct, he called upon Australian authorities and the banks to confirm his claim. "It's in Australia's interest to do this fast." He said he was unsure whether the money was in the ANZ or the Commonwealth in Darwin.
"What you can do is ask the Commonwealth Bank in Darwin, but they will not tell you," the President told The Australian. "It's making them nervous. Their excuse is they need a court order to reveal such information. I don't accept this excuse."
The President said it would have been "too dangerous" for Ms Pires and Reinado to put the money in a Dili bank account without sparking an alert. Yet the same might be said for a Darwin bank account, where large deposits attract automatic reporting alerts. Ramos Horta said $US1 million had been deposited into the account by unknown persons at an unknown time.
The claims make life more difficult for Ms Pires, whom the President and Mr Monteiro have accused of orchestrating the February 11 attacks which left two rebels dead and the President recuperating in the Darwin hospital for nine weeks.
Ramos Horta returned home last week and initially accused Indonesian individuals – though not the government – of being behind the attack. This drew a rebuke from Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose office said there was no evidence of any Indonesian citizen being behind the attacks.
Claims that Reinado had a million-dollar account first emerged two days after he was shot. Flyers, distributed by street boys, hit Dili claiming a well-known political party – which Reinado was known to detest – had paid him $1 million to bring down the leadership.
It must disturb Australia – which heads the unloved International Stabilisation Force, which has been taken to sharpen its image by running newspaper advertisements showing a Digger shaking hands with a Timorese kid – that Timorese will interpret the money claims as proof powerful non-Timorese Australians were backing Reinado and Ms Pires. "No Timorese person living in Australia has such money," the President claimed.
When Reinado's men appeared in new US-style uniforms in December, it prompted speculation that he had won over some serious foreign backers. Ramos Horta was today demanding to know who provided those uniforms and The Australian is able to shed light on this.
Ruy Lopes, who lives on the East-West Timor border, was a strong civilian backer of Reinado. "You want to know something? I bought those new uniforms for Alfredo," said Lopes. "I went to Jakarta and got them. It was all legal, I passed through customs with them. You can buy them openly in the markets, they use them for paintball games."
Lopes said Reinado's men had no Indonesian weapons. They had what they stole from barracks in 2006 and those taken in a later raid on a border police station. When they wanted ammunition, said Lopes, police gave it to them.
Lopes said there were no big backers – just people like him. "The money was just a few dollars here and there, from businesses in Dili – and the Catholic Church, which shifted him around and gave him protection."
The investigation into February 11 appears to have become slightly desperate, with investigators pulling in 86 "witnesses and suspects". Many of them appear at best peripheral to the inquiry.
Well-known East Timorese cameraman journalist, Jose Belo, who last week filmed a long-distance phone conversation between on the-run-rebel leader, Gastao Salsinha, and SBS Dateline's Mark Davis, was ordered to appear before the United Nations' investigation team today as a witness.
He was questioned as to how he had got the phone numbers of the rebels, and his sources. Mr Belo – who strongly objected to being questioned – refused to cooperate and told the UN investigators to watch the program for any information they needed.
What this all suggests is that sight has been lost of the main game. Things are now skewing sideways, with many Timorese convinced that the February 11 attacks were all about Timor Gap oil and gas, with Australia not content to take the lion's share it already has and, therefore, somehow trying to execute the Timor leadership in order to grab more money off the struggling country.
Ordinary people will advise you quietly, with wide eyes, that this is really a battle between Australia and Indonesia v China. The Chinese are increasingly visible in Dili, now building a huge government palace and making sure no one misses the point with man-high red letters telling all who pass that it is a gift from the People's Republic of China.
China has been doing this kind of thing throughout the Pacific for years now as it seeks to buy the locals' affection from the US. As the investigation into February 11 slumbers onwards, locals – including some leaders – are inclined to take the path of most resistance and blame powerful outside forces. Ms Pires is expected to been brought before the court this week to for a bail review on the basis of new information received.
We will wait, fascinated, to see whether there really was a million-dollar Darwin bank account, and whether it leads to deep international political waters: or whether this is really a shallow pond, involving a few giant egos waving about some big guns.
The Australian - April 13, 2008
Angus Grigg, Jakarta – It will be one of the more awkward handshakes of recent memory. The Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, meeting his East Timorese counterpart, Jose Ramos Horta, in Bali to receive a document that flatters neither man.
The final report from the Truth and Friendship Commission, which could be made public eight or nine days from this weekend, will be an occasion for forced smiles and tense body language.
The commission, set up to investigate violence around East Timor's 1999 independence vote, has been labelled a "diplomatic charade" with "too much friendship and too little truth".
For Indonesia it's about avoiding accountability, while the Timorese put pragmatism before principles. In reality they had little choice.
"East Timor had to accept the commission or face economic isolation and destabilisation along its border," said Damian Kingsbury from Deakin University's School of International and Political Studies.
Kingsbury, who is writing a book on post-independence politics in the tiny nation, says the East Timorese economy is almost entirely reliant on Indonesia.
"Indonesia has a stranglehold over the Timorese economy," he says. "It has not tightened this grip yet but it could quickly kill what little is left of the economy."
Not only does East Timor rely on Indonesia for food, fuel and consumer goods, but its giant neighbour controls air traffic into the country and seaborne trade.
This is why East Timor's politicians traded pragmatism for principles and settled for a toothless commission. The report will focus only on the period surrounding the referendum and will not name the individual perpetrators of violence.
It is, however, expected to hold the Indonesian military (TNI) "institutionally accountable" and responsible for funding, organising and equipping the militias.
"People will be surprised at how strong some of the language is," said one Timorese observer.
The report, by five Indonesian and five Timorese commissioners, is expected to reject blanket amnesties for either side. "It is in many ways a very bold document," the observer says. But not bold enough to recommend charges.
This is despite an earlier report by the United Nations concluding that at least 102,800 East Timorese, or 10 per cent of the population, died as a direct result of Indonesia's 24-year occupation. "It concluded Indonesian security forces committed human rights violations, crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Timorese population," the International Centre for Transitional Justice said in a report in 2006.
The UN said the human rights violations were "massive, widespread and systematic". It said Indonesian forces used starvation as a weapon of war, committed arbitrary executions and routinely inflicted horrific torture on anyone suspected of sympathising with pro-independence forces.
Despite these damning findings, militia leader Eurico Guterres was the only person ever jailed and he was acquitted by an Indonesian court during the week. Guterres, who served only two years of a 10-year sentence for crimes against humanity, now plans to run for the Indonesian parliament.
His release has angered human rights activists and prompted a rare outburst from Ramos Horta, who is recovering in Darwin after a failed attempt on his life in February. He said East Timor did not want to revisit the past, point fingers or see anybody go to jail but the TNI should apologise.
"They should have at least had the courage and humility to tell their country and the Timorese people that they were wrong," he said during the week.
But Ramos Horta is unlikely to get this even from Yudhoyono. Indonesia has rejected UN moves to have TNI officers or other militia leaders tried for crimes against humanity. East Timor could have pursued charges against people such as former defence minister Wiranto, but it would have been economic suicide.
The International Centre for Transitional Justice said the commission's terms of reference failed to make perpetrators account for their actions and focused on institutional rather than individual, responsibility.
"Reconciliation appears to have focused on measures to assist perpetrators, rather than victims," it said. The centre said the hearings – five in Indonesia and only one in East Timor – gave the accused a platform on which to publicly defend their actions.
"Their highly questionable explanations were not subject to rigorous questioning by the commissioners and independent experts and witnesses were generally not included," it said.
Jakarta Post - April 11, 2008
Bramantyo Prijosusilo, Ngawi, East Java – It is official: no one was responsible for human rights abuses that occurred around the 1999 East Timor referendum in which more than 1,000 people reportedly died. In defeat in the referendum, Indonesia was a sore loser. For several weeks mobs rampaged through Dili, even attacking the residences of priests.
The only person in jail for those crimes, Eurico Guterres, who has friends and supporters in high places in Jakarta, was released a few days ago from Cipinang prison. The Supreme Court overturned his sentence on appeal. He was met by a crowd of supporters to whom he clenched his fist and cried "Merdeka!" His release is just in time for next year's general elections. Seeing that he is a national hero of sorts and a party member, it might just be that when the next parliament is formed after elections, we will see him sitting among the lawmakers in Senayan as one of the House's celebrities.
In the meantime, he might follow the trend of celebrity politicians turning their talents to acting. If he does it might just start a trend of flag-waving patriotic kitsch in television soaps. His rugged features might be a nice change from the pale faces of the stars of the upper-class melodramas that look like they have been pasted with whitening cosmetics since they were born. Many people would much rather watch the ham acting of a few disgraced ministers and fighters like Guterres, than sit through a silly ghost story of the kind that have been polluting television for a while now.
Eventually schoolchildren in Indonesia might be able to learn from their books that absolutely no human rights abuses happened around the East Timor referendum. This would complete the narrative repeated by the Indonesian powers that be who say we never annexed East Timor; rather Indonesia was invited to storm into the country.
East Timor did not actually want independence; it chose independence in the referendum because of false promises offered by the United Nations and Australia. The continuing troubles there are proof that East Timor was always better off being part of Indonesia. The current heavy Australian military presence there is proof that Australia has its secret agenda on the one hand, while on the other hand the tiny war-torn country cannot survive on its own.
All the allegations against the Indonesian government, military and militias were fabricated; stories made up by the West, which harbors evil designs for our country. With schools here spending at least an hour a week on military-style marching and standing at attention and singing the national anthem and other patriotic songs, we can assume that over time, the idea that those who annexed East Timor and brutally tried to keep it were heroes will become the only accepted version of events.
To be honest, Guterres' conviction was never fair. He should never have had to go to jail on his own. He had his masters high up among the Indonesian military command. How could a militia thug be solely responsible for mayhem that involved the regular military? How could everyone escape justice when the violence was captured by international news cameras?
Everyone indicted for crimes against humanity in East Timor has now been acquitted. As there is no one guilty, it easily goes that there were no crimes. After all, when you talk about rape and pillage and murder you must have perpetrators, mustn't you? The press has names and places but now it appears that the media got it all wrong.
The blatant fact is that many of those indicted for crimes against humanity in East Timor have reinvented their lives as politicians and are now preparing for the next general elections. Because of the twists of misinformation in Indonesia's old New Order, the annexation of East Timor has always been defended here. The independence of East Timor has always been seen as a grave mistake and as a loss. Because of that people like Guterres are popular not only among the masses of knee-jerk nationalists, but also among members of the political elite here.
They regard their past in East Timor as an asset rather than a liability. Maybe they are heroes and their actions were always in the best interests of their country. It apparently seems the general public in Indonesia thinks so. However, it would not be wise to actually elect these men into office.
It isn't that their conduct in East Timor betrays either a blatant disregard for human life or plain incompetence. Cruelty and incompetence have never stopped anyone taking high office here. The problem is that they are recognized by activists as people who have escaped justice.
[The writer is artist and former journalist. He can be reached at bramn4bi@yahoo.com.]
Jakarta Post - April 8, 2008
No one is guilty for the 1999 mayhem in the then Indonesian province of East Timor. This is the conclusion of all the cases tried at Indonesia's ad hoc human rights court. And on Friday, the Supreme Court cleared former pro-Indonesia militia leader Eurico Guterres of rights violations. In doing so, the court overturned its own earlier decision to uphold the 10-year prison sentence given Eurico by the rights court.
The Supreme Court has wisely decided, a jubilant Eurico said, "that I am not the one responsible" for all the violence before and after the referendum that led to East Timor's independence.
So who was responsible? Eurico could be likened to a mere foot soldier if indeed he took part in the violence. If the generals were cleared of charges, how could he be responsible? Estimates of those killed during the spasm of violence in East Timor reach the thousands, with survivors fleeing from towns and villages to areas in Indonesia and abroad.
But Eurico and all the other defendants have been acquitted. These defendants include former East Timor governor Abilio Jose Soares and high-ranking military and police officers who served in former East Timor.
The answer as to who was responsible is unlikely to be clear from the soon-to-be released final report of the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission on Truth and Friendship.
Commission leaders have reiterated their mandate is not to prosecute or declare anyone guilty; the commission will simply name an "institution" responsible for the violence.
The only parties who have owned up to their actions were bit players – militias either supporting the cause of East Timor's independence or those who fought to stay with Indonesia. Among those tried in Timorese courts was the former leader of the Alfa militia group, Johny Marques, who is serving 33 years in jail for his role in the murder of priests and nuns in 1999 in the town of Los Palos.
At a commission hearing, he said, "For the sake of friendship between the two nations, why should it be only Alfa members like myself who are singled out for accountability?"
He testified how Indonesian police and military commanders recruited and trained him and his men, but he wondered aloud why they were not being questioned and tried.
Even though the big fish still bask in impunity, a degree of accountability has been shown – yet only in Timorese fora. Marques and others were convicted in a Dili court. Public confessions have also been released by Timor Leste's own commission for truth and reconciliation.
Indonesia, Timor Leste's boastful big neighbor, has not managed to come up with a single verdict that shows that at least one institution, or one individual, was responsible for the widespread arson and destruction, the loss of life during the 1999 referendum.
The Supreme Court decision to free Eurico was not surprising; it merely marked the day Indonesia returned to square one regarding investigations into what happened in its former 27th province.
If no one in Indonesia is responsible, does popular reference to an international conspiracy have some truth?
Many found with relief that declassified documents from the United States revealed that at least the United States and Australia gave tacit support for Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor.
Another conclusion that can be arrived at from the fact that everyone here is apparently innocent is that impunity reigns. This is a setback, past even square one, despite our years of "reform".
The Commission on Truth and Friendship emphasizes the "friendship" between Indonesia and Timor Leste, and is thus in no way a substitute for real court verdicts on the violence.
Commissioners have said their report could be used as a basis for both countries in the event that either decided to take up further investigations that could lead to prosecution.
Timor Leste has done its part in trying to heal wounds, both through reconciliation and also through legal means. The onus now is on Indonesia to act.
The world waits – because this "pebble in our shoe", as our foreign minister used to say, just won't go away.
Inter Press Service - April 3, 2008
Setyo Budi, Dili – If the renegade soldiers who attempted to assassinate East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta on Feb. 11 remain scot-free, it has more to do with the complex politics of this fledgling country than a failure of the armed forces, domestic or international, that protect it.
While rebel leader Alfredo Reinado and one of his men were killed in the shooting outside the President's house on Feb. 11, his second-in-command, Gastao Salsinha, walked away with a large number of rebels.
Horta, who is still in Australia recovering from nearly fatal gunshot injuries, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), last week, that but for the indecision of United Nations' peacekeepers the rebels could have been captured soon after he was attacked. "For many hours after the attack on my house, they (the rebels) were still in the hills around my house," Horta told ABC.
Among the unanswered questions surrounding the alleged assassination attempt is how Reinado and his heavily armed men could have passed unhindered through UN peacekeeping cordons, consisting mostly of Australian troops, to reach Horta's residence on the fateful day.
Following the assassination bid a 'state-under-siege' was declared and joint-operations, consisting of over 400 security personnel drawn from the Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor Leste (F-FDTL) and the Policia National de Timor Leste (PNTL), were mounted to search for and arrest Salsinha and the rebels.
Mid-March, the joint-forces had the rebels encircled, but, after a standoff that lasted a few days, were allowed to escape as a result of political intervention.
"To me all of this looks like a game. Once the prosecutor- general states that Salsinha is the one who did it and a state- under-siege has been declared they should go out there and capture Salsinha," Mario Carrascalao, president of Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), part of the ruling coalition, told IPS in an interview.
Last week, parliament approved extension of state-under-siege situation for another 30 days, till Apr. 23. But many consider the extension pointless as there have been no serious attempts to capture the rebels.
Carrascalao, one of the parliamentarians who rejected the extension, said: "The extension is a way for the government to prevent early elections, a process that takes six months." As part of the attempt to address East Timor's ongoing political crisis, UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon has agreed to a proposal to hold elections earlier than in 2009 as scheduled.
The failure to capture Salsinha may have been deliberate and further bloodshed could prove politically costly. So far, the joint-operation has stuck to following rebels' movements. "The terrain is harsh, a lot of valleys and hills, quite dense coffee trees, and rainy all the time and we don't have night goggles," Filomeno Paixao, the joint-operation spokesperson, told IPS.
But Paixao admitted that the reason Salsinha and his men were allowed to get away was because "they are not considered as enemy. What we are interested is evidence, to bring them to tribunal."
Earlier, addressing a press conference, Brig Gen Taur Matan Ruak, F-FDTL commander, said: "We don't want Salsinha dead, he needs to tell us what happened over the last two years, but I want to tell him that he should not shoot any of my soldiers."
Salsinha may be privy to much sensitive information. After all he was the leader of the group of soldiers that deserted their barracks in January 2006 and became known as the 'petitioners' who sparked a political crisis that led to serious ethnic conflicts between easterners and westerners on the half-island country.
A new revelation made by Longinous Monteiro, East Timor's prosecutor general, that Salsinha and his group received political backing from a prominent politician (his name cannot be mentioned for security reasons) to avoid surrender shows that the Feb. 11 incident had clear political underpinnings.
Paixao said members of the Salsinha group that escaped left behind uniforms, boots, tin food, and a Motorola mobile phone that contained numbers belonging to prominent politicians.
For ordinary East Timor people the situation is confusing. On the one hand the government has declared a state-under-siege and on the other it continues to dialogue with Salsinha and his group.
Tiago Sarmento, law programme manager at the Asia Foundation East Timor, questions the government's seriousness in implementing the declaration of state-under-siege. "When the state is under siege, there is no more negotiation, no more bargaining, but it is not happening. Instead, the government makes offers to Salsinha and his members. The government sends troops not to capture Salsinha but to protect him."
Arsenio Bano, vice-president of Fretilin, which holds a plurality of seats in parliament, told IPS that parties within the AMP coalition government have misled people. "During the election campaign, Fernando Lasama (president of the Democratic Party) even had an agreement with Alfredo and Salsinha to acknowledge their existence as armies and even told the petitioners that they were friends of the government," he said.
The joint-operation is the first by the F-FDTL since the institution was wrecked by ethnic divisions between easterners and westerners in 2006. This division prompted the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) to conduct studies which called for drastic reforms. In a report, ICG pointed to a lack of transparency within the F-FDTL and that promotions were based on political affiliation rather than merit.
During an interview with IPS, Sophia Cason, former ICG researcher in East Timor, said: "The politicisation is not necessarily along party lines, but for personal reasons. Most (F-FDTL) members are loyal to Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak who has declared that he is not a member of any party but has personal links to Xanana Gusmao, Mari Alkatiri (former prime minister and Fretilin leader) and Roque Rodrigues."
The joint-operation is a test for F-FDTL to show performance and professionalism and meet people's expectations, Cason said. "The reform of the military institution is now more urgent than before. To do it all political parties have to be committed."
| East Timor media review |
Lasama: The State of Siege is nearly over in Ermera district - Timor Post
President of National Parliament Fernando de Araujo Lasama said that the State of Siege has almost finished as Salsinha and his men are willing to surrender and able to collaborate with the justice system. The Apprehension Operation will continue to search for weapons.
"I went to Ermera and met Salsinha on Saturday (26/4). He said that he was ready to surrender and collaborate with justice,"said the President of the National Parliament, Fernando de Araujo Lasama on Monday (28/4) at National Parliament. "As a Timorese I am very proud of the decision that Salsinha made because he has learnt and become aware of how to solve the problems,b
Regarding the State of Siege in Ermera, the President of National Parliament said that the Apprehension Operation will be stopped once they are certain that Salsinha and all of his men have surrendered and there no weapons still at large.
PR Ramos Horta wants to be involved in dialogues in the community - Timor Post
The Minister of Solidarity and Social has confirmed that President Ramos Horta wants to be personally involved in the community dialogues on the reintegration of IDPs to take place within the communities living in the Bairos.
"The President wants to involve himself in the dialogue that have been carried out by MSS within the communities, especially those people living in the areas such as Vilaverde and Tuanalaran in Dili who do not want the IDPs to return home," said the Minister of Solidarity Social Domingas Fernandes Alves on Monday (28/4) at the new President's Office in Farol, Dili.
She added that the President was also concerned about the living conditions of the IDPs in the Jardim and Sional camps Dili and said he will learn on how to solve their problems. Minister Alves said that all IDPs in the country want to reintegrate into their communities, however the Ministry itself has been facing a difficulty in the re-verification process as there are only eight 8 teams comprising 50 people who are paid by the UNDP who carry out the work for the Ministry.
IDPs in the National Hospital IDP camp ready to return home - Timor Post
The IDPs in the National Hospital IDP camp say that they are ready to return home. However, the decision from the Government side is taking more time.
"As citizens, we would like to go home in order to participate in a development for our nation and not continue living under the tents just doing nothing. Therefore, we need to go home if Government can solve our problem immediately," said one of IDPs on Monday (28/4) at National Hospital camp.
A Timor Post journalist observed that some of the IDPs have packed their belongings and are waiting a decision from the Government.
PGR: Salsinha and his men will surrender today - Diaario Nasional
Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro said that Salsinha and 13 of his men are going to hand themselves to the State on Sunday (29/4)
Gastao Salsinha and his men are under heavy guard at a house in the country's mountainous interior and will be escorted by truck to the capital Dili on Tuesday to formally surrender to the State," said PGR Monteiro on Monday (28/4) at the Office of Prosecutor-General.
Meanwhile the PGR added that the investigation into February 11 attacks has resulted in a total of 24 people being accused of involvement in the assassination attempts against the nation's top two leaders. The investigation will continue.
Prime Minister and his delegation make official visit to Indonesia - Diario Nasional
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, his wife Kirsty Sword and other members of the delegation visit Jakarta, Indonesia. Today Tuesday (29/4), the Prime Minister and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed four agreements at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. The agreements establish undisclosed programmes between the two countries.
Prime Minister Gusmao and his delegation were welcomed by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hasan Wirayusda together with Timorese Ambassador to Indonesia Ovidio de Jesus Amaral at Jakarta airport on Monday (28/4). Maria Paixao: State needs to be responsible for stopping human trafficking - Diario Nasional
PSD MP Maria Paixao said the responsibility for stopping human trafficking in the country of Timor-Leste, is in the hands of the State. "It is crucial to stop human trafficking in Timor-Leste. Therefore, all parties including the Government, Parliament and all others to work together in order to stop human trafficking activities facing this nation," said PSD MP Maria Paixao at National Parliament.
Lasama: The state of siege is nearly over in Ermera district - Timor Post
President of National Parliament Fernando de Araujo Lasama said that the State of Siege has almost finished as Salsinha and his men are willing to surrender and able to collaborate with the justice system. The Apprehension Operation will continue to search for weapons.
"I went to Ermera and met Salsinha on Saturday (26/4). He said that he was ready to surrender and collaborate with justice,"said the President of the National Parliament, Fernando de Araujo Lasama on Monday (28/4) at National Parliament. "As a Timorese I am very proud of the decision that Salsinha made because he has learnt and become aware of how to solve the problems,b
Regarding the State of Siege in Ermera, the President of National Parliament said that the Apprehension Operation will be stopped once they are certain that Salsinha and all of his men have surrendered and there no weapons still at large.
Ramos Horta wants to be involved in community dialogues - Timor Post
The Minister of Solidarity and Social has confirmed that President Ramos Horta wants to be personally involved in the community dialogues on the reintegration of IDPs to take place within the communities living in the Bairos.
"The President wants to involve himself in the dialogue that have been carried out by MSS within the communities, especially those people living in the areas such as Vilaverde and Tuanalaran in Dili who do not want the IDPs to return home," said the Minister of Solidarity Social Domingas Fernandes Alves on Monday (28/4) at the new President's Office in Farol, Dili.
She added that the President was also concerned about the living conditions of the IDPs in the Jardim and Sional camps Dili and said he will learn on how to solve their problems. Minister Alves said that all IDPs in the country want to reintegrate into their communities, however the Ministry itself has been facing a difficulty in the re-verification process as there are only eight 8 teams comprising 50 people who are paid by the UNDP who carry out the work for the Ministry.
IDPs in the National Hospital IDP camp ready to return home - Timor Post The IDPs in the National Hospital IDP camp say that they are ready to return home. However, the decision from the Government side is taking more time. "As citizens, we would like to go home in order to participate in a development for our nation and not continue living under the tents just doing nothing. Therefore, we need to go home if Government can solve our problem immediately," said one of IDPs on Monday (28/4) at National Hospital camp. A Timor Post journalist observed that some of the IDPs have packed their belongings and are waiting a decision from the Government.
Salsinha and his men will surrender today - Diaario Nasional
Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro said that Salsinha and 13 of his men are going to hand themselves to the State on Sunday (29/4) Gastao Salsinha and his men are under heavy guard at a house in the country's mountainous interior and will be escorted by truck to the capital Dili on Tuesday to formally surrender to the State," said PGR Monteiro on Monday (28/4) at the Office of Prosecutor-General.
Meanwhile the PGR added that the investigation into February 11 attacks has resulted in a total of 24 people being accused of involvement in the assassination attempts against the nation's top two leaders. The investigation will continue.
Prime Minister and his delegation make official visit to Indonesia - Diario Nasional
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, his wife Kirsty Sword and other members of the delegation visit Jakarta, Indonesia. Today Tuesday (29/4), the Prime Minister and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed four agreements at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta. The agreements establish undisclosed programmes between the two countries. Prime Minister Gusmao and his delegation were welcomed by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hasan Wirayusda together with Timorese Ambassador to Indonesia Ovidio de Jesus Amaral at Jakarta airport on Monday (28/4).
Maria Paixao: State needs to be responsible for stopping human trafficking - Diario Nasional
PSD MP Maria Paixao said the responsibility for stopping human trafficking in the country of Timor-Leste, is in the hands of the State. "It is crucial to stop human trafficking in Timor-Leste. Therefore, all parties including the Government, Parliament and all others to work together in order to stop human trafficking activities facing this nation," said PSD MP Maria Paixao at National Parliament.
Salsinha promises to submit himself within April - Diario Nacional
The Deputy Commander of the Joint Operation Command Mateus Fernandes said that Salsinha and his members have promised to submit themselves within this month even though the operation is still continuing. "He did not nominate an exact date, but he did promise that in short time he will submit himself to the church. That is what he said we will see the reality," said Commander FFernandes on Wednesday (23/4) in Dili.
Ed: Pardon for Rogerio Lobato - Diario Nacional
When President Ramos-Horta said that he would pardon prisoners on 20 May, including former Minister of Interior Rogerio Tiago Lobato, many people were surprised as Mr. Lobato was imprisoned for a short time before he went to Malaysia for medical treatment.
We know that Mr. Lobato is a political leader who has political maturity, obeys the law and with humility accepted the decision of the court sentence. We may reject the decision of President Ramos-Horta, but the Constitution gives him the right to do so. As citizens of this country, we should bow our heads to the constitution made by our representatives in the National Parliament.
Pardon for Rogerio: Horta attacks the Constitution – Suara Timor Lorosa'e
CNRT MP Aderito Hugo said that the decision made by the president to pardon Rogerio Lobato is an attack on Timor Leste's constitution. "The way that the President has handled this is an attempted attack on our constitution," said Aderito Hugo on Thursday (24/4) at the National Parliament.
Mr Hugo added that the man imprisoned for his part in the weapons distribution of 2006, Rogerio Lobato, has not yet earned the right to be pardoned. Separately, National Director of Prison, Helena Gomes said that it is right for President Ramos Horta to pardon Rogerio Lobato as he had shown a good attitude and had collaborated with the justice system before receiving a medical treatment in Malaysia.
PR holds a meeting with AMP leaders - Suara Timor Lorosa'e Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said that PR Ramos-Horta held a meeting with the leaders of AMP Government on Thursday (24/4) at the President's new office in Farol, Dili. The meeting aimed at informing the President on the strategies already implemented by the AMP government during his absence. President Ramos Horta also suggested the all political parties work to strengthen national unity.
Carrascalao: it is normal to form a shadow cabinet - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
MP PSD Mario Viegas Carrascalao said that its normal if the President invites all former leaders to from a shadow cabinet in the manner of other countries. He added that a shadow cabinet has the right to provide constructive criticism to the Government.
PGR Longuinhos goes to Indonesia to bring back captured rebels - Timor Post
Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro is today (25/4) going to Jakarta to bring back the three rebels arrested by the National Police of Indonesia (POLRI). Prosecutor Longuinhos said that the rebels will be brought back to Timor-Leste before the Prime Minister's visit to Indonesia. He also said that he would be accompanied by court police and the military. The rebels will be transferred from Jakarta to Bali, then to Timor-Leste.
PR Horta interrogated by Public Ministry for more than four hours - Televisao Timor-Leste
The Public Ministry has interrogated President Ramos-Horta as a victim of February 11 for more than four hours. Prosecutor- General Longuinhos Monteiro said that the interrogation was conducted well and helped clarify the investigation. "Everything went normally. He provided a chronology of events for February 11," said Mr. Longuinhos on Thursday (24/4). Mr. Longuinhos said that the case is very complex, so it needs cooperation from every part, including from Indonesia and Australia.
Pardon for Rogerio may impact the judgment of 2006 crisis - Timor Post
The Director of HAK Association Jose Luis Oliveira said that the decision of President Ramos-Horta to pardon Rogerio Lobato will impact the process for the unresolved cases of the 2006 crisis. "Because some people have still not been investigated, if the President has decided to pardon Rogerio Lobato this indicates that other cases of 2006 crisis may be closed. The suspects will think this whether they are right or wrong," said Mr. Oliveira. According to Mr. Oliveira, Rogerio Lobato should at least fulfil his sentence in the prison for half a year. He added that the decision of the President sets a bad example for society.
Ed: all political parties should have dialogue - Timor Post
On Wednesday (23/4), President Ramos-Horta appealed to all political parties to have a dialogue for the sake of peace and stability in the country. It is clear that there should be a dialogue, especially between the AMP Government and the opposition party of Fretilin.
We can all see that AMP is facing great challenges by Fretilin who won the2007 elections but lost the opportunity to rule the country. Fretilin used to claim that the AMP is illegal based on the results of the 2007 elections. At the same time, AMP used to say that they were legal based on the parliamentary chairs they had and the decision of President Horta to form the government.
So who follows who? We need collaboration and reconciliation from the highest levels. We do not need early elections as proposed by Fretilin. We are still questioning whether the dialogue is for collaboration and reconciliation or to decide on early elections?
Ed: the State of Siege, only for Ermera district - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
How sad for those who are living in Ermera district. They have to endure the consequences of Salsinha's rebel group for one more month (22 April-22 May 2008) by living under a State of Siege, while other districts resume back to a normal state.
Sometimes, the State just takes outrageous decision, but what can we do? They have all the power. The worst thing is that if Salsinha does not surrender in one month, then the people of Ermera will be living and dying under a State of Siege.
Why has the Joint Operation Command not taken any alternative action to arrest Salsinha? It is better not to implement a State of Siege just because of one Salsinha. To arrest Salsinha, the State may deploy all the army forces the country to arrest Salsinha.
Why should Salsinha become the indicator for the State to prevent people's movement? This might be wrong.
Bishop Ricardo: Horta's heart, full of love - Suara Timorr Lorosa'e
The Bishop of Dili Diocese Mgr. Alberto Ricardo said that PR Jose Ramos-Horta's heart used to be full of love. "PR Ramos-Horta has expressed his love in his speech in the National Parliament," said Bishop Ricardo on Wednesday (23/4) after participating in PR Horta's national speech to the National Parliament in Dili.
Commenting about the indulgence given by the President to Rogerio Lobato, Bishop Ricardo said that it is the competence of the President as consecrated by the nation's constitution.
Indonesia does not give asylum to rebels - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The Vice Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Jose Luis Guterres has said that he does not believe Indonesia will grant political asylum to the rebels who were involved in the attempts against PR Ramos-Horta and PM Xanana Gusmao on February 11. "I think no, because Indonesia has arrested three people. This shows that we have a good neighbor who sees that peace and national stability are important for Timor-Leste," said Mr. Guterres on Wednesday (23/4).
Separately, the National Parliament said that the three people do not deserve to get political asylum as they are fugitives from justice. "They are criminals who flee and hide in Indonesia. They do not deserve to get political asylum. It depends on the Indonesian Government," said MP Vital dos Santos.
According to the information between the Indonesian and Timor- Leste Government, Indonesia continues to cooperate with Timor- Leste as stated by Indonesian President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Horta to pardon Rogerio, Fretilin's happy, MPs sad - Timor Post
In a statement made to the National Parliament on Wednesday (23/4), President Ramos-Horta said on 20 May he will pardon 80 prisoners, including former Minister of Interior Rogerio Tiago Lobato who was imprisoned for his part in the weapons distribution of 2006.
PR Horta said that the pardon he is going to give is based upon the prerogative rights he has and the recommendations from Ministry of Justice. "I went to Becora prison many times. On 20 May I will pardon 80 prisoners, including former Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato," said PR Horta on speech in the National Parliament.
PR Horta said that the reasons for pardoning Rogerio Lobato were that Rogerio had shown a good attitude and had collaborated with the justice system. The President is also pardoning Lobato as he is the only one surviving member of his family- all who were killed defending the nation.
Horta asks Alkatiri to form his cabinet - Timor Post
PR Ramos-Horta has asked the Secretary-General of Fretilin Mari Alkatiri to form his cabinet to contribute to the development of the country. "I especially ask the former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, his companions and friends for many years to form a support cabinet of development to contribute to the development of the nation. If the suggestion is accepted, the former Prime Minister may present a clear proposal about the necessities of the cabinet," said the President during his long speech on Wednesday (23/4) in the National Parliament, Dili.
Mr Alkatiri said he felt proud of the recognition of President Horta, but he still needs to discuss the details with the President. "I am glad the President still recognizes my ability and I am ready to contribute to the nation. I will talk with the President of how the cabinet is going to be formed," said Mr. Alkatiri.
Ed: The State of Siege ended !!! - Diario io Nacional
The National Parliament has approved to extend the State of Siege for one more month (22 April-22 May 2008) in the district of Ermera. The State of Siege is extended upon the reason that there are still illegal weapons carried throughout the country, including 13 riffles of Salsinha and his group. This policy can be considered as discrimination to the people of Ermera as all people in the other districts are living freely.
President to pardon prisoners - Diario Nacional
President Jose Ramos-Horta has announced that 80 prisoners will receive pardons for good behavior on May 20, the anniversary of Independence, and has named Rogerio Lobato as one of them.
"Some prisoners have received pardons from me, as recommended by the judicial justice system. I myself have visited and observed prisoners in Becora prison many times. So, at least 80 prisoners will receive pardons from me as the President on May 20, the anniversary of Independence and Lobato is one of them," said PR Ramos Horta on Wednesday (24/4) at the National Parliament.
Separately, the president of Fretilin party, Francisco Guterres Lu-Olo said that his party will be happy if the President pardons Rogerio Lobato. However, PUN MP Fernanda Borges said that this is not the time to do so, as some rebels are still at large.
Malaysia ready to train F-FDTL - Televisaun Timor-Leste
The State Secretary for Defence Julio Thomas Pinto said that The Government of Malaysia, through its Defence Department, has agreed to give military training to the Defence Forces of Timor- Leste (F-FDTL).
"I have met the Vice Prime Minister who is also the Minister of Defence of Malaysia, Dato Sri Najib Tun Rajak. We discussed defences issues of the two nations and Malaysia is committed to help Timor-Leste in its military development. On behalf of the Government of Timor-Leste, I give my gratitude to the Government of Malaysia for sending its military forces to Timor-Leste during the 2006 crisis and for providing scholarships providing military training to F-FDTL ," said Mr. Pinto via telephone on Wednesday (23/4).
Lao Hamutuk: petroleum funds utilized ineffectively - Radio Timor-Leste
The Program Manager of Lao Hamutuk Mericio Akara said that because the petroleum funds are not utilized effectively, they cannot give benefits to the people. Mr. Akara said that the fund should be managed in order to use the fund effectively.
"Minimally, we could guarantee that this will benefit the population. As we see now that there is no sign that the people will benefit from the petroleum fund which is not currently well managed. Our preoccupation is whether to use the fund or not. Is the accountable? Have we the capability to manage the money? Will we be able to minimize collusion, corruption and nepotism or not? These are our preoccupations," said Mr. Akara.
PM to pay emergency visit to Ermera - Radio Timor-Leste
Local authorities in Ermera are preparing today (22/4) to welcome Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and the F-FDTL Commander Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak in their emergency visit to the district. The visit is aimed at meeting with local leaders, political leaders and the population of Ermera, including GastC#o Salsinha's wife. Security has been provided and prepared around the capital of Ermera, Gleno.
Bishop Ricardo: Salsinha should surrender - Televizaun Timor-Leste
The Bishop of Dili Diocese, Mgr. Alberto Ricardo, has called on Gastao Salsinha and his men to surrender. "I pray for them and ask God to help them think positively and to do the right thing." said Bishop Ricardo on Sunday (20/4) after holding a ceremonial mass upon the return of President Jose Ramos-Horta.
PR Horta should clarify the involvement of Indonesia in Alfredo's case - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
Social Democratic Party (PSD) MP Mario Viegas Carrascalao is asking President Jose Ramos-Horta to provide a clarification to the Indonesian Government regarding his public statements that some Indonesian people were involved in Alfredo Reinado's case. According to Carrascalao, PR Horta should give this clarification in order to maintain good diplomatic relations between the two nations. "This should be explained as we are friends. The two nations have good relations after May 2002," said Mr. Carrascalao. On his return, PR Horta said that the Prosecutor General and Australian Federal Police had indicated the involvement of some Indonesian people involved in Alfredo's case.
Indonesia arrests 19 rebels - Timor Post
The Foreign Affairs Minister of Timor-Leste, Dr Zacarias Da Costa, said that the Government has received information through the East Timor Embassy in Jakarta that the Indonesian National Republic Police (POLRI) have arrested 19 rebels who fled to Jakarta, Indonesia. "I know the previous information said that three of Alfredo's man were arrested. They are Ismael S.M Soares known as (Asanku), Jose Gomes and Ijidio Lay Carvalho. They all are former members of the F-FDTL. The latest information on Sunday (20/4) stated that, 19 other rebels were also arrested in Jakarta, Indonesia," said Mr Da Costa to the journalists on Monday (21/4) at Palacio do Governu, Dili. "Now we and the Prosecutor-General are working together with the Indonesian authorities to bring those rebels into East Timor in order to face justice," said the Foreign Affairs Minister.
President postpones speech at National Parliament - Timor Post
The Chief of the President's Office, Natalia Carrascalao, said that the President postponed his speech at the National Parliament yesterday because his condition did not yet permit him to do so. "As we all aware, there were a lot of programs during his return and he has been visited by many people. So, the President decided to postpone his long speech at the National Parliament yesterday," said Ms Carrascalao.
Alkatiri to forward proposal - Timor Post
The Secretary-General of Fretilin, Dr Marii Alkatiri, said that the Fretilin party will move forward with a proposal to establish an International Commission of Inquiry into the events of February 11 and is planning to discuss this with President Jose Ramos Horta. Alkatiri added that in order to ensure the independence of the inquiry, the countries currently involved in maintaining security in Timor Leste should not be involved in the inquiry. "We say that we should trust in our institutions, but the reality is that we do not trust each other yet. So we really need an international investigation," said Mr Alkatiri.
Timor Leste opposes Tibet's Independence, China is happy - Timor Post
The Ambassador of China to Timor Lestre, Su Jian, said that his country is happy with the position of Timor Leste on the issue of Tibet. "As with all other friendly communities, the Timor Leste Government adheres to the One China position and opposes Tibetan Independence," he said.
PSD MP asks Ramos Horta for explanation - Diario Nasional PSD MP Mario Viegas Carrascalao has asked President Jose Ramos Horta to explain to Indonesian President Susilo Bamban Yudhoyono his comments that some Indonesians had supported the February 11 attacks.
MPs say no need to prolong Sate of Siege - Diario Nasional
MPs from CNRT, ASDT and Fretilin have said that there is no need to prolong the State of Siege as the current situation does not warrant an extension, even though Salsinha and his men are still at large. CNRT MP Pedro da Costa said that the State of Siege should not be prolonged because it is not suitable for the current country's situation, but added that it depends on the President whether he wants to continue or not.
Fretilin MP Francisco Miranda Branco said that the State of Siege has shown a bad image for this government, so it does not need to be prolonged. But he added that the State of Siege can be applied at places where the rebels are though to be hiding rather than all through the country. ASD MP Jose Manuel Carrascalao said that the State of Siege has to be stopped given that there have been a lot of abuses committed by the forces during the implementation of the State of Siege.
Government needs to address border security - Diario Nasional
CNRT MP Natalino Dos Santos has said that government need to address the Border Patrol Unit in order to strengthen border security. "I may say that our security at the border is still weak, so it has to be strengthened. Therefore, we have to find out what kind of difficulties are currently faced by our Border Patrol Unit (BPU) in order to provide them with the facilities to carry out their duties," said Mr Dos Santos on Monday (21/04) at the National Parliament.
Horta accuses Indonesia of involvement in assassination attempts - Suara Timor Lorosa'e editorial
Since his arrival in Timor-Leste, President Jose Ramos-Horta has made open statements that he believes Indonesia to be behind the assassination attempts against himself and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. However, Indonesian President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono has refuted Horta's accusation about Indonesia's involvement.
Whether Horta's accusation is right or wrong, there has still not been any investigation to prove Horta's statement. If Horta's statement is right, then this should be solved diplomatically through formal channels between the two nations, not though press statements.
As an experienced diplomat, Horta should not make statements that could compel Indonesia to block its goods' distribution to Timor-Leste which might endanger this young country. An effort to maintain good relations with Indonesia the absolute right thing to do.
If Indonesia had facilitated Alfredo Reinado's trip to Jakarta in 2007, why did Horta not protest then? The security at the border is the responsibility of both Indonesia and Timor-Leste, so the fact that Alfredo managed to go to Jakarta is also the responsibility of Timor-Leste.
Sometime ago, the leaders of the nations just let Alfredo carry his weapons freely in society; we too have to know our weaknesses.
Combat poverty: UN and Govt prepare US$5M for micro-finance bank - Diario Nacional
The Minister of Economy and Development, Joao Goncalves, said that the Government of Timor-Leste has prepared through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) US$5 million to fund a micro-finance bank in thirteen districts to combat poverty in Timor-Leste. "The US$5 million is there to combat poverty and is supported by UNDP for five years," said Minister Goncalves at the UNMIT press conference held on Friday (18/4) at Obrigado Barracks-Caicoli Dili. The Deputy Special Representative of Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Timor-Leste Finn Reske-Nielsen said that UNMIT through UNDP supports US$5 million to assist Timor- Leste in the process of development.
Indonesia arrest three rebels - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The Vice Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Jose Luis Guterres, said that the Government has received information that the Indonesian security has arrested three rebels who fled to Indonesia. Mr. Guterres has also expressed his gratitude to Indonesian President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono who has contributed to justice, peace and stability in Timor-Leste. "I could say that between Indonesia and Timor-Leste there is a good political will to solve the problems," said Mr. Guterres on Sunday (20/4) in Dili Cathedral.
Timor-Leste's situation doesn't permit early elections - Diaario Nacional
In reference to President Jose Ramos-Horta's statement that only early elections would satisfy all, CNRT MP Eduardo de Deus Barreto has said that Timor-Leste's situation will not permit early elections as proposed by Fretilin. "Early elections might be conducted if all the political parties in the National Parliament agree to do so, but for now, the Government still has no idea about it. Based on our understanding, early elections are conducted when government programs are not approved by the National Parliament and the nation is in an unstable situation. There will be no early elections," said Mr. Barreto on Friday (18/4) in the National Parliament, Dili.
Who keeps the secrets of February 11? - Diario Nacionaal editorial
President Jose Ramos-Horta has said that he does not want Salsinha to die in the operation, but does want Salsinha to expose who was behind the February 11 attempts.
The statement of President might be true that only Alfredo Reinado and Salsinha know the secrets of February 11 and the political crisis. However, only Salsinha is left as Alfredo was shot dead on February 11. So President Horta needs Salsinha to remain alive to be able to tell the truth of February 11. It is impossible to kill Salsinha as the State wants to know the secret he has.
The statement of President Horta might inspire Salsinha to tell the truth or, or it may inspire him to lie he may manipulate the fact that people think he is the only one who knows what happened. In a short time, the State of Siege and Emergency will end and Salsinha and his men still have not surrendered themselves. Will the State of Siege and Emergency be extended for one more month? We do not know we just wait.
Reinado had $800,000 in Australia - Timor Post
Investigators have found that Alfredo Reinado held an account at the Commonwealth Bank in Darwin containing more than $800,000. The account is also in the name of Timorese-born Australian woman Angelita Pires, President Jose Ramos-Horta said yesterday. About $200,000 had been withdrawn from the account, Mr Ramos-Horta said in Dili, adding: "We will find out who gave the money." Since returning to Dili from Australia, where he spent more then two months recovering from serious gunshot wounds, Mr Ramos-Horta has insisted he wants Reinado's supporters punished. "I will not rest until the truth is totally uncovered," he said.
President Ramos-Horta impressed with Polri for capturing the rebels - Timor Post
East Timor President said he was impressed of the work carried out by the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) in capturing the three rebels who had escaped to Indonesian. Meanwhile the President was also greatly impressed by the good cooperation given by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "I am greatly impressed by what was done by Indonesian President SBY. I consider him as my good friend and my big brother. I also congratulate the POLRI for capturing the rebels very quickly," said Ramos-Horta after attending a mass ceremony on Sunday (20/04) at Cathedral Church, Dili. Separately, Indonesian President SBY said that Timor Leste should stop saying that Indonesia was involved in the February 11 attacks as such comments may harm the relationship between the two countries.
President Ramos-Horta thanks GNR - Timor Post
President Ramos-Horta said that on behalf of all Timorese, he thanked the GNR (Guarda Nacional da Republicana) who have worked very hard to stop the violence in the country. Horta thanked the GNR for providing security support to Timor-Leste since 2006. "I have never missed a single ceremony to farewell the GNR's since they have been in the country. They have also provided significant support during the attacks on East Timor's top two leaders on 11 February."
President added that the work of GNR members in East Timor has shown their professionalism and love for the country. "I am now resuming my duty as President, so I think it is very important to thank them on behalf of the Timorese. When I was wounded by the rebels on 11 February, GNR members cleaned my blood and bandaged my wounds, and they are now returning to their country," said Horta after he awarded medals to the GNR members at a ceremony on Friday (18/4), at the GNR barrack in Caicoli.
Government submits proposal to National Parliament - Timor Post
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said that the Government will submit a proposal to the National Parliament in relation to Ramos- Horta's request that they should utilize the petrol money to buy food for the people who are facing food shortages in the country. "We will submit the proposal to the National Parliament upon the request of the President. I believe that Parliament will support it." said the Prime Minister after attending a mass ceremony on Sunday (20/4), at the Cathedral Church in Dili.
JOC: Salsinha to surrender on April 27 - Timor Post
Rebel leader Gastao Salsinha has told the Joint Operation Command that he will submit himself to justice on April 27. "He [Salsinha] said via telephone that he will submit himself in April 27," said the Commander of Joint Operation Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao at a press conference held in Memorial Hall on Tuesday (15/4). Commander Paixao said that he has asked Salsinha to surrender voluntarily in order to contribute to solving the country's problems. After the attempted assassination on February 11, Salsinha said that he would surrender himself upon the return of President Jose Ramos-Horta from Darwin, Australia, to Timor-Leste.
Lasama invites the public to welcome President - Timor Post
Acting President Fernando 'Lasama' de Araujo is inviting all the people of Timor-Leste to stand along the road to welcome PR Jose Ramos-Horta on his return from Darwin, Australia. After being wounded by gunshots on February 11, PR Ramos-Horta was evacuated to Darwin, Australia for medical treatment. "I am asking all people not to come to the airport, but to stand along the road from the airport to the National Parliament from 8:30 to 9:00," said Acting President Lasama at a press conference held on Tuesday (15/4) at the Comoro Airport, Dili.
Salsinha still has 14 rifles - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The Commander of Joint Operation Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao said that even though the rebels' strength is down to [16 persons], they still have 14 rifles to defend themselves if there is a shoot out between them and the Apprehension Operation. Up until now, Salsinha and his group have still not surrendered to authorities. The Joint Operation continues to give them an opportunity to collaborate and avoid bloodshed by voluntarily facing justice in order to resolve the problem.
NP: No amnesty for Salsinha - Suara Tiimor Lorosa'e
Member of the National Parliament support the statement of President JosAc Ramos-Horta not to give amnesty to Salsinha and others who were involved in the incidents of 11 February. The Vice President of the Fretilin bench, Francisco Miranda Branco said that amnesty should be viewed from two dimensions, before and after the attempt. "The situation was different when PR Horta talked to them in January. When February 11th happened, the equation changed," he said on Tuesday (15/4) in the National Parliament, Dili.
Mr Branco said the State should take a firm position on the situation and not toy with a serious attempt to destroy the State. During the same session of Parliament, the MP from the Democratic Party, Vital dos Santos said that amnesty is given after justice. There is no law to authorize the President or other sovereignty organs to give amnesty without judicial process.
Abel: Salsinha's efforts will not succeed - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The Commander of the Military Police Abel Ximenes said that further efforts by rebels under Salsinha's command will not meet with success, as the Government has no tolerance for their actions. "If the rebels' struggle meets success, then chicken will have teeth," he said. "They will be hunted by the Joint Operation Command. "In this world, if a bicycle collides with a car, it is impossible that the car will be damaged; a bicycle will be damaged if collides with a car. This means that certain people who stand against the Government will become losers," said Commander Ximenes on Tuesday (15/4) in Camea-Becora, Dili. At the same occasion Commander Ximenes appealed anyone holding weapons to turn them over to the Joint Operation to avoid door-to-door checking.
PM Xanana: security improved during State of Siege - Radio Timmor-Leste
PM Xanana Gusmao said the security situation in the country improved and values enshrined in the constitution were maintained during the State of Siege (from 23 February-23 March). PM Xanana said that the one-month extension of the State of Siege demonstrated the operation model of F-FDTL and PNTL as well as their good coordination during the joint operation.
Prime Minister: 20 human rights violations against Apprehension Operation reported during the 'State of Siege' - Diario Nacional
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has confirmed that from 23 February until 23 March, 20 cases of human rights violations were filed against the Apprehension Operation forces during the implementation of the State of Siege. Gusmao made the statement to MPs during a presentation at the National Parliament on Tuesday (15/04). Of these cases, 11 were reported by the UN and nine others from the community. Gusmao added that there is a need identify the individuals who have committed these violations. Their names should be identified, as well as when and where the incident took place, in order to assist with investigations.
Paixao: People in Liquica hand over weapons to the Joint Operation Command - Diario Nacional
The Commander of the F-FDTL/PNTL Joint Operation, Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao said that people in Liquica voluntarily handed over three grenades, 11 traditional weapons (rakitan), and 429 pieces of ammunition to the Joint Operation Command in Liquica district. Paixao has appealed to all the people, including those working with NGOs and agencies who will be visiting the area around the operation, to contact the Joint Operation Command in Dili before departing in order to avoid areas where military operations are taking place. "We will inform our forces in the field to watch out for people who will visit places nearby the Apprehension Operation areas, " said Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao.
Salsinha asks for the Operation to stop - Lasama: criminals lose the right to instruct the State - Televisao Timor-Leste
Salsinha is asking the State to stop the Apprehension Operation which has been hunting for him and his men, and to allow all of the petitioners to rejoin the military. Interim President Fernando Lasama, however, said that a criminal is not entitled to give instructions to the State. "A criminal has no right expect the State to follow their requests. The Operation will continue to pursue Salsinha to bring him to justice," said Acting President Lasama on Wednesday (16/4) at Palacio das Cinzas in Caicoli, Dili.
Fretilin: Prosecutor-General should report to NP - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
Fretilin asks the Prosecutor-Generaal to appear before the National Parliament to give a report on the process of facilitating and negotiation with rebels conducted by the Public Ministry.
"The National Parliament as the representative of people asks the Prosecutor-General to provide accurate information about the process of negotiation between the Prosecutor General and the rebels over the past two years in order to avoid negative perceptions among the Timorese communities," said Fretilin MP Francisco Miranda Branco on Wednesday (16/4) in the National Parliament, Dili. Mr. Branco also said the clarification of his actions already presented by the Prosecutor-General was not complete.
Separately, Democratic Party MP Vital dos Santos said that the Prosecutor-General is not able to provide detailed information to the MPs because of a judicial requirement for confidentiality. Meanwhile, CNRT MP Eduardo Barreto said the Prosecutor-General has already clarified his competence, and all information will be presented to the court.
Indonesian Supreme Court: has no power to judge 1999 actors - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The National Alliance for the International Tribunal (ANTI) said the Supreme Court of Indonesia has no authority to judge the actors involved in political genocide of 1999 in Timor-Leste. Based on the investigation from the high level commission the human rights, the cases that took place in Timor-Leste are human rights violations. The perpetrators should be judged by a court operating on international standards as recommended by the Indonesian human rights report.
A report prepared by United Nations experts said that the Indonesian Ad-Hoc Tribunal is not of an international standard. The experts gave Indonesia six months to correct its procedures, followed by a trial in an international tribunal. "We ask the UN to not its hands of the serious crimes that took place in Timor- Leste. Security Council resolution 1272 guarantees that there will be no impunity for the crimes against humanity in Timor- Leste," said ANTI's press release.
Horta returns: PM Xanana allows public servants to welcome him - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
PM Xanana Gusmao has given permission to all the public servants to welcome the President who has been recovering from medical surgery for the past two and a half months. Public servants have been granted time off to attend the President's arrival from 8:00 to 10:30 AM. They are expected to return to their offices to continue their work as usual. Minister of State Arcanjo Leite appealed all Timorese, especially in Dili, to come out to welcome President Horta on his return. "We would like to appeal all the community to show their solidarity with the President on his return," said Minister Leite.
Aravalo: investigation into February 11 incidents not formalized yet - Diario Nacional
Deputy Police Commissioner of UNPol Juan Carlos ArA)valo said that an International Commission of Inquiry (ICI) proposed by many people to investigate the incidents of 11 February has not yet been officially requested. "We are aware of various requests from Timorese people to establish an ICI for the February 11 incidents. However, the request has not been formalized," he said.
PM Xanana: some sovereignty organs utilize media - Diario Nacional
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said that some sovereignty organs are recently utilizing media to make comments that are critical of the way that the Joint Operation is working and of the Government itself. In his presentation of the State of Siege report to the National Parliament, PM Xanana said that the negative comments of certain MPs might jeopardize the activities of the Joint Operation Command.
According to PM Xanana, the objective of the Joint Operation Command is to intimidate and lower the morale of the enemy, isolate the rebels from logistic assistance, chase and gather the rebels and the petitioners who want to submit themselves to justice, and prevent the rebels from spreading out the areas where they are hiding.
PDHJ: Government should assist Salsinha's family - Diario Nacional
The Provedor of the Human Rights and Justice (PDHJ), after monitoring in Ermera District, is recommending that the Ministry of Social and Solidarity give assistance to Salsinha's family. The PDHJ monitoring team recommended to the National Parliament that "the Ministry of Social and Solidarity provide social assistance to Ms. Joaquina [Salsinha's wife] and her 4 children who are now under psychological pressure."
Most people happy to welcome the President - Timor Post
Most people were happy to welcome the return of President Ramos- Horta to his homeland and see it as a victory for the people of Timor- Leste. Most people thank God that their President has survived his wounds after he was attacked by the rebels on February 11 at his residence.
Abril Soares de Jesus, a student, said he was very happy to welcome the President's return to Timor Leste. "He has just recovered, and we have been expecting him to come to solve our problems," said de Jesus. Another young person, Eugenio, said that he was also very happy to welcome President Ramos-Horta. "I am very happy to welcome the President because he has recovered and returns to Timor-Leste. Many thanks to God as He has helped the President," Eugenio said.
Generally, most Timorese people are happy to welcome the President, as they believe that only the President will be able to solve the problems facing the Timorese people.
Rebels leader Gastao Salsinha sends a letter to the State - Timor Post
Salsinha sent a letter to the State on Friday (11/04). In the letter Salsinha stated that he wanted to collaborate with justice and demanded the State to stop its military operation, 'State of Siege' and 'State of Emergency' as well as permit all of the petitioners to rejoin the East-Timor Defense Forces or F-FDTL. The letter was directed to all organs of sovereignty and the American Ambassador.
In another development, Acting President Fernando de Araujo Lasama said Salsinha's demand was not relevant because he only wanted to make demands of the State but not want to obey the State's orders. "I think Salsinha's demand is not relevant because if Salsinha himself would act responsibly, as a spokesperson of the Petitioners he would come down to Dili where the all petitioners are now concentrated now in order to solve their problems," said the Acting President Fernando de Araujo Lasama. Furthermore, Acting President Fernando de Araujo Lasama added that Salsinha and his men should surrender first then the State will stop the military operation following by the 'State of Siege' and 'State of Emergency'.
300 hundred families of IDPs registered to return home - Timor Post
Minister of Solidarity Social, Maria Domingas Alves said that since March approximately 300 families have registered to return home. "This week or next week, IDPs families from the National Hospital and SeminA!rio Minor camps will return to their homes," she said.
Meanwhile, Minister Alves said that food assistance to the IDP families has been reduced because WFP is no longer providing food to the Ministry. "We all know rice prices around the world are now more expensive, and we no longer have a donor providing rice to WFP," she explained.
Police and military parade to welcome PR Horta - Radio Timor-Leste
A military parade, held under tight internal security, will be held to welcome PR Jose Ramos-Horta on his return on Thursday (17/4). Deputy Commander of Apprehension Operation, Mateus Fernandes said that the police and military have identified critical areas of conflict in order to anticipate disturbances in the future. "He is as the Supreme Commander for both institutions of PNTL and F-FDTL and as the president of the country. We will welcome him with a military parade and accompany him along the route or to his residence," said Commander Fernandes.
PR Horta: no amnesty for Salsinha - Televisao Tiimor-Leste
PR Jose Ramos-Horta said the State will not give amnesty to Salsinha and others who have been carrying weapons since 2006 as they did not follow the State's orders. PR Horta said that Salsinha should submit himself to justice and not to wait for him to return to Timor-Leste, as people of the country need calm to develop the country. "I am ready to welcome him, he should submit himself to the Joint Operation Command, F-FDTL, PNTL, or the two Bishops," said PR Horta said during a friendship party with the Timorese community in Darwin last Sunday. "He should go to Dili to face justice in court for his actions on February 11." (13/4).
Alfredo made many telephone calls before his death - Timor Post
Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro said that before Alfredo Reinado was shot to death, he had numerous conversations with many people in Timor-Leste and made 47 calls to Australia. "The numbers show calls to and from Alfredo's mobile," said PGR Monteiro in his report to the National Parliament on Monday (14/4) in Dili. Mr. Monteiro has asked for the identities of those people who called Alfredo, and will ask Australia to give assistance in investigating the case. "I have still not informed the country's leaders who was behind the attacks. We will consider everyone as individuals regardless of their position," added PGR Monteiro.
'Ninja' kidnapping children, people traumatized - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
People in Timor-Leste fear that 'Ninja' or 'masked men' are abducting their children to be used for human sacrifice. According to reports, during Indonesian rule owners of bridges or road works across the country paid 'Ninja' to abduct children for sacrifice in order to bring good luck or prosperity to the project. Last week, one local newspaper said that two children were abducted in Liquica and the parents allege that 'Ninja' have abducted them. There was another report in a newspaper today that villagers in Taibisse (Dili) captured a 'Ninja' who was trying to abduct one child in their village. The residents saw 'Ninja' using money to try to kidnap the youngster. The 'Ninja' was captured and taken to the Police. The case is under the investigation. Interim President Fernando de Araujo Lasama has appealed to all people to remain calm and not believe rumours.
Mateus: armed civilians hand over traditional weapons - Suara Timor Lorosa'e
The Vice Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Mateus Fernandes has confirmed that four armed civilians in Ermera district have voluntarily handed over their traditional weapons and ammunition to the PNTL in Lete-Foho station on Friday (11/4). The civilians were taken to Dili for questioning in order to uncover their involvement with the rebels. On behalf of the Apprehension Operation, Mr. Fernandes repeatedly appealed to the rebels led by Gastao Salsinha to surrender.
PG: call numbers listed with Alfredo-Salsinha - Suara Timor Loorosa'e
Prosecutor-General (PG) Longuinhos Monteiro has uncovered 127 registered phone numbers connected directly to phones held by rebels associated with Alfredo and Salsinha before and after the assassination attempts on February 11. From 8-13 February, Alfredo and Salsinha had contacts with 47 people from Australia, 31 people from Indonesia and others from Timor-Leste. However, the identities of the owners of the phones remain unknown as the devices are switched off and SIMM cards are often sold without proper registration.
Remedios demands UNMIT discipline two UNPOL officers - Timor Post
PR Ramos-Horta's Principal Advisor, Dr. Paulo do Remedios, has demanded that UNMIT discipline two UNPOL officers who refused to provide an immediate respond on 11 February to the attack at the resident of PR Ramos-Horta. Dr. Remedios said that at 6:55 am he received a telephone call from President Ramos-Horta who said he was in trouble. Dr. Remedios immediately asked for help from two UNPOL officers who were front of his house nearby their vehicles. Dr. Remedios said the two UNPOL officers refused to offer assistance as requested.
Dr. Remedios said he then proceeded to the President's s residence at 7:15 and discovered that the President was wounded. Dr. Remedios said he tried to use his private car to take the President to the hospital when suddenly one ambulance arrived at the scene. The ambulance then transported the President to the ISF Medical Centre at the Heliport. He said only the Portuguese FPU were present at the President's residence and no one from ISF or UNPOL.
Dr. Remedios demanded that UNMIT discipline the two UNPOL officers who "only know how to receive plenty of money but did not want to maintain order." He called on UNMIT to use "international law" against those UNPOL members who had "completely failed" to provide immediate assistance to the President. "UNMIT should take action against those UNPOL members by terminating their contracts or through disciplinary measures." He also called on UNMIT to clearly explain why those officers had refused to act. "I will continue to demand both disciplinary and criminal inquiries into this matter", he said, adding that he was able to recommend the matter to the Office of the Prosecutor- General without authorization from the President.
MPs unhappy with SMS invitation to workshop - Timor Post
CNRT MP Gertrudes Moniz has said that some of the members of Government are not happy with the way they were invited to a workshop held in Obrigado Barracks by UNMIT and the Government of Timor-Leste on the separation of power in Government as the invitation was extended through short message services (SMS). MP Moniz raised the issue in the National Parliament, saying an SMS was not the proper method of inviting Government officials.
In the same occasion, Fernanda Lay said that when a commission is going to call a minister, it should be sent through the national parliament by letter and then forwarded to the Prime Minister. "As an MP, I would not invite officials through SMS. Even though they are our friends, we should show respect to their office," said Ms. Fernanda, a CNRT MP.
Hugo: TL has to continue control imported goods - Timor Post
MP CNRT, Hugo da Costa said that Timor-Leste's Government should take control the importation of goods such as food into the country because prices remain very high. "I insist the Government help control the food prices in the country, otherwise this country will be threatened by food shortage," he said.
PM Xanana opens workshop on promoting a culture of democracy - Televisao Timor-Leste
Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao opened a workshop on promoting a culture of democratic governance on Friday (11/4) at the Headquarters of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor- Leste (UNMIT) in Obrigado Barracks-Caicoli, Dili.
In his speech, PM Xanana explained that the workshop was a first important step in the dialogue to understand the critical areas which could be working together to strengthen democratic governance in Timor-Leste.
"The dialogue is held between the representatives of the State and civil societies, between State institutions, NGOs, political parties, social communication organs, private sector UN agencies and other development institutions. They are the first and last beneficiaries of the results of the workshop. We need to do something to promote the culture of democratic governance," PM Xanana said.
The central issues addressed at the workshop included ensuring a separation of power between the different branches of government; developing an independent judiciary; and incorporating respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms into the formation and growth of state institutions.
The workshop commenced with a plenary discussion led by the Prime Minister and followed by Interim President Fernando do Araujo, President of the Court of Appeal Claudio Ximenes and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Timor-Leste, Atul Khare. The workshop, hosted by the Government of Timor-Leste and the United Nations, involved more than 200 participants. (TVTL)
President Horta to return on Thursday - Radio Timor-Leeste
President Jose Ramos-Horta will return home to Dili and resume his presidential duties on Thursday, two months after having medical treatment in Darwin, Australia. Ramos-Horta was shot in the attempt assassination on February 11th in his residence in Metiaut, Dili. President Horta will address the nation on his return on Thursday 17 April at the airport in Comoro, Dili. (RTL)
Government to buy warships - Suara Timor Lorosae
The State Secretary for Defence, Julio Thomas Pinto, said the Government has decided to buy warships for the F-FDTL Navy to control illegal fishing activities in the coastal area of Timor- Leste.
"The Government through the department of Defence has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Chinese company, Poly Technology, to start ship construction for F-FDTL," said Mr. Pinto after signing the MOU on Saturday (12/4) in the Government Palace, Dili. Mr. Pinto also said that the construction will be started next month and will finish in the following year. "Once the MOU is implemented, 30 F-FDTL members will receive training from Chinese shipping companies in China," added Mr. Pinto. (STL)
Lasama: Ramos-Horta as a mother hen - Suara Timor Lorosae
In responding to the public controversy over whether President Josa Ramos-Horta will resign, Acting President Fernando Lasama de Araujo said that Mr. Ramos-Horta will not quit his position as President of the country as people still need him to lead the country. "Horta as a mother hen will not leave her chicks," said Acting PR Lasama at the opening ceremony of a joint workshop on Friday (11/4) at UNMIT's Headquarters in Obrigado Barracks- Caicoli, Dili. Acting PR Lasama also said that for his part in the National Parliament as a representative of the people, he would continue to support Mr. Ramos-Horta in leading the country. (STL)
Klemm: The 'State of Siege and State of Emergency' are the right ways to solve the problems – Diario Nacional
The American Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Hans Klemm, said that the Government of Timor-Leste has shown a great patience during the implementation of the 'State of Siege' and 'State of Emergency'. "I hope that through the 'State of Siege' and 'State of Emergency', Salsinha and his men will surrender themselves peacefully to justice so that their problems will be sorted out as quickly as possible," Ambassador Klemm said.
Government will buy two Warships for the F-FDTL - Diario Nacional
The Timor-Leste government has signed an agreement with the Chinese's Poly Technique Company to produce two warships for East Timor's Defense Force (F-FDTL). The Government recently allocated $28 million to buy the two ships. The warships will be used to control the marine resources.
Minister Zacarias: security for President Ramos-Horta is very important - Diario Nacional
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zacarias Albano da Costa, said that the good security for President Ramos-Horta in order to avoid a repetition of the attacks on 11 February. The President will arrive in Dili on 17 April and there is an appeal to all the people to welcome him at the Airport on that day. (DN)
Deadline for Rogerio Lobato to resume his sentence - Timor Post
In Dili Court Judge Ivo Rosa has set a 10 day as deadline for former Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato to resume his sentence. "I would like to ask the Timorese Ambassador in Malaysia to determine whether he has recovered sufficiently to resume his sentence in Timor-Leste", Judge Rosa said.
Difficult terrain is main challenge facing the Apprehension Operation forces in the hunt for rebels - Timor Post
Difficult terrain in Timor-Leste is the main challenge facing the Apprehension Operation forces as they hunt down Salsinha and his men. Road conditions are making it difficult for the Apprehension Operation forces to continue their search for the rebels. (TP)
Alkatiri presents three lawsuits to the Prosecutor-General - Timor Post
Former Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, has presented three lawsuits to the Prosecutor General for processing. The legal actions stem from public accusations that he was involved in providing financial support to Alfredo Reinado to attack President Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on 11 February 11. "I am here in court today to file these lawsuits against the people who defamed and accused me because I am out of patience now", said Alkatiri. (TP)
TVTL News Coverage
Prime Minister inspects President's residence: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has inspected the residence of PR Ramos-Horta in Metiaut, Dili. During the inspection, the Prime Minister was accompanied by Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak and other Government officers. They were welcomed by the Horta's brother, Arsenio Horta, on Tuesday (8/4). The inspection was intended to uncover the chronology of events on February 11.
RTL News Coverage
Horta gives total support to investigators: The Prosecutor- General Longuinhos Monteiro has said that President Jose Ramos- Horta is totally supporting the investigations into the events of February 11. Mr. Monteiro said that he had informed the President on the progress of the investigation, including on the evidence gathered to date. He said that the briefing satisfied the President.
Lasama - State to use force against Salsinha: Acting President Fernando Lasama de Araujo said that that the state will use military force to resolve the problem of Salsinha. The Acting President said that the use of force will ensure that Salsinha and his men surrender immediately. He also said that the State would bear the responsibility for any criticisms towards the Joint Operation Command.
Print Coverage
Fretilin asks AMP to be humble: Fretilin MP Estanislau Aleixo da Silva has said that the Government should humble itself by seeking contributions from all Timorese people to solve the problems of the country. "As we have seen, the problems of the IDPs and the petitioners have become national issues. But the government has not thought to ask the people how they think the problems can be solved," said Mr. da Silva on Wednesday (09/04) in National Parliament. (DN)
Alkatiri-Carrascalao - people still need Horta to lead TL: The Secretary General of Fretilin Party, Mari Alkatiri, and the President of Social Democratic Party, Mario Carrascalao, have said that their political parties do not want the President Jose Ramos Horta to resign from his role as President as the people of Timor-Leste still need him. "Fretilin does not want the president resign from his role, however he should know his condition, how?" said Mr. Alkatiri. Mr. Alkatiri also added that he did not personally believe that the President would resign. (DN)
Ramos-Horta asks PGR to further investigate February 11: During the visit of Prosecutor General Longuinhos Monteiro to the President on Monday (7/4/00) in Darwin, Australia, President Jose Ramos-Horta called on the Public Ministry to further investigate the events of February 11. "The explanation and information that I presented to the President was based on the facts uncovered from the investigation. The President was delighted and supports us in continuing to investigate the case further." said Mr. Longuinhos. (TP)
US - State of Timor-Leste has been very patient: The US Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Hans Klemm, has observed that since the events of February 11, the State of Timor-Leste has shown great patience towards the rebel group led by the fugitive Gastao Salsinha. "I think the Government of Timor-Leste has showed great patience since assassination attempt of February 11," said Mr. Klemm when he visited the Timor Post office on Wednesday (09/04) in Mandarin, Dili. (TP)
Arsenio denies involvement with Alredo: Respondign to rumours, Fretilin MP Arsenio Bano has denied that he had any contact or relations with Alfredo Reinado Alves. Mr Bano called on the Prosecutor General to resign from his role as he had made contact with Alfredo Reinado and his men. (STL)
TVTL News Coverage
Guterres appeals to Salsinha to cooperate: The Acting President of the National Parliament, Vicente Guterres, has appealed for Salsinha and his group to cooperate with the Joint Operation and to avoid confrontation. "As the representative of the people, I am appealing to Salsinha to collaborate with the state. It is better for him to submit himself to solve the problem," said Acting PR of the National Parliament.
RTL News Coverage
Ramos-Horta vows to serve people on his return: Through a direct interview with TVTL on Tuesday (8/4), President Ramos-Horta vowed that he would continue to serve the people upon his return from Darwin, Australia. The President said that he has recovered and is planning to return to Timor-Leste in a short time to continue as the nation's President. PR Ramos-Horta also said that he would consult with Bishops and other Timorese people before making a decision to resign.
Print Coverage
Ramos-Horta can't promise he can lead for next 5 years: President Jose Ramos-Horta said that he is not promising he can continue as the Chief of the State for the next five years. "I will inform the National Parliament when I get back. I will not promise to lead for the full term," said the President. "I should be sensitive to what the Bishops and East Timorese people say," said PR Ramos-Horta to The Australian on Monday (7/4) in Darwin, Australia. (TP)
Joint Operation asks people not to believe rumours: The Commander of F-FDTL/PNTL Joint Operation, Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao, has asked community members in the district of Ermera to not believe the rumour that Susar has died in prison. "In Ermera, some people are spreading the rumours that Susar has died in prison. We have asked the media [TVTL] to film Susar in prison," said Commander Paixao on Tuesday (8/4) in Memorial Hall, Dili. "Susar is in good health and is maintaining contact with the Joint Operation and the Public Ministry." Commander Paixao also confirmed that the Joint Operation is going to enter the third phase (muscular operation). The Australian Forces will assist with helicopters to support logistics and the evacuation of soldiers during the operation. (TP) Paixao confirms launch of Joint Operation: During a press briefing held on Tuesday (8/4) in the Memorial Hall-Dili, Commander of the Joint Operation Lieutenant Colonel Filomeno Paixao said that following the decision made by the Joint Operation, the serious military operation against Salsinha and his men would start today (Wednesday 9/4). He also confirmed that the rebel's stronghold has been identified. (DN)
Fretilin agrees that Salsinha should surrender when Horta returns: Fretilin MP Antoninho Bianco agrees that Salsinha and his group should surrender before the return of President Ramos- Horta. "Salsinha's suggestion that he will only surrender to PR Ramos-Horta is acceptable as it requires only a short time for the recovery of the President. Everything will go peacefully," said Mr. Bianco on Tuesday (8/4) in the National Parliament. Mr. Bianco said that Fretilin's intention is not to hold back the operation, but only to voice an opinion as to the best way to avoid bloodshed in this country. (DN)
Alkatiri - IICI stall shows no respect for NP decision: Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has said that the Government is not respecting the decision of the National Parliament by stalling the establishment of an International Independent Commission for Inquiry (IICI). "The Government has made the mistake and seems to give no respect to the decision of the National Parliament. It shows clearly that a dictatorship is starting to enter the nation. I have called and told some of them [MPs] that it is a mistake, and it is against the law," said Mr. Alkatiri.
Separately, Vice Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres said that the establishment of an IICI is still under discussion and requires consultation with the judicial organs in Timor-Leste. "The Council of Ministers decide to consult with the judicial sector to establish an IICI," said Mr. Guterres. (DN)
Paixao - Four of Salsinha's men surrender: The Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Filomeno Paixao, has confirmed the surrender of four of Salsinha's men to the Apprehension Operation forces on Tuesday (8/4). Three of the men were former members of the F-FDTL, and one was a former member of the BPU, (Border Patrol Unit). They also surrendered one AK33 rifle. (STL)
PM inspects President's residence: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has inspected Ramos-Horta's residence in Metiaut. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak and other officials from the Government. They were welcomed by the Horta's brother, Arsenio Horta, on Tuesday (8/4) at the President's house. The inspection aimed to uncover the chronology of events on February 11. Mr Horta showed them where Alfredo's body had laid and the place where the President was shot. (STL)
Treason to hide or feed Salsinha: The Commander of the Military Police, Abel Ximenes, has declared it an act of treason to feed or hide Salsinha or any of his men. He added that the Apprehension Operation will treat the people who support Salsinha through the provision of food and supplies (including phone cards) as criminals. (STL)
TVTL News Coverage
Alkatiri - Do not kill Salsinha or anybody else: Fretilin's Secretary-General Mari Alkatiri has asked the Apprehension Operation to not kill Gestao Salsinha or his men and to not take advantage of the State of Siege to kill anybody else. (TVTL)
US Secretary of State meets Vice PM: The US Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Christopher R. Hill, met with Vice Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres. Both of them discussed unresolved issues such as security and IDPs in Timor-Leste. "During the meeting, we discussed the situation in the country and how the Government will be able to resolve the problems in the country. It all depends on the Government," said Mr Hill. (TVTL)
Print Coverage
Joint Operation threatens to shoot MP: The Joint Operation Command force assigned in Bobonaro district, sub district Atabae, threatened to shoot an MP along with some judges on the way back to Dili at around 8pm yesterday evening. "Though we still had time to return to Dili, the forces did not allow us to continue our trip," said MP Fernando Gusmao. (STL)
The group had been stopped by the Joint Operation after having attended a funeral ceremony in Bobonaro. They were on their way back to Dili when the Joint Operation Command forces stopped them and prevented them from continuing their trip as it was already 8 pm. The Joint Operation Command force threatened to shoot them if they continued their journey. (STL)
Joint Operation will collect all illegal guns: The Joint Operation Command up till now has collected 8 guns from the rebels. The Joint Operation forces will not tolerate any group who wants to destroy the nation. (STL)
Don't discriminate against veterans: An MP has asked the government to not discriminate against veterans, particularly those who have served under five years. "This is discrimination, because they have also sacrificed their whole lives," said Mr. Adriano Nascimento from PD. (STL)
Horta grateful to soldier who shot Alfredo: President Jose Ramos Horta has said that he really appreciated the actions of the F- FDTL soldier who killed Alfredo Reinado Alves at his house on 11 February 2008. "The soldier who shot Alfredo was doing his duty," said Mr. Horta. (TP)
Petitioners wait for a just decision: Petitioners in Aitarak Laran are waiting for a just decision from the Government. "The Government has the competency to resolve the petitioners' problems. The Government must make a balanced decision that will be accepted and satisfy all," said the Coordinator of the petitioners, Mr. Tara. (TP)
Lasama - No Pardon for Salsinha: State tolerance towards the rebel group led by Gastao Salsinha has ended. The Government announced that from this Wednesday, there would be no chances to pardon them. Acting President Lasama said that the rebels would be ambushed and arrested. "We have decided. The State tolerated him [Salsinha] for almost two months. Nevertheless, the Operation's orders are to capture Salsinha alive – the state does not want him dead," said Mr. Lasama. (TP and DN)
IDPs at National Hospital should be moved by next week: The Minister of Social Solidarity, Maria Domingas Fernandes Alves, said that the IDPs who are currently living in the National Hospital compound should be moved as the rehabilitation of the transitional houses in Becora has finished. The Minister said that for health and security reasons, the IDPs have to move. She also said that the IDPs were impeding the rehabilitation of the National Hospital. (DN)
Police have set up 12 posts in Dili: The Commander of the Intervention Rapid Unit, Armando Monteiro, confirmed that the police have set up 12 posts in Dili to ensure the IDPs return home. "Up till now, the Intervention Rapid Unit is playing a role to ensure the implementation of the State of Siege and also to ensure the IDPs return home," said Mr Monteiro. (DN)
TVTL News Coverage
Fretilin demands police be punished for biting a civilian: MP Fretilin, Antonino Bianco, has demanded the State Secretary for Security to punish police officers for biting a man in Balide. The man had presented himself to the National Parliament with swelling and bruising on his face and eyes. The victim also asked the Apprehension Operation Command to take responsibility for his medical treatment.
RTL News Coverage
Jardim IDP camp floods over weekend: In light of yet another flooding at the Jardim IDP camp, IDPs have demanded that the Government solve their problems so that they can return home. The camp was flooded due to heavy rains starting last Friday. One IDP was crying and insisting the Government solve her problems so that she could return home as soon as possible.
Print Coverage
Two of Salsinha's men surrender: The Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Filomeno Paixao, has confirmed the surrender of two of Salsinha's men to the Apprehension Operation forces on Sunday (6/4). This was achieved through negotiations with the Prosecutor-General on Saturday (5/4).
The former member of the Military Police, Filomeno Soares Menezes, surrendered himself with one pistol in Korluli, Maliana and the former member of the F-FDTL, Vitor de Deus, surrendered himself with no weapons in Goulolo, Ermera. The Vice Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Mateus Fernandes, said that: "Both of them were treated well by the Apprehension Operation," said Mr Fernandes. (DN & STL)
Apprehension Operation kill a man in Bobonaro: The Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Filomeno Paixao, confirmed that a member of the Apprehension Operation shot dead a man on Saturday (5/6) in the sub-district Atabae, Bobonaro. The man was shot in the stomach after he chased after an officer and cut off his whistle belt with a machete. The man's body has been taken to the National Hospital for an autopsy. The investigation is still underway. Locals from Atabae claimed that the victim was slightly mad. (DN/STL)
Ramos-Horta congratulates Kofi Annan: President Jose Ramos-Horta said yesterday that he had received a phone call from the former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan. Mr Annan had inquired about the President's health amongst other things. During their conversation, the President also congratulated Kofi Annan. "I congratulate Kofi Annan on his successful efforts at mediating the ethnic conflict in Kenya," said the President. (TP)
Bishop says Apprehension Operation should avoid bloodshed: The Bishop of Baucau, Basilio do Nascimento, has said that bloodshed should be avoided as the Apprehension Operation moves to implement the Government's four steps. These four steps are to secure the surrender of Salsinha and his men. The first step has been to criminalise any acts of support provided to the rebels. The second step is for the Apprehension Operation forces to carry out simultaneous operations in the bushes and in private homes. The third step is for the Operation to minimize people's movements in farms or coffee plantations, and lastly, the fourth step will be a use of force by the Operation.
"I hope that the decisions made by the State will be right and not result in any more bloodshed in the country. Too many people have already suffered and died for the independence of this nation. It is now time for them to maintain calm and peace," said the Bishop. (DN)
US Secretary of State visits Timor-Leste: The US Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, Mr. Christopher R. Hill, is in Timor-Leste for a two-day visit. His first day was spent on an official tour visiting the Don Bosco training centre and the IDP camp located at Don Bosco Comoro compound. "I believe the Timor- Leste Government will overcome all problems," said Mr. Hill. (STL)
Joint Operation should not engage in propaganda: The Member of Parliament from PUN, Ms. Fernanda Borge, had said that the Joint Operation should follow their mandate and not engage in any propaganda activity about the extension of the State of Siege. (STL)
People should be careful not to impede the return of IDPs: The Dili District PNTL Commander, Pedro Belo, said that people should be careful to not impede any IDP from returning home. He said this during a dialogue with a community in the Dili Sub-ditrict of Cristo Rei. The Police Commander said that the police are now very keen to facilitate the dialogue with communities aimed at addressing the return of IDPs. As such, he has appealed to all people to not interfere in the process of IDP repatriation. (DN)
43 weapons still missing: The Commander of the Intervention Rapid Unit, Armando Monteiro, has confirmed that 43 weapons are still missing. Based on information he received from the police, the 43 weapons include 22 pistols, 20 AK33 rifles and one 12-calibre pistol. "We don't have any information about where these guns are. We insist that the people who have these weapons should return them to the Joint Operation Command either through the local authorities, youth representatives or their Aldeia or Suco chiefs," said Mr Monteiro. (DN)
Paixao: Salsinha and his men must surrender on April 9: The Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Filomeno Paixao, has set the deadline for the surrender of Salsinha and his men as April 9. "We are now giving a chance to Gastao Salsinha and his men to surrender peacefully on April 9 2008. If they don't, the Apprehension Operation will intensify their home searches and begin to arrest people suspected of supporting Salsinha and his men. The Apprehension Operation will react if Salsinha and his men take any action against them" said the Commander on Sunday (6/4) in Memorial Hall, Dili. (DN)
TMR thanks ISF for bringing peace and stability to Timor-Leste: Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak has thanked ISF soldiers for bringing peace and stability to Timor-Leste during an awards ceremony for the Australian troops. The Brigadier-General presented ISF officers with the Australian Service Medal during the parade on Friday (04/03) evening. For many of the ISF officers, the presentation by the Brigadier-General marked the end of their six-month deployment to Timor-Leste (TP)
Victims in Liquica demand justice: The victims of the massacre which had taken place at the resident of Liquica Priest on 5 April, 1999 have demanded that the Government and the UN take action to help them achieve justice and reparations for what they suffered. (TP)
Fretilin accuses Government of hiding evidence: The Fretilin MP, Arsenio Bano, has accused the Government of trying to hide evidence related to the February 11 attacks. It is for this reason that Fretilin continues to demand that the Government create a Commission of Inquiry into the February 11 events. (TP)
Print Coverage
Benefides to hand over Alfredo's secret documents: Alfredo's Defence Attorney, Benevides Correia Barros, will soon release Alfredo's secret documents to the State. These documents were provided by Alfredo's lawyer, Angelita Pires, in December 2007. Mr Barros did not clearly explain to the journalists what the documents contained, but he did reveal that there would be information about the February 11 attacks. (TP) Pires had completely removed herself from Alfredo's case in December 2007: "I had completely removed myself as a lawyer for Alfredo in December 2007. This is why I handed over the documents to Benevides Correia Barros who was his lawyer," said Pires. (TP)
Fretilin MP says all documents related to Alfredo should be given to PGR: Fretilin MP Arsenio Bano has said that any documents related to Alfredo's case should be handed to the Prosecutor- General. "If some of the documents have been kept by Alfredo's lawyer, the Prosecutor-General should have them to use as part of the investigation process." said Mr Bano. (TP)
TMR says no response from ISF on 11 February: Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak has said that on February 11, the F-FDTL had asked for security assistance from the ISF but received no response. Because of this, the F-FDTL had to send its patrol boat to the Aria Branka beach near Ramos-Horta's residence. TMR made these comments at a meeting with Timorese Ambassadors on Wednesday (03/04) at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
"There were no helicopters, no vehicles or movement from the ISF in response to the February 11 attacks, same as what they usually do for the IDPs," said the TMR. TMR did acknowledge that it was only the Portuguese Formed Police Units that gave timely assistance to the President. "At that time, we could not do much because the ISF had done nothing- there was no movement from the ISF. Only the Portuguese FPU were mobilised," he said. (TP)
Hens Klemm asks Salsinha to surrender: American Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Hens Klemm, said that Salsinha and his men have to surrender in order to appear as witnesses for the February 11 attacks. (STL)
Government classifies Petitioners: During this month, the Government has classified petitioners into groups of those who want to rejoin the military and those who want to return to civilian life. (STL)
Government forbids people to be armed: The Council of Ministers have approved a proposal set forth by the Government to forbid civilians from using any type of weaponry including guns, machetes, swords, arrows and sling shots. This has been approved under the proposed law created on Thursday (4/04) at the National parliament.
People ask the Government to prolong 'State of Siege': During a dialogue carried out by the Apprehension Operation, people have asked that the State of Siege be prolonged in order to ensure the stability in the country. Military Police Commander asks people to remain calm: The Military Police Commander, Abel da Costa, asked the people of Timor-Leste to remain calm and not to create problems if they don't want to be imprisoned. "Whoever creates problems will be taken to the free hotel [prison] in Becora. Therefore I beseech people not to create problems," said Mr da Costa. (STL)
TVTL News Coverage
Apprehension Operation to use force to capture Salsinha: The Vice Commander of the Apprehension Operation, Mateus Fernandes, said that were going use force to capture Salsinha and his men and that they would stop the leniency they had shown so far towards the rebels. The Vice Commander warned that serious action would be taken by the end of the week.
Court postpones trial for suspects in Fatu Ahi case: Judge Ivo confirmed that the Dili District Court has postponed judicial proceedings against the suspects accused of being involved in the fighting led by the late Major Alfredo Reinado Alves against the F-FDTL in Fatu-Ahi on 23 May, 2006. "The judicial proceedings against the suspects were postponed because three of the other suspects did not appear," said Judge Ivo.
RTL News Coverage
PNTL and F-FDTL won't tolerate criminals: The Dili District's PNTL Commander, Pedro Belo, said that Apprehension Operation commanders have no tolerance for any criminals who threaten or retaliate against any IDP who wants to return home. Mr Belo made this statement during a dialogue with community members in the village of Vila Verde, Dili. "The commanders of the Apprehension Operation will use their tactics to capture and seize weapons from people who engage in crimes," said Mr Belo.
Print Coverage
CNRT MP demands explanation from the Prosecutor-General: CNRT MP, Moises Romeo, has demanded an explanation from the Prosecutor- General regarding the results of the current investigation into February 11. The MP has called on him to present this explanation to the National Parliament. "I did not demand that he send a report to us, but I did demand that he present himself to the National Parliament with an explanation of the criminal investigation carried out by the Australian Federal Police, FBI and himself," said Mr Romeo. (STL)
Petitioners lack discipline: 'Piloto' Sejar Valente de Jesus, coordinator of the petitioners gathered in Aitarak Laran, has complained about the lack of discipline shown by some petitioners. "Five of the petitioners have decided to return home, saying that they don't want to stay with the other petitioners in Aitarak Laran because of what the government had decided," said Piloto. (STL)
Zero tolerance for medical officers who sexually violate patients: The Minister of Health, Rui Martins, has said that he will fire any of his staff who commit sexual violations. "The Health Ministry will not tolerate medical officers who sexually violates any patient," said the Minister after the issue was raised by Fretilin MP Ososrio Soares at the National Parliament on Wednesday (31/3). (STL) Fretilin opposes PM's 'fragile, not failed state' statement: Fretilin MP Joaquim dos Santos has come out against the Prime Minter's statement that defined Timor-Leste in terms of a 'failed' or 'fragile' state. "According to me, Timor-Leste is a normal State. Not a failed or fragile State. Be weary of people who are trying to reduce Timor-Leste to the level of a failed State," said Mr dos Santos on Tuesday (1/4) at the National Parliament. (STL)
No law forbids PGR from negotiating surrender with rebels: Judge Ivor Roza Baptista has said that there is no law forbidding the Prosecutor-General from negotiating a surrender with the rebels. She said this in response to recent remarks condemning the Prosecutor-General's initiative to maintain contact with the rebels. (TP)
NRC hands over 137 houses to the Government: The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) today officially handed over 137 houses at Mercado Becora to the Government of Timor-Leste. These houses were built with the cooperation of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the NGO, Triangle GH. These transitional houses are for IDPs currently staying at the National Hospital. (TP)
PNTL petitioners receive full Government attention: The State's Secretary for Security, Francisco Guterres, said that two PNTL members currently gathered together with other petitioners in Aitarak Laran have already received the Government's full attention to solve their problems. "They had been given a choice by the Government, whether they want to rejoin the PNTL or become civilians," said Guterres. (TP)
PTT MP asks Government to suspend martial art's activities: PTT MP Jacob Xavier has asked the Government to temporarily suspend the activities of martial arts groups claiming that they cause too many problems. Mr Xavier argued that the activities could re-start once the Government had created regulations for the groups. (DN)
TVTL News Coverage
Portugal will continue to cooperate with TL in security areas: Vice Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres has said that Portugal is always ready to cooperate with Timor-Leste in security areas. "Portugal had always supported Timor-Leste through the provision of GNRs which have helped stabilize the country's security since the crisis of 2006, and they remain here to help train the PNTL officers as part of the security sector reform," said Gutteres after a meeting with the Portuguese State Secretary for Cooperation, Gomes Cravihno, on Tuesday (01/04).
MPs demand explanation from the Prosecutor-General: A majority of MPs have demanded an explanation from the Prosecutor-General regarding the results of the current investigation into February 11. The MPs have called on him to present himself to the National Parliament with this explanation. Meanwhile CNRT MP, Romeo Moises, has said that he supports the criminal investigation carried out by the Australian Federal Police, FBI and Prosecutor-General. However, Mr Moises said that an International Commission for Inquiry would be necessary if the investigation did not produce concrete results.
RTL News Coverage
Acting PR asks all Timorese Ambassadors to act professionally: Acting President Fernando de Araujo 'Lasama' has asked all Timorese Ambassadors to show their professionalism while working as Timorese representatives abroad in the same way that foreign Ambassadors show their professionalism in Timor-Leste. Lasama told the 16 Timorese Ambassadors that it is very important for all ambassadors to help improve Timor-Leste's image.
Print Coverage
It's a crime to hide Salsinha and his men: Acting President Fernando de Araujo said that it is a crime to hide Salsinha and his men. "From now on, whoever hides Salsinha and his men will be considered criminals. Therefore, the State asks citizens to collaborate and convince Salsinha and his men to surrender with their weapons," said the Acting President. Salsinha and his men impede investments: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zacarias da Costa, has said that if Salsinha and his men do not surrender, it will impede foreign investments in Timor-Leste. "If the situation continues like this, nobody will come to invest in Timor-Leste. They [Salsinha et al] must contribute to the development of the nation by surrendering," said the Minister on Tuesday (1/04) at Palacio do Governu in Dili. (DN and STL)
Portugal wants to maintain Portuguese language: The Portuguese Government wants to reinforce teaching of the Portuguese language in Timor-Leste as another sign of their continuing to support to the nation. (STL)
Court begins trial for suspects in Fatu Ahi case: The Dili District Court has begun judicial proceedings against the suspects accused of being involved in the fighting led by the late Major Alfredo Reinado Alves against F-FDTL in Fatu-Ahi on 23.05.06. (STL)
Angelita - I am innocent: Angelita Pires, accused of being involved in the attack against the President, has defended herself against the charge. "I am innocent. I also condemn the violent attacks on our two top leaders," said Ms. Pires. (TP)
Joint Operation dialogue with community: The Joint Operation Commander met with the Matadoru community to explain the objective of the Joint Operation. "The aim of this dialogue is to explain to people the reasons for the Joint Operation," said Pedro Belo, Dili District Police Commander. (TP)
TVTL News Coverage
PM asks all Timorese Ambassadors and Consulates to take note of Timor-Leste's reputation: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has asked all Timorese Ambassadors and Consulates to take note of Timor- Leste's reputation, and to help improve its reputation in order to encourage foreign investments.
The PM believes that Timor-Leste has a terrible image abroad. As such, he has instructed all Timorese Ambassadors and Consulates to spread the work to all foreigners that while Timor-Leste may be a fragile State, it is not a failed State. "We discussed how the Timorese Ambassadors and Consulates can give information to foreigners about the current situation here in Timor-Leste," The PM said to journalists on Monday (31/3) at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
TMR asks Salsinha to surrender: Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak said that the Apprehension Operation has always asked for the surrender of Gestao Salsinha and his men. "This is a very important step to solve the problems affecting the nation. Our continued message to Salsinha and his men is to surrender," said TMR. In response to a question about a deadline being imposed by the Apprehension Operation, TMR said that the Apprehension Operation will continue until the rebels surrender. He also said that any questions about a deadline can only be answered by the Acting President.
RTL News Coverage
Portugal's State Secretary for Cooperation meets Acting PR: Portugal's State Secretary for Cooperation, Gomes Cravihno, held a meeting with Acting President Fernando de Araujo 'Lasama' on Monday (31/3) at the office of the President in Caicoli, Dili. During the meeting, they discussed the current political situation in Timor-Leste, particularly the unresolved issues of Gestao Salsinha and the rebels. "The meeting was a good chance to review the political situation in the country. As a representative of Portugal, I am here to confirm our solidarity and friendship," said Mr Cravinho.
TL fragile, not failed State: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said that Timor-Leste is a fragile State, not a failed State and that the nation is very young and still developing. "Despite the current crisis facing Timor-Leste, efforts to develop the nation are continuing and the Government is working towards maintaining good governance, peaceful cooperation and progress in the nation" said the PM on Monday (31/3) at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Print Coverage
TMR - We ask again for Salsinha to surrender: The Joint Operation Commander General Brigadier Taur Matan Ruak is continuing to ask for the surrender of Gastao Salsinha and the other rebels. "We request Salsinha to surrender. We don't want anyone to die again," said TMR. (STL)
Xanana disagrees with 'Failed State' status: Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has disagreed with the external perception that Timor-Leste is a failed state. "All should understand that Timor-Leste is not a failed state, but a fragile state- a state still changing and improving," said the Prime Minister. (STL)
Portugal always supports Timor-Leste: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zacarias da Costa, has said that the Government and people of Portugal continue to support Timor-Leste. "We discussed many issues in my meeting with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. However, the important thing is Portugal's commitment to support Timor-Leste in the areas of education and justice." said Mr da Costa. (STL)
No justification for State of Siege and Emergency: The Bishop of Baucau, Don Basilio do Nascimento, has said that there is no adequate reason for implementing a State of Siege and Emergency for the fourth consecutive time. "We all are waiting for the State to explain," said the Bishop. (STL)
MP demands Govt to establish ICI: PSD MP Mario Carascalao has demanded that the Government immediately move to implement the resolution approved by the National Parliament to establish an International Commission for Inquiry into the events of February 11. (TP)