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East Timor News Digest 11 – November 1-30, 2016

Timor Sea dispute Health & education Sexual & domestic violence Marriage & polygamy Refugees & asylum seekers Agriculture & food security Governance & administration Criminal justice & legal system Poverty & social inequity Police & law enforcement Foreign affairs & trade Economy & investment Invasion & occupation Analysis & opinion

Timor Sea dispute

Pressure rising on East Timor to make a deal

Natural Gas Daily - November 21, 2016

Damon Evans – Without new sources of income East Timor could be bankrupt as early as 2027, new research from Dili-based thinktank La'o Hamutuk shows.

The country is almost entirely dependent on petroleum revenues, but its oil and gas income peaked in 2012 and continues to fall. The ConocoPhillips-operated Bayu-Undan project – East Timor's only producing field – has provided about $20 billion over the past 10 years, but it will produce minimal revenues from next year, Charlie Scheiner, an analyst at the NGO, told Interfax Natural Gas Daily.

The 2016 state budget showed the country expected to receive $1.72 billion from oil and gas revenues between 2016 and 2022, but the proposed 2017 budget has forecast petroleum revenue of just $867 million for the same period. And most of that income is expected by 2017, La'o Hamutuk warned in a submission to parliament in early November.

The latest government forecasts continue the trend of downgrading revenue projections, which has happened every year since 2013. While "the 2014 global oil price [fall] was significant, the reality is that the price of oil will soon be irrelevant [as] East Timor's producing reserves have already been almost entirely extracted", said the NGO.

To make matters worse, East Timor has moved from dependence on revenues from selling petroleum to dependence on the returns from its Petroleum Fund investments. But the balance of the fund continues to fall as the withdrawals are larger than the income.

The proposed 2017 budget of $1.39 billion will require a withdrawal of over $1 billion from the fund, and the government plans to take out almost four times the estimated sustainable income every year between 2018 and 2021, La'o Hamutuk's analysis shows. This will cut the future estimated sustainable income to less than $400 million by 2021, by which time the sovereign wealth fund's balance will have fallen by at least $3 billion, to $13 billion, added the NGO.

Nevertheless, the state budget proposes spending almost $2 billion by 2021 on grandiose plans for a petroleum corridor, known as Tasi Mane, that would include a port, fabrication yards and an offshore supply base. But La'o Hamutuk believes it will cost much more to finish the highway and other components of the project, which include a proposed refinery and a petrochemical complex.

The owner of Tasi Mane, Timorese NOC TimorGAP, has failed to publicly produce evidence the project is commercially viable, even though it continues to ask parliament to approve funding. The whole scheme is also predicated on commercialising the Woodside-operated Greater Sunrise fields via an LNG export plant in the south of the country.

But development of the fields in the Timor Sea, which straddle Australia's seabed and contain more than 142 billion cubic metres of estimated gas reserves, has been stalled for years. A feud over maritime boundaries with Australiaand the treaties that govern the joint development of Greater Sunrise means Perth-based Woodside – and its partners Shell, Conoco and Osaka Gas – has shelved plans to develop the gas.

Setting sun

Interest was high in 2006, when East Timor and Australia signed the treaties – now contested by Dili – that provided the necessary stability for international investors to develop Greater Sunrise.

In the meantime the opportunity for developing the fields economically has passed unless the existing assets for Bayu-Undan are reused, Jeffrey Feynman, an independent United States-based oil and gas consultant, told Interfax Natural Gas Daily.

Feynman, who has consulted on various projects in the region, estimates it would cost $24 billion to develop Sunrise in East Timor. He also calculated the project would lose $28 billion over its 30-year production life should the gas be processed in East Timor. It would lose much more if it hit technical problems when laying a deep-sea pipeline across the Timor Trench.

However, if the gas is sent to backfill Conoco's existing Wickham Point LNG export plant in northern Australia once Bayu-Undan is exhausted, Feynman estimated East Timor would receive $8.5 billion in revenues based on the 50/50 split under current terms with Australia and an oil price of $45 per barrel.

This means Greater Sunrise could be commercialised by spending just $4.5 billion to connect a 207 km shallow-water pipeline to Bayu-Undan.

However, time is running out, as Conoco needs to firm up backfill supplies soon. Bayu-Undan is expected to be exhausted sometime between 2020 and 2022. The window of opportunity to send Sunrise gas to Darwin is closing as the US operator is lining up other sources of backfill gas, including its Caldita-Borassa and Poseidon fields as well as other third-party gas sources.

However, a government spokesman told Interfax Natural Gas Daily that East Timor "is striving for the delimitation of maritime boundaries [...and that] every decision is attached to the process". He added that the "nation's economy is going well".

Source: http://interfaxenergy.com/gasdaily/article/22882/pressure-rising-on-east-timor-to-boost-revenues

Australians back Timor-Leste in maritime dispute

The Australian Institute (TAI) - November 14, 2016

Australians favour international law to determine Timor maritime boundary between Timor-Leste and Australia, even if that delivers Timor-Leste a substantial share of the oil and gas in the Timor Sea.

The poll of 10,271 residents across Australia showed 56.5% support for establishing a maritime boundary in accordance with current international law, with only 17% opposed to the change.

A maritime boundary in accordance to international law would mean the formal end of the disputed Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea.

The Treaty has been marred in controversy since the revelations that Australia bugged East Timor's diplomatic mission during negotiations. In late September 2016, a court of arbitration at The Hague ruled that an international tribunal has standing to hear East Timor's complain, paving the way for a renegotiation of the maritime boundary.

"Fairness is a nationally defining trait for Australians. This polling suggests that most people want Timor-Leste to have a fair go with regards to resources in the Timor Sea," Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Ben Oquist said.

"This shows there is public support for negotiations to mark the maritime boundaries between our two countries, as currently there are none.

"It would be terrible if Australia's behaviour in this affair has the potential to undo the good will and strong friendship forged through our support of East Timorese independence.

"The Government should heed the public mood on this issue and enter future negotiations with a new spirit of amity and respect for international law," Oquist said.

Polling results

ReachTEL conducted a survey of 10,271 residents across Australia on the evening of 30th August 2016.

Question: Now thinking about Australia's international relationships. There is currently no permanent maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor. Drawing a boundary in accordance with current international law is likely to deliver East Timor a substantial share of the oil and gas located in the Timor Sea.

Should Australia try to establish a permanent maritime boundary in accordance with current international law?

See tables with breakdown of responses here: http://www.tai.org.au/content/australians-back-timor-leste-maritime-dispute

Source: http://www.tai.org.au/content/australians-back-timor-leste-maritime-dispute

Parish activist group grows out of concern for Timorese community

Catholic Leader - November 15, 2016

Concerned Brisbane Catholics have vowed to maintain pressure on the Australian government to negotiate a fair maritime boundary with our smallest neighbour, East Timor.

Michael Stevens has helped found the new Brisbane Timor Sea Justice group, which has grown from the Timor-Leste Companions of the Catholic Communities of Grovely, Samford and Mitchelton, a parish group focused on building friendship and solidarity, and recognising the issues of concern to the Timorese community.

The parish group has a faith partnership with a sister parish St John de Brito in the Timorese town of Liquica.

The seabed border in the Timor Sea between Australia and Timor Leste remains in dispute.

It represents only 1.8 per cent of Australia's entire seabed border, but takes in the Greater Sunrise gas field worth an estimated $40 billion in government revenues.

Experts have said that if international law were applied the rich deposits would most likely fall within Timor-Leste territory.

Mr Stevens said it is important to maintain pressure on Federal politicians after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague rejected Australia's claim it had no jurisdiction to conciliate the dispute.

This means Australia must come to the table and negotiate with Timor Leste within 12 months of the court ruling.

"What we want to do is maintain pressure throughout this next year to force the Australian government to conciliate in good faith and come to some sort of resolution," Mr Stevens said.

Josephite Sister Susan Connelly, an expert on Timor Sea negotiations, said Australians should care about settling the border issue, which could greatly aid poverty-stricken Timore-Leste.

"For the people of Timor-Leste, it represents stability and ongoing security," she has said.

To help muster support for his new group, Mr Stevens, is promoting a film screening of "Time to Draw the Line".

The film explores Australia's long connection with East Timor and reveals a chequered relationship of friendship and courage, mistrust and betrayal.

"Time to Draw the Line" will screen at St Mary MacKillop Centre, St Williams School, 67 Dawson Pd, Keperra on Friday November 18, from 6.30pm.

For more information on the film visit: http://www.frontyardfilms.com.au.

Source: http://catholicleader.com.au/news/parish-activist-group-grows-out-of-concern-for-timorese-community

New poll calls for fairness for East Timor

Australian Associated Press - November 12, 2016

More than half those surveyed in a new poll favour setting Australia's maritime boundary with East Timor to give the new nation a greater share of oil and gas reserves.

The study conducted by ReachTEL for the left-leaning Australia Institute found 56.5 per cent of 10,271 respondents backed setting the boundary according to international law.

Currently there's no permanent maritime boundary between Australia and East Timor, with resources, worth an estimated $53 million, shared under allocated 2002 and 2006 treaties. That splits revenue from one oilfield 50-50 and another 90-10 in East Timor's favour.

The Australia Institute says setting the boundary according to international law would give East Timor a greater share of Timor Sea oil and gas. The boundary issue is currently under conciliation in The Hague.

The poll found 17 per cent of respondents said no to setting the boundary in accordance with current international law while 26.6 per cent didn't know.

Australia Institute executive director Ben Oquist said this polling suggested most people wanted Timor-Leste to have a fair go with regards to resources in the Timor Sea.

""The government should heed the public mood on this issue and enter future negotiations with a new spirit of amity and respect for international law," he said in a statement.

Source: http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/11/12/12/02/new-poll-calls-for-fairness-for-east-timor

Health & education

Taskforce re-established to tackle disease spread by animals

Dili Weekly - November 30, 2016

Paulina Quintao – The Ministry of Health (MoH) in cooperation with its partners has set up a taskforce to help prevent diseases spread by animals, including rabies and influenza (H1N1 virus).

The ministry's General Director of Working Performance, Odete Viegas, said outbreaks of rabies, H1N1 and Zika had already occurred in neighboring countries like Indonesia and therefore it was important for the relevant ministries to discuss an integrated policy to keep such diseases at bay.

"Sixty-five percent of diseases are caused by animals and we see many communities live with their animals, therefore our main duty is to disseminate information to communities about how diseases are spread," Viegas said at a consultative meeting on influenza titled Human-Animal Interface (HAI) at Hotel Timor.

Viegas said the main responsibility of the taskforce is to educate and raise awareness among communities about preventing diseases spread by animals.

She also expressed concern about the status of family nutrition as the high rates of malnutrition had serious implications for the body's immune system and meant people were more susceptible to disease.

"If we have no appetite, suffer from insomnia and worry all the time, it's easy for us to get diseases," Viegas said.

The government first established a taskforce earlier this year composed of representatives from the ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries, Education, Health, Finance (Customs Directorate) and the Interior, but the team did not succeed due to poor coordination among the ministries.

The Genereal Director for Animal Husbandry at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Antonio do Carmo, said the diseases spread from animals like Zika, ebola, rabies and H1N1 were now a global public health emergency.

While there have been no outbreaks of Zika, ebola, rabies or H1N1 in Timor to date, he said these diseases could potentially be spread from neighbouring countries like Indonesia and therefore a clear and integrated policy was needed to establish an early response system.

It's (rabies) harmful for Timorese as many dogs aren't kept on a leash and many kids play with their dogs," he said.

He said often people ignored dog bites and did not seek medical treatment until they had symptoms, but by then it was already too late.

He said rabies was more harmful than HIV/AIDS as it affects the human brain without causing any noticeable symptoms, making it difficult to detect.

In humans it can lead to mental health problems and can make people sensitive to bright sunshine, while infected dogs become aggressive and are also sensitive to sunlight. Rabies belongs to the rhabdovirus family and is spread to humans through the bite or saliva of infected animals, like dogs, cats and monkeys.

The taskforce has already started its project and developed an action plan after receiving technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Timor-Leste.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14237-taskforce-re-established-to-tackle-disease-spread-by-animals

Teachers continue to use violence against students

Dili Weekly - November 25, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Teachers are continuing to use violence to discipline students at schools, even though there is a zero-tolerance policy in place. National MP Anastasia Amaral said she disagreed with teachers using violence against students during the learning process because this type of attitude only frightened the students.

"We say zero tolerance, but the teachers continue hitting students and the government, especially the relevant ministries, never take any action to [address] the issue," she told a plenary session at National Parliament.

"You can hit the students to educate, but not to kill [them], this is a crime and should be processed according to the law," she said.

In a recent case at Kalisa Public High school in Viqueque municipality, she said a teacher hit a female student until she fell unconscious in the classroom because she broke school regulations.

The student in question was then taken to Dili by her family for treatment and to have an x-ray.

Amaral said incidents like this were common and often resulted in students falling unconscious. She therefore called on the Ministry of Education to take measures against teachers who committed violence against students as they did not deserve to be educators.

In 2009 under the previous government a zero-tolerance policy for violence in schools for was announced, with the objective of preventing teachers from using physical violence to discipline students.

Meanwhile, Viqueque municipality's Director of Education, Amilio Amaral, rejected the claim a female student was hit by a teacher. "It is not true, a student fainted because she was possessed (by spirits), not hit by a teacher," he said.

He also called on the MP to show proof when raising any cases related to violence against students in schools.

Meanwhile, Aileu student Odelia da Luz Vargas said young women continue to face violence in schools, at home and in their communities. She said part of the reason was that there was a lack of awareness about the zero-tolerance policy for teachers.

"The girls are not brave enough to say no to violence that they face, because they are afraid," she said.

She also expressed concern about the long distances students had to travel from their homes to school as this was major threat for young girls and put them at increased risk of sexual abuse and assault on the street.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14218-teachers-continue-to-use-violence-against-students

Four containers of medicines expire at SAMES

Dili Weekly - November 24, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Four containers full of medicines at the Medicine and Medical Equipment Autonomous Service (SAMES) warehouse were alleged to be expired and the government will have to destroy them soon.

National MP Ilda Maria da Conceicao expressed her disappointment because many Timorese complain about the shortage of medicines and yet four containers full of medicines will now have to be destroyed because they have expired.

"This is not a joke. Our people go to the hospitals and are told there are no medicines available. Doctors then write prescriptions so they can be bought outside while our (SAME) warehouse burns medicines. This is not fair," said the MP.

MP Conceicao urged the government to resolve the management issues at SAMES and the procurement process for medicines because each year Timor-Leste imports medicines that with a quick expiration date.

According to information available the medicines was purchased in 2013-2014 and cost USD one million dollars. "We spend so much money buying medicines that are supposed to go to the people not just end up going up in flames," she added.

Meanwhile resident Jose Alves said he was upset with this situation because the people lack medicines but he heard about the government burning medicines.

"And then the people who already have low incomes have to spend their own money buying medicines in private pharmacies," he said.

He urged competent authorities to investigate this situation because the state has spent so much money purchasing medicines that end up burning.

The Executive Director of SAMES, Odete Maria Belo said the medicines in question have in fact not yet been destroyed because the process of verification is still in progress.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14202-four-containers-of-medicines-expire-at-sames

Parliament creates resolution for combating malnutrition in TL

Dili Weekly - November 24, 2016

Paulina Quintao – The National Parliament (NP) has created a resolution to compel relevant line ministries to implement the integrated national program for combating malnutrition in the country.

President of Parliamentary Commission F (Health, Education, Culture, Veteran, and Gender Equality), MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said the reason for creating the resolution was because the government was not serious in combating malnutrition.

He added that activities such as cooking demonstrations people's knowledge about nutrition, especially on how to prepare nutritious food, can be increased.

"Through this we can safeguard our new generations to be in good health condition," he said. In the budget discussion for 2017, he said the parliament allocated again funds for the national campaign on nutrition.

Meanwhile, the General Director of Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health, Dr Odete Viegas said she was appreciative of the resolution because nutrition issue was not solely the ministry's responsibility but it required a multi-sectoral approach.

"Parliament has made a major commitment to support this and I think it is fundamental for us to respond by implementing the activities moving forward," she said.

She said the main problem of malnutrition in the country is with coordination and because there is not carry over nutrition programs within line ministry. She added nutrition was one of the ministry of health's priority programs for 2017.

Meanwhile, the ministry is working with the World Food Program WFP and with UNICEF to prevent malnutrition through the distribution of food supplements to pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and to children under five years of age.

Meanwhile, the Director of national NGO Together We Help (HIAM) Health, Rosaria Martins da Cruz said high malnutrition rates in Timor-Leste was not due to poverty but because the community lacks information about nutrition.

"The women make decisions in the family about food consumption, therefore we should educate our women so they know how to prepare nutritious and balanced food for the whole family," she said.

She added that more awareness raising should be done so that people link malnutrition to stunting because some still think that stunting may be associated with genetic factors. She said also that 50.2% of 2000 children under five years of age were stunt.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/children-youth/14200-parliament-creates-resolution-for-combating-malnutrition-in-tl

Timorese not yet used to wash their hands before eating

Dili Weekly - November 24, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Washing hands before eating is very important for the prevention of infectious and other diseases but most Timorese are still used to it.

The General Director of the National Hospital Guido Valadares, Dr Jose Antonio said the act of washing hands is a basic behaviour that children should be taught by parents but this does not yet take place.

"The ministry of health must continue to promote washing hands to the community because this habit does not yet exist," he said during the celebrations of the global hand washing day held at the National Hospital Guido Valadares (NHGV), Dili.

He added that washing hands can prevent infections and other diseases such as diarrhoea, and different types of respiratory infections because these are caused by bacteria in hands.

He also urged people to also wash their hands before preparing food. "In Timor diarrhoea kills our children," he said.

Meanwhile, the Manager of Lisun Company, Rut Hutomo said she was happy that the hand washing campaign was held in Timor-Leste and with government support. "Washing hands is easy and it has a big impact on people's lives," he said.

He added that in 2016, his company distributed 1000 bars of soap to schools including to some health facilities so that students are encouraged to wash their hands.

Meanwhile resident Rosaria Martins said the community did not just chose to ignore the habit of washing hands but there are water shortages to prevent them from leading a healthier life.

"We can teach people about hygiene and to wash their hands but people say they have to choose between water for drinking and water to wash hands," she said.

She urged more investment in the water sector so that more people and communities across the country have better access to clean water.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14204-timorese-not-yet-used-to-wash-their-hands-before-eating

Everyday five new people identified with Hepatitis B through blood donations

Dili Weekly - November 23, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Three to five people out of 40 people who donated blood each day are found to be Hepatitis B positive, based on new data made available from the National Blood Bank (BNS) of Timor-Leste.

BNS Unit Head, Arsenio Jose said the blood transfusion service is important but some caution needs to be exercised to ensure blood donations are screened for infectious diseases.

He added that any blood units found to be infected with Hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis are immediately destroyed. The healthy blood units are then distributed to health facilities to be transfused to patients in need.

"We give the results back to patients and encourage them to go to a VCCT center for counseling where they are encouraged to undertake treatment," said BNS Unit head Jose in his office, in Bidau, Dili.

In September of 2016 the BNS team collected 299 blood units from volunteers and from families of patients. After screening 17 people were positive with the Hepatitis B virus, 1 person with the Hepatitis C virus, 12 people were positive for syphilis and one (1) person was positive for HIV. All patients are currently undertaking treatment.

He urged also for more volunteers to donate blood regularly to help patients in need and in particular women patients given there has been an increase in women needing blood transfusions but a decline in blood donors.

"Each day they receive 50-60 unit but we can only treat 5-10 patients. The blood stocks are just not sufficient," he said, despite the good will of exiting volunteers and families of patients and the blood drives by the BNS team.

He said the effort of BNS was collecting blood from the patients' family and the volunteers to assure the stock but the reality still not sufficient.

The World Health Organization WHO has also provided BNS with 10 beds for blood donations, 15 blood measuring devices and one blood analysis kit. Some of the equipment will be distributed to the five referral hospitas and the rest will remain at the BNS in Dili.

Anyone weighing over 45 kilograms, in good health and with a blood pressure of 120 per 80 can donate blood.

Meanwhile, resident Carnizo Soares said an awareness raising campaign is very important to raise communities' awareness especially of the young people about different diseases.

"Communities both at the national and rural level lack information about infectious diseases. Our government has not undertaken a national campaign on these diseases," he said.

As for the blood stocks, he urged the BNS to step out of their office and approach institutions such as schools and universities to collect blood.

Dr. Danina Coelho said currently there is no medicine available to treat for Hepatitis B. "The government has not yet imported Entecavir and Tenofovir for hepatitis B treatment," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/14196-everyday-five-new-people-identified-with-hepatitis-b-through-blood-donations

MP disappointed with attitude of some health officials

Dili Weekly - November 21, 2016

Paulina Quintao – National MP Osorio Florindo is disappointed with the attitude of some health officials who provide substandard health services and threaten the patients at the Bazartete Health center, Liquisa municipality.

He said some of the health officials turn at work at 11 a.m. do one hours work and then return home leaving patients to wait to receive treatment next day. "There are regulations that control this type of public servant behaviour," said MP Florindo.

He added these health professionals were more concerned with their own personal problems than with the health of their patients.

He urged the Ministry of Health to pay close attention to the assiduity of health professionals in particular in rural areas. "We are paying them to serve the people."

He alleged this attitude has been reported in many instances already and there have been many complaints about inadequate health services.

In response to the issue, the General Director for Health Achievement Ministry of Health, Doctor Odete Viegas encouraged MPs to submit written complaints so health inspectors can investigate matters.

"We need to get a written complaint so that we can take action. There must be evidence for us to move forward the process. We cannot take action based only on hearsay," said Dr Viegas.

She recognises that as human beings, there are issues bound to occur but that for the ministry of take any action there needs to be strong evidence so that an in-depth investigation can take place.

She added if an investigation proves the wrongdoing on the part of health officials that the public health officials will be sanctioned as per the public service law and regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14190-mp-disappointed-with-attitude-of-some-health-officials

School feeding menu lacks nutritious options

Dili Weekly - November 17, 2016

Paulina Quintao – The school feeding menu has been criticized for being poor quality and lacking nutritious food.

National MP Manuel Castro said MPS had often questioned the school feeding program, but the issues had yet to be resolved.

"I went to the Uato-Carbau administrative post and one of the teachers came and told me that the government has provided rice but no money to buy the vegetables and that's why this rice was spoiled by weevils and we could not feed the students," he said at a plenary session.

The objective of the school feeding program is to encourage students to attend class by providing nutritious food to school as data showed that prior to the program being implemented many children skipped class and went home because they were hungry.

Castro said he was disappointed because the state had spent money to purchase large quantities of rice from overseas and distribute it to communities, including for the school feeding program, but then it just went to waste.

The same concerns were raised by MP Josefa Alvares Soares, who said the government was discriminating against private schools, which until now had no school feeding program in place.

"The school feeding program in private schools continues to be delayed and means that the students do not enjoy their rights," she said.

In 2015, the Ministry of Education and the Catholic Dioceses established the Konetil Commission to manage the school feeding program at private schools.

She therefore called on the government to conduct an investigation into the commission.

Meanwhile, the Director of Together we Help (HIAM) Health organization, Rosaria Martins da Cruz, said the school feeding menu did not meet standards for a balanced diet and lacked nutritional value.

She said most children did not have a balanced diet and consumed only a small quantity of meat and vegetables each day.

"They have insufficient food in their family [home], but they still get lack nutritious food at school, [so] it is not improving their health," she said.

She also called on the government to contribute to reducing malnutrition in the country by improving the school feeding menu.

She said the Ministries of Health and Education needed to work together to produce a national menu as a guideline for suppliers to follow.

She said the menu should include food that provides enrichment, protection and strength because the children need such food.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/education/14180-school-feeding-menu-lacks-nutritious-options

MP: Private clinic health services better than public services

Dili Weekly - November 18, 2016

Paulina Quintao – National MP's praise the better quality of private health services, facilities and equipment in comparison with pubic health services available to the community in Timor-Leste.

National MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said in private clinics patients are seen quickly and the quality of equipment is superior to that of public clinics.

"Private clinics provide good quality services and ensure everyone is assisted but our public clinics have limited equipment," said MP Hornai. "We have sufficient human resources but they are not being utilized adequately at the clinics where they work from."

The MP expressed concerns over this situation because doctors working for private clinics provide better health care than those in public clinics. Article 57 of RDTL's Constitution states that all Timorese have equal right to quality and free healthcare.

Meanwhile the General Director for Health Development, Ministry of Health (MoH), Dr Odete Viegas acknowledged the issue but added that in private clinics patients pay for the premium services. Dr Viegas said also that the commitment of the government is to provide adequate and free health services to everyone.

"Just because doctors provide free care this does not mean that they are not professional. Every single health professional in a health facility is qualified, although each person has her or his own personal attitude," she said. She recognises that sometimes less adequate treatment happens in hospitals, perhaps because of personal issues but the ministry of health regularly reminds its health personnel to separate personal issues from their professional work.

In regards to the perceived difference in quality of medicines in private and public health facilities, Dr Viegas added that all medicines prescribed were the same and that it is up to patients to take the medicines as per doctor's instructions.

"We should trust the government especially the health centres and health posts because these are free to access," she added.

She said also the ministry would continue making efforts to improve the quality of health facilities and of human resources to provide quality and free assistance to everyone as per the constitution.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14188-mp-private-clinic-health-services-better-than-public-services

Timor yet to introduce food safety legislation

Dili Weekly - November 17, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Timor-Leste has yet to introduce legislation to standardize food safety regulations for imports to the country.

World Food Programme (WFP) Country representative Stephen Kearney said a standardized system was important to guarantee the safety and quality of food imports to the country.

"We have worked with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment to develop the draft law on a food certification [system]," he said in Hotel Timor, Dili.

About 99% of goods sold in Timor-Leste are imported from overseas. In order to reduce malnutrition in Timor, he said all relevant ministries must make a big investment and work together to address the problem.

"It needs big investment, time and patience because the main obstacle faced by Timor is education," Kearney said. "We should encourage people to consume healthy food and have a healthy diet, including fish, egg, chicken meat, vegetables and fruits, so we can prevent malnutrition."

However, he said it was big problem as rice was now a staple food for Timorese people and a dinner without rice was not considered a proper meal.

He said there needed to be a change in people's mentality as rice had a low nutritional value compared to other staple foods, and although it makes you feel full it does not help with cognitive development.

Meanwhile, WFP itself has provided supplementary food like corn flour to vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and children under five years of age.

WFP is also supporting local organizations, especially mothers groups, in the sukus (villages) with the aim of educating communities about the importance of good nutrition.

He said various malnutrition types had been identified in Timor such as stunting, wasting, anemia and micronutrient deficiencies. Obesity is another problem due to the prevalence of fast food in Timor.

According to Kearney, the fact that some Timorese people are short and skinny is not about genetics, but because of the impact of consuming food low in nutrition.

Meanwhile, President of Commission F (responsible for health, education, culture, veteran affairs and gender equality) MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said it was important to introduce a standardized system for products imported into the country, particularly food.

"The products entering the market should have a certification to guarantee that they are safe for the society and consumers," he said.

He said the parliament had already approved consumer protection law, but it was important for the government to establish a national laboratory specifically for food testing.

Research conducted in 2013 into food and nutrition in Timor-Leste's showed that 50.2% of children aged under 5 suffered from stunting as a result of malnutrition, while 37.7% were underweight and 11% showed signs of wasting.

Deputy Health Minister Ana Isabel Soares said in order to reduce malnutrition rates in Timor, the government had established a commission called Konsstantil composed of representatives from the relevant ministries.

"This commission, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, has an objective to find a solution to address the issue of malnutrition in Timor," she said.

She said malnutrition was not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and that the Ministries of Infrastructure and Agriculture also had a responsibility to ensure that communities had access to clean water and sufficient food.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14178-timor-yet-to-introduce-food-safety-legislation

MP urges the government to control the use of formalin

Dili Weekly - November 18, 2016

Paulina Quintao – National MP Leonel Marcal called on the Ministry of Health to ban private pharmacies from selling formalin to the community without a medical prescription.

He said this measure should be adopted because the misuse of formalin may be having a negative impact on people's health.

"The government should establish the regulation. Anyone buying formalin need to get a doctor's prescription so it cannot just be sold to anyone. We must do what we can to protect people's health," said the MP at the plenary of National Parliament.

There are allegations that some members of the community are buying formalin to preserve dead bodies because the hospitals do not provide it but also some people are using formalin to preserve fish and mean longer for sale to the community.

The MP as a consumer has grave concerns with this situation because mean and fish being sold in markets and supermarkets may contain formalin. She added this situation needs to be looked into by the state urgently.

Meanwhile, the General Director for Health Development, Ministry of Health, Dr. Odete Viegas acknowledged that it is easy for the community to buy formalin because this has not yet been regulated.

Dr. Viegas added currently the ministry of health is developing guidelines for the sales and purchase of formalin so that it can only be dispensed with a doctor's prescription.

"Formalin is used to preserve dead bodies but if it is injected in food that people consume; this is cause long terms ill effects that may develop into various chronic diseases," she said.

She acknowledged just recently the ministry of health received information about food contamination with formalin spreading in the markets.

A joint ministry of health, ministry of commerce, industry, and environment including the National Laboratory collected samples for testing but results have not yet been released.

She added if results showed contamination with formalin, the ministry would then take appropriate measures against suppliers and those selling contaminated food.

She also cautioned the community that health inspectors will conduct routine inspection to markets, supermarkets and restaurants to ensure the good quality of food on sale to consumers.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14186-mp-urges-the-government-to-control-the-use-of-formalin

Procurement system blamed for medicine shortages at health facilities

Dili Weekly - November 10, 2016

Paulina Quintao – There are calls for the Health Ministry to change the medication procurement system and introduce a specific process to address the lack of medication stocks at health facilities.

National MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai said health facilities continued to run out of medicine of every year as the procurement system was too slow, an issue that has still not been resolved.

"We need to find a company that we trust and then directly assign the contract to import medicine every six months to ensure the supply and quality of medication," he said during a plenary session recently.

The Autonomous Drug and Medical Equipment Service (SAMES) previously used a specific procurement system for medication supply, but in 2013 the government dissolved the agency due to irregularities.

Between 2013 and 2015 the Ministry of Health took over responsibility for medication supply, using a general procurement regime.

Under this system, the company contracted supplied medication at the end of each year in large quantities, which meant much of the stock expired before being used.

Hornai said the lack of medicine was not about bad management, but because the previous procurement law did give SAMES authorization to make direct decisions related to supply issues.

In response to the concerns, the government recently handed back responsibility for the supply of medicines to SAMES.

"It was officially announced two months ago and SAMES is now responsible for medication supply," said representative for the Secretary of State for Parliamentary Issues Nelio Isaac Sarmento. "We hope that by next year we can resolve this problem," he said.

During a visit to the SAMES storage warehouse last month, The Dili Weekly observed five containers of medicine imported by Indonesia's PT Raconindo Company.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14166-procurement-system-blamed-for-medicine-shortages-at-health-facilities

Integrated program to help reduce malnutrition

Dili Weekly - November 10, 2016

Paulina Quintao – A newly launched integrated program is aiming to reduce malnutrition rates in the country, particularly in Aileu municipality.

Sunrise Joint Venture (SJV) Company established the program in partnership with local organizations Together We Help (HIAM) Health, the Alola Foundation, Good Enterprise and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA TL).

SVJ Country Representative Antonio dos Santos said it was the time for organizations to work together as part of an integrated program to reduce malnutrition in communities.

He said SJV had provided funding to four local organizations for many years to help combat malnutrition problems in the country, but this approach had not been working effectively because everyone was doing separate interventions in different places.

Under the new program, planned interventions will be based on each organization's specialty. For instance, the Alola Foundation will promote health education and nutrition, while HIAM Health will support community groups to plant vegetable crops. RYLA-TL will also help set up aquaculture projects and Good Enterprise will provide training to communities on how they can better promote their goods in the marketplace.

The pilot program will initially be implemented in the three sukus (villages) of Liurai, Banduato and Lau-usi in the Aileu municipality, but dos Santos said it would be expanded to other municipalities later if successful.

He added that SJV would continue to provide funding support for local organizations to work towards combating malnutrition in the country. The integrated program has a budget of $400,000 for the year.

Aileu municipality health representative Rogerio da Conceicao said every municipality was facing malnutrition, with pregnant women and children among the worst affected.

"Nutrition is a part of improving the immunity of pregnant women and children between the ages of 0-5," he said.

He said he expected the program to be very helpful in reducing malnutrition rates in Aileu, particularly in the three sukus participating in the pilot project.

He said Liurai, Banduato and Lau-usi were selected to participate in the pilot program as data from Aileu municipality showed that those sukus had among the highest rates of malnutrition.

However, Liurai suku chief DomiNGOs Pinheiro said it was not a new program and had been implemented in the past, but was not well integrated.

"We will mobilize the community to participate actively in those programs to achieve the objective," he said.

He said good coordination would be key to the program's success and therefore it was important that the organizations, local authorities and communities communicate effectively.

As part of the program, HIAM Health will establish six community groups in each of the three sukus to plant the vegetables, while RYLA-TL will set up a place to keep fish in each suku. Before implementing the program, the organizations will provide technical training to the groups involved.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/14162-integrated-program-to-help-reduce-malnutrition

Sexual & domestic violence

East Timorese woman testifies about her 'comfort woman' experience

The Mainichi - November 28, 2016

A woman from East Timor spoke out about her experience of being forced to serve as a "comfort woman" by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, as she visited Japan for the first time earlier this month.

"I hope this kind of harm will never be done to women again," Ines Magalhaes, from East Timor, said as she participated in meetings of comfort women victims held in Osaka and Tokyo and gave her testimony at a university and elsewhere.

It has come to light that more than 20 women were forced to serve as comfort women in East Timor, of whom 10 survive today. The Japanese government, however, hasn't taken any relief measures for these women.

"I got pregnant and gave birth to a girl at a wartime brothel," she recalled about her experience in her early teens. "The war ended when my baby was about 3 months old, and the Japanese army took her away as they withdrew from the country," she said.

After the war, she married and settled down but kept her wartime memory to herself for almost half a century.

Tjinda Lengge of Indonesia also made her first public testimony about her comfort woman experience. The meetings were organized by a support group called "Nihongun Ianfu Mondai Kaiketsu Zenkoku Kodo" (Nationwide action to resolve the comfort women issue of the Japanese army) and other organizations. Women from South Korea and the Philippines also took part in the meetings, where they called for justice and an investigation into the truth.

East Timor was once under the colonial rule of Portugal before being annexed by Indonesia by force. It achieved independence in 2002 as the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.

Source: http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20161128/p2a/00m/0na/011000c

Timorese leaders sign charter on preventing violence against women and children

Asia Foundation - November 23, 2016

Dili – Today, thirteen influential leaders, including from government, institutions, and civil society, signed a Charter declaring their commitment to preventing violence against women and children in Timor-Leste.

The declarations were made during the launch of a creative short film, "Coffee Consent," which aims to educate Timorese youth about the meaning of consent in relationships. The event was hosted by The Asia Foundation's Nabilan (Ending Violence Against Women) Program and the Australian Embassy in Timor-Leste.

The Charter lists ten every-day actions that individuals promise to take to promote healthy and respectful relationships and gender equality. In addition to today's public affirmation of the Charter by Timorese leaders and organizations, the Charter is open to signature by all Timorese as an online petition and a social media campaign is actively promoting the initiative on Facebook and elsewhere.

"Violence against women is a huge problem around the world. The Australian Government is proud to support the Nabilan Ending Violence Against Women program and this commitment to building healthy and respectful relationships in families, homes, workplaces, and communities of Timor-Leste," said Peter Doyle, Australian Ambassador to Timor-Leste.

"Young people need positive role models who set a strong example of how to promote gender equality, and how to have respectful and consensual relationships," said Susan Marx, The Asia Foundation's Country Representative in Timor-Leste.

"By signing the Charter, people can publicly illustrate their commitment to being such a role model, by taking practical steps to prevent violence against women and children in their daily life," said Ms. Marx.

Levels of sexual violence against women and children in Timor-Leste are high, as shown by The Asia Foundation's research, the Nabilan Health and Life Experiences Baseline Study completed in 2015. More than one in four men surveyed admitted that they had raped a woman – including their wives or girlfriends. Sixty-eight percent of those men who had perpetrated rape were motivated by sexual entitlement, meaning that they believed that they had the right to sex, regardless of consent.

"We see the devastating impact of sexual violence every day. We must teach children about their value as human beings and the importance of mutual respect and consent in relationships," said Sujana Ximenes, Director of Casa Vida, a shelter for child victims of abuse in Timor-Leste.

Henrique da Silva, a Director within the Secretary of State for the Support and Socio-economical Promotion of Women (SEM) said, "SEM is very pleased to be signing this important declaration of our commitment to ending violence against women and children," noting that it "directly contributes to the outputs of the new National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence."

The short film was adapted from a film called "Tea Consent," which was produced by the company Blue Seat and has been recognized internationally for its effective messaging. The film has been seen by millions of people worldwide. The Asia Foundation translated the film to Tetum and is proud to make it available to Timorese audiences. For the next 30 days, "Coffee Consent" will be shown prior to movie screenings at Platinum Cineplex in Dili. It will also be available to view for free online.

This event was part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.

For more information, please visit:

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Marriage & polygamy

Regulations needed to reduce high cost of traditional ceremonies

Dili Weekly - November 9, 2016

Venidora Oliveira – The government has been urged to establish regulations for traditional ceremonies to reduce the costs involved in funerals, weddings and engagement parties in Timor-Leste.

National MP Francisco da Costa said although many Timorese people had the opportunity to be more financially secure, the high cost of paying for traditional ceremonies often led them into poverty.

For instance, when a member of the wife's family gets married, her husband's family should bring a buffalo, goat and horse, as well as money for the dowry. In return, they usually receive a pig and tais (traditional woven cloth from the wife's side of the family.

The arrangements are similar for funeral ceremonies. When the deceased is a member of the wife's family, the husband's family is obliged to bring a buffalo, a horse, five goats and money in exchange for a pig, tais, a sack of rice and wine.

"It is compulsory and expensive, I think we should establish a law or regulations to reduce the cost of ceremonies, [but] this doesn't we mean we want to eliminate these traditions." da Costa told National Parliament.

He said that although cultural traditions helped teach people respect for each other and strengthen solidarity, better controls and regulations needed to be in place so that it did not impact on the sustainability of community life in the future.

He also urged parents to prioritize their children's education rather than spending all their money on ceremonies.

"In the past, our ancestors saved money just for attending ceremonies; they always had money for the ceremony, but didn't have any money to send their children to school," he said.

National MP Jacinto Viegas Vicente said he agreed with the initiative because such traditional practices were not appropriate for current living conditions. "It does not mean we will lose these traditions, but just reduce it (the cost) because the ceremonies in some places are so expensive," he said.

"Lots of money is spent on ceremonies and sometimes when people get home they only have rice to eat because they don't have any money and married couples fight and split up."

However, Deputy President of Commission A (responsible for the constitution, justice, administration, local authorities and anti-corruption) MP Arao Noe said reducing or changing traditions should not be based on laws or regulations, but is a matter of time and community awareness.

As countries develop, he said traditions like those practiced in Timor often decreased as people became better educated.

He said it was important to educate traditional elders and young people to understand that it did not mean to remove but should control or reduce the expense.

"Rather than spending a lot of money on 10 buffaloes, eating and drinking then finishing all in one day and having a debt for a whole year, why don't we collect the money to buy just one buffalo and then eat and drink together?" he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14156-regulations-needed-to-reduce-high-cost-of-traditional-ceremonies

Refugees & asylum seekers

Thousands return from Timor Leste

Jakarta Post - November 2, 2016

Panca Nugraha, Mataram – Thousands of families residing in Timor Leste before its independence have returned to Indonesia's West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) after passing citizen verification and validation procedures.

The Indonesian citizens, who had lived in the country once known as East Timor under Indonesia's occupation, left their towns after remaining for 17 years as foreigners in a region that they used to call home.

About 1,410 families who now live in West Nusa Tenggara on Monday received cash assistance from the Social Affairs Ministry, channeled through the Mataram branch of Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

"As many as 1,410 families formerly living in East Timor have passed verification and validation and received Rp 10 million [about US$740] each," NTB Social Affairs and Population agency head Soemantri told The Jakarta Post.

He said the former East Timor residents currently living in NTB can be found in two cities and eight regencies in the province. "The government hopes the assistance would be useful and help ease their burdens," said Soemantri.

East Timor was once the 27th province of Indonesia. It separated after a referendum and poll in 1999 and is now known as Timor Leste.

In NTB, the former East Timor residents formed the Committee of East Timor Political Victims (Kokpit) in 2012 to fight for legal clarity, especially concerning the houses and land left behind in East Timor.

"We are grateful the government still remembers us. However, our assets are still left in East Timor," former East Timor resident Pramono, 55, after cashing the aid cheque at the Mataram BNI branch.

According to Pramono, ever since leaving East Timor in 1999 he and other former East Timor residents received cash assistance from the Social Affairs Ministry only three times, the first during former president Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration in 2012, amounting Rp 3 million per family, Rp 5 million in 2014 and now Rp 10 million during President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

"We hope the government is also willing to fight to repossess the assets of former East Timor residents, as we were forced to leave East Timor just because of the country's problems," he said.

NTB Kokpit deputy head Dominggus Vicente Alves said getting the cash assistance from the Social Affairs Ministry was not the end of the group's struggle, especially since at least 907 families were not included among the 1,410 recipient families currently getting it.

"Kokpit branches in all provinces have been struggling to get the cash assistance for the past three years. In NTB, out of the more than 2,000 families we proposed for the assistance, only 1,410 have been verified, while 907 families failed," he said.

According to Dominggus, nationally about 20,000 former East Timor families in 34 provinces across Indonesia did not pass verification and are unable to receive the assistance.

"But we've asked those who did not pass verification not to be discouraged because we will continue struggling because we must not only fight for the assistance but for how the government could replace the land and houses belonging to the former East Timor residents left behind in Timor Leste," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/11/02/thousands-return-timor-leste.html

Agriculture & food security

Festival in Timor-Leste selects best coffee

Macauhub - November 28, 2016

The Coffee Festival of Timor-Leste, which aims to select the best coffee and the best cocktail made with this product, will run until 3 December, as part of an event open to farmers and groups of associated farmers.

The festival was organised by the Timor-Leste Coffee Association (ACTL) and will include the country's first coffee tasting competition, with professional judges from Australia, Canada, Mexico, Thailand and the United States, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

"It's the first time that Timor-Leste will have a festival of this kind," said Evangelino Monteiro, spokesman for the ACTL, who added "Timor-Leste produces high-quality coffee and we want to celebrate it and to inspire people to do even better in future."

In addition to various activities for coffee lovers in Dili, with dining venues also joining in with the event, the festival includes support programmes to improve coffee quality for farmers in Ainaro, Aileu, Ermera and Liquica.

The ACTL is a voluntary association that works "to increase the volume and improve the value of coffee sold for export and domestic consumption" through the revitalisation of the coffee sector and by contributing to the development of the international brand of Timorese coffee and the training of farmers.

Despite having reduced production – Timor-Leste annually exports coffee worth about US$20 million – Timorese coffee production has experienced resurgence in recent years. (macauhub)

Source: http://www.macauhub.com.mo/en/2016/11/28/festival-in-timor-leste-selects-best-coffee/

Community groups receive training in how to make organic fertilizer

Dili Weekly - November 10, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Sixteen community groups have attended a week-long training course at Together We Help (HIAM) Health about the process of making quality organic fertilizer.

Timor-Leste Red Cross (TLRC) Program Manager Maria Pascoela said community groups had been established in Viqueque, Aileu, Covalima, Bobonaro, Lautem, Manatuto and Dili municipalities and were receiving funding from TLRC.

"So far they have only been using chemical fertilizer because they have no idea about how to make organic fertilizer, so they are here to learn so that they can teach other groups when they go back [to their municipality]," she said by phone.

She said the objective of the training was to help strengthen communities reliant on the agriculture sector, particularly horticulture.

The training program is being funded by Red Cross Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Korea.

Meanwhile, HIAM Health Director Rosaria Martins da Cruz said the training covered a range of subjects, including agriculture, nutrition and the process of making organic fertilizer and pesticides.

"We provide them with training so that they can bring back that knowledge and implement [the program] in their sukus (villages)," she said.

She said HIAM Health and TLRC had been collaborating for a long time and this was the third group of community volunteers to receive training.

HIAM Health is a local organization established in 2003 that works to combat malnutrition in the country by supporting and educating communities to eat and grow nutritious food.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/development/14164-community-groups-receive-training-in-how-to-make-organic-fertilizer

Governance & administration

MPs approve $17 million for 2017 parliamentary budget

Dili Weekly - November 9, 2016

Venidora Oliveira – MPs have approved more than $17 million for the National Parliament's 2017 budget at a plenary session.

National MP Arao Noe said it would be allocated towards planned priority programs next year such as the completion of legislation that is still pending and other parliamentary reforms, including administrative functions.

"There are a few weaknesses that should be fixed and synchronized, that are our priority programs for next year," he said.

Meanwhile, the $15 million 2016 parliamentary budget has been executed by 74%, mostly for parliamentary activities and salaries of public servants and supervisors.

Meanwhile, MP Albina Marcal said she hoped that some of the 2017 budget would be allocated to priority programs that had not yet been accomplished this year.

Although there had been plans to build a new office for the National Parliament and repair a separate office for public servants and kitchen this year, Marcal said construction had not yet started.

"The National Parliament is sovereign entity that should have a proper place," she said.

She also urged the parliament to allocate some funds next year specifically for parliamentary friendship groups, saying it was important to strengthen Timor's relationship with other countries.

In addition, she called for a designated area to be set aside for drivers of members of parliament.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14158-mps-approve-17-million-for-2017-parliamentary-budget

Criminal justice & legal system

Independent justice system to contribute to peace

Dili Weekly - November 25, 2016

Venidora Oliveira – First Lady Isabel Ferreira said that an independent justice system in Timor-Leste would contribute to the country's peace and stability and therefore the state should guarantee it.

She said that justice and peace cannot be separated because in order to strengthen the country's stability a strong justice system free of political interference was needed.

It is her view that Timor's justice system is still not independent as there continues to be political interference from politicians.

"The experts say justice and peace are not separate, so we need to create a strong and independent justice [system] to contribute to peace in the country," she said while participating in commemorations in Dili marking the 20th anniversary of the joint awarding of the Nobel Peace Price to Timor's Dr Jose Ramos-Horta and Bishop Carlos Belo.

She also called on the whole of society to make a contribution to strengthen the country's judicial system. "Anyone who is involved in cases – like the accused and the victim – should cooperate with the justice system, come to the court and give their declaration, so we don't accuse each other of not making contribution," she said.

Human Rights and Justice Ombudsmen (PDHJ) Silverio Baptista Pinto also agreed because an independent justice system would help ensure the state is protected.

"To have a democratic [system] that is more fair and balanced, the justice [system] should be strong and running independently," he said.

However, National MP Arao Noe Amaral disagreed with calls for the justice system to be free of political interference from politicians in Timor.

He said the courts cannot function alone without the government, National Parliament and the president. "The four organs should complete each other because they are inter-dependent on each other," he said.

He said those working in the justice system understood about the separation of powers, but should not forget that the four organs were interdependent on each other.

"The court cannot make decision without law: the government presents, the parliament approves and the president promulgates," he said.

"When it (laws) has already been promulgated then the law can be implemented, so this means the court also depends on the parliament, government and the President of the Republic."

Therefore, he said these organs were interdependent and did not function independently.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/security-defencejustice/14212-independent-justice-system-to-contribute-to-peace

Poverty & social inequity

Poverty rates in Timor-Leste in decline

Dili Weekly - November 10, 2016

Venidora Oliveira – Poverty rates in Timor-Leste have declined from 47.2% in 2007 to 30.3% in 2014, according to government data.

Deputy Minister of Finance Helder Lopes said the data was based on research conducted by the Ministry of Finance between April 2014 and April 2016, and involved 5916 households across the country.

He said the government conducted the assessment by going door-to-door to ask people about their living standards and ability to pay for basic necessities like food, housing, clothing and transport.

Other indicators used to identify whether poverty was declining in Timor were how many households had access to electricity and good sanitation, and whether all children in the family were attending school. Households with children under five were also assessed to determine if they were in the normal height and weight range.

In 2007, 36% of households had access to electricity, rising to 72% in 2014, 42% has access to good sanitation in 2007 rising to 60% in 2014, 58% of all children attending school in 2007 rising to 83% in 2014, 65% of children with normal weight under 5 years of age in 2007 rising to 84% in 2014 and 62% of the children with normal height in 2007 rising to 76% in 2014.

"This survey is important to measure the progress and efforts made by the government to reduce poverty and from the results we know that poverty is declining," Lopes said. He said the results also indicated how far Timor's development had progressed and which areas needed to be prioritized.

The research also showed that overall living standards in Timor-Leste had improved, with the number of people living below the poverty line decreasing from 50.4% in 2007 to 41.8% in 2014.

Meanwhile, National MP Albina Marcal called for regular studies to be conducted so the government could continue to monitor the progress. "It is good so that we can know about the development process and how much progress has been made and how many communities are the beneficiaries," she said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14160-poverty-rates-in-timor-leste-in-decline

Police & law enforcement

Calls for suburban police to receive better training

Dili Weekly - November 25, 2016

Venidora Oliveira – There are calls for the government to provide more training to Suburban Police (OPS) units to improve their professionalism at a grassroots level.

National MP Duarte Nunes said officers worked together directly with the communities they served and therefore needed to learn about ways they could establish a good relationship.

"They (OPS officers) need more training because they work and provide a direct service to the community, they need to know the ways to resolve the problems at suku (village) level," he told National parliament.

He acknowledged that although OPS officers had the capacity to resolve some non-serious cases at suku level and the government had provided some training, it was inadequate.

He also urged the government to create more effective conditions for OPS officers working at a grassroots level. He added that measuring the professionalism of a person also depended on the situation and the conditions in which they worked.

In response to the issue, Operation Commander Superintendent Chief Henrique da Costa said 30 OPS officers had attended training in Bali earlier this year.

During training they learned how to approach the community and professionally resolve cases. He said Indonesia was selected as the training destination as it had already successfully implemented a community-based policing service.

He said this could be used as a reference and model and help motivate officers to implement a similar system in Timor. He added some of OPS members have also attended training in Bekasi, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/security-defencejustice/14214-calls-for-suburban-police-to-receive-better-training

Foreign affairs & trade

Is China's influence in Timor-Leste rising?

The Diplomat - November 19, 2016

While there are indications of Beijing's growing reach, its role needs to be kept in perspective.

David Hutt – On September 13, the East Timorese government gave permission for its Ministry of Finance to begin the process of joining the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a move that would strengthen growing relations between China and Timor-Leste. This came a month before the 5th Macau Forum Ministerial Conference took place, bringing together senior officials from China and all Portuguese-speaking countries, which includes Timor-Leste, in an effort to promote better relations and trade.

Timor-Leste is Asia's youngest nation and Southeast Asia's poorest. First colonized by Portugal from 1701 until 1975, Indonesian forces landed on its shores just weeks after the Portuguese had left. They remained for another 24 years, during which time a third of the population is estimated to have died from execution, starvation, or disease. Independence was finally gained in 2002.

Since independence, Timor-Leste's two closest foreign partners have been Australia and Indonesia. However, relations with Australia have deteriorated in recent years, mainly over maritime borders in the Timor Sea, where there is an estimated $40 billion worth of oil and gas reserves. The case has been brought before the UN conciliation commission in The Hague. Last year, Timor-Leste also accused Australia of spying on its officials.

During a talk on Radio Australia in 2014, Estanislau da Silva, Timor-Leste's former deputy prime minister, announced: "We have neighbors, like Indonesia and Australia, but we also want to have a very close relationship with other continents, and particularly, China. China has been very, very supportive." Indeed, China provided funds for Timor-Leste's independence movement during the Indonesian occupation, unlike many Western governments, and supported the movement at the UN Security Council in the late 1970s, when many Western countries abstained on important votes until the later years. China was also the first county to establish diplomatic relations with independent Timor-Leste in 2002.

In recent years, China has built office buildings for Timor-Leste's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, and the Timor-Leste Defense Force, as well as the Presidential Palace. More than one thousand East Timorese civil servants have visited China for training, while thousands of Chinese technicians have tutored their counterparts on the latest agricultural methods, urban planning, tourism, and so on.

Economically, China means cheaper imports and potential exports for Timor-Leste. According to government statistics, in 2014, Timor-Leste spent $982 million on imports. Its exports, excluding petroleum, were worth just $91 million. This left a trade deficit of $891 million, a considerable sum given its GDP was just $1.37 billion that year. The majority of its imports still arrive from Indonesia and Singapore, but, in 2014, China became Timor-Leste's third largest provider of goods, worth $41 million that year.

Last year, when I was in Dili, the capital, I spoke to a businessman who sells agricultural machinery. "China is good. I can buy Chinese machines; the machines are good and cheaper," he told me. A friend of his, another Dili businessman, he said, had recently returned from a visit to China and was ready to invest several hundred thousand dollars in Chinese-built solar panels.

On December 18, Timor-Leste's government signed a loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China for a $50 million concessional loan to upgrade Dili's drainage system. "China does not come to help, but to cooperate with East Timor as an equal partner in the development of East Timor," China's ambassador to Timor-Leste, Liu Hongyang, said at the signing ceremony. He added the two countries have entered a "new phase of pragmatic co-operation."

The following month, the Chinese navy paid its first visit to Timor-Leste when a task force docked in Dili's port. Members of the Ministry of Defense and Security met with the Chinese commodore while the government held a ceremony to greet the arriving sailors. "It is not a show of force. It is displaying then strength of friendship between the countries," then-Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said at the time.

Geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific region often invokes a 21st century domino theory, with fears of where Chinese influence will extend to next, and whether such influence will suffocate other, typically Western, nations. But for all the talk of friendship, Timor-Leste is unlikely to pocket a quick buck for its sovereignty, which it fought so heroically to achieve. Nor has it been unwilling to criticize China's intentions in the South China Sea.

On March 15, President Taur Matan Ruak issued a joint statement with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, noting their "serious concern over the recent situation in the South China Sea," and promised to oppose "any unilateral actions that could change the status quo and increase tensions." It was the first statement by an East Timorese official on the issue.

Clinton Fernandes, Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales, told me after the event that it was an "own goal" for Ruak to stand next to the Japanese leader while he denounced China's conduct. "China gently rebuked Timor-Leste," he said, referring to a statement made the following day by China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, which did not specifically mention Timor-Leste. "Next time, [Timor-Leste] won't get away with it so easily," he added.

However, Timor-Leste did do it again. In June, days after The Hague's ruling on the South China Sea dispute, the government's leading spokesman, Minister of State Agio Pereira, commented in an official statement: "The role of the United Nations and the international community was pivotal in the restoration of our independence and the development of our Nation State. Timor-Leste strongly supports an international rules based order that promotes peace, protects the rights of nations and provides a mechanism for dispute resolution."

At the time of the Indonesian invasion in 1975, there were an estimated 20,000 ethnic Chinese living in Timor-Leste, chiefly in the capital. But during the occupation many emigrated to Australia, the Philippines, or China. By 2002, only between 2,000 and 3,000 remained, although many have returned since. While many have assimilated, tensions remain between the local and Chinese communities.

I spoke to an owner of a small hardware store in Dili, who, despite living in the capital for almost a decade, said he rarely mixes socially with the East Timorese and, instead, prefers to spend his time at the numerous Chinese community groups.

In the small altitudinous town of Maubisse, high in the forest, about 70 kilometers from the capital, I spoke to a number of Chinese technicians working on local development projects. "I do not like this country," said one. "I want to go home," added his colleague, who dragged heavily on a Chinese-branded cigarette.

An East Timorese acquaintance, who works in the development sector, said that except for eating at the local Chinese restaurants in Dili, he seldom talks to the ethnic Chinese, who keep themselves to themselves. He added that the East Timorese are often suspicious and sometimes believe the Chinese, particularly recent expatriates, are simply out to profiteer from Timor-Leste.

"The relationship between China and Timor-Leste has been very beneficial to China," Charles Scheiner, an analyst at La'o Hamutuk, an NGO based in Timor-Leste, told me.

Despite ever greater levels of aid and investment flowing into Timor-Leste from China, it tends to swell when heading in the opposite direction. China has provided $77 million in aid to Timor-Leste since 2011, Scheiner said, quoting official statistics, but since 2009 the government has awarded Chinese companies construction contracts worth more than $525 million.

Statistics from both Timor-Leste and China are often difficult to obtain, and frequently change depending on the source, but if the aforementioned statistics are anything to go by then for every dollar China invests in Timor-Leste its companies receive more than $6. Scheiner added: "It will be interesting to see if Chinese companies are still interested in a few years, after Timor-Leste's oil reserves are depleted, and the investment and cash flow process inevitably becomes smaller." In other words, when the money runs dry.

Most commentators agree that Timor-Leste's intentions, as has been its foreign policy since 2002, is "to have many international friends; to balance them against the others. So China is a useful strategic balance," as Damien Kingsbury, Professor of International Politics at Deakin University, told me.

"[But] the Timor-Leste government has been wary about China, and while it has accepted aid, it has also refused some of its advances, such as off-shore oil rights and radar arrays ostensibly to counter illegal fishing." He added: "Timor-Leste will continue to have good relations with China, but will not allow it or any one power to become too important."

Source: http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/is-chinas-influence-in-timor-leste-rising/

Economy & investment

Spinning straw into gold

La'o Hamutuk - November 23, 2016

Last week, Timor-Leste's government issued a press release Timor-Leste's economic outlook positive as reforms begin to show results.

The article, which draws on government, World Bank and IMF sources, portrays a rosy outlook for the future of Timor-Leste's economy. Unfortunately, by quoting out of context and ignoring key underlying realities, they paint a surrealistic image very different from the reality facing Timor-Leste as our oil revenues end, investments produce limited income, and planned state spending threatens to exhaust our savings in 10-12 years.

Any government entering an election cycle will spin the facts to convince voters that they are doing a good job. In a parliamentary democracy, most politicians' planning horizon doesn't extend beyond the next election. However, we hope that Timor-Leste's decision-makers don't believe their own propaganda, which could lead them not to adopt policies which would advance urgently-needed, sustainable, equitable economic development. Our people – especially the half-million who still live in poverty – deserve better than that.

The government press release quotes the World Bank's October East Asia and Pacific Economic Update: "Timor-Leste is facing an outlook starkly different to its recent past. Previously one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, it could become a post-oil country in as little as five years' time.... [The Government's] reform efforts are beginning to show results, with a pipeline of Foreign Direct Investment emerging... In 2016 and 2017, domestic growth is expected to continue in a similar range as the last two years, with growth forecast at 5.0 and 5.5 percent, respectively."

However, the same World Bank report also says "Development of the domestic economy will be essential. With no new oil fields under development and current wells depleting rapidly, Timor-Leste is expected to be a post-oil country in as little as five years' time. Oil production, exports and gross value added from the offshore oil sector will decline rapidly each year for the next few years.... Timor-Leste must employ its finite resource effectively and implement key reforms to support a more diversified economy.... A combination of marginal investments and high costs also raise important questions of the quality and prioritization of the [infrastructure] investment program.... Achieving the best results in terms of long-lasting economic and social impacts will require an effective management of the public investment program to ensure that projects are prioritized that have a high return and support steady and rapid progress along a viable path of economic development. This task requires careful planning, backed up by solid analysis."

The government also quoted a November press release from the IMF: IMF Concludes Staff Visit to Timor-Leste: "Economic activity in Timor-Leste is expanding at a satisfactory pace, and is likely to maintain the momentum into next year... the near-term outlook remains generally favorable with a continuing non-oil growth recovery accompanied by low inflation."

However, the IMF goes on to say "The medium-term outlook however depends critically on economic diversification as oil fields in operation are expected to be depleted by around 2020.... As projected withdrawals from the Petroleum Fund are above the estimated sustainable income levels, the PF balance is expected to decline over the medium-term.... Public investment should be better prioritized, focusing on projects with higher returns determined by rigorous investment appraisal."

The Government's press release cites its own Budget Overview that the "non-petroleum sector accounted for 39% of Timor-Leste's real Gross Domestic Product in 2014, and that real non-oil GDP grew by 5.9%." Although this is technically correct, it conceals two key points:

'Non-oil' GDP is an increasing portion of total GDP not because of improvements in non-petroleum sectors, but because oil GDP dropped by 40% in 2014. The petroleum sector is shrinking rapidly as oil and gas fields are used up. Total GDP dropped by 28% in 2014, so non-oil GDP is now a slightly bigger slice of a much smaller pie.

The largest parts of 'non-oil' GDP – and virtually all of its growth – are financed by government spending. Inflation-adjusted Government spending in 2014 was 23.2% higher than it had been in 2013, and more than 90% of it was financed from oil and gas income.

La'o Hamutuk has concerns about GDP as a measure of economic performance (it shows how people with money are doing, and leaves out those who have little). Nevertheless, we made a graph to illustrate the relative size of petroleum and non-petroleum GDP over the years. The figures for 2003-2014 come from the Government's latest National Accounts report, while 2015 is the preliminary estimate done by the IMF earlier this year. For 2016 through 2021, this graph shows projections by the IMF, which assume that inflation-corrected, 'non-oil' GDP will grow between 5.5% and 6.5% every year.

However, La'o Hamutuk believes that the IMF projections are overly optimistic for two reasons.

Their oil sector GDP is based on outdated information. In the proposed 2017 budget, the government reduced its projections for future oil revenues by half, and this will cause the dwindling oil sector GDP to fall even faster. Most 'non-oil' GDP growth is driven by government spending (90% of which comes from oil money).

If you leave out construction and public administration, the growth in the non-oil GDP sectors which are not primarily reliant on government expenditures has barely kept up with inflation and population growth.

La'o Hamutuk used Government projections of oil revenues and state spending to make our own projections for oil and non-oil GDP. The contribution of the petroleum sector is already very small, and it becomes negligible after 2017. The Government projects that its spending, which grew an average of 18% per year from 2009 to 2014, will be the same in 2021 as in 2016, although it will be higher in intervening years. Although our analysis assumes a 5% annual real growth in the non-government part of 'non-oil' GDP, we conclude that total GDP per capita in 2021 will be $1,031 per person per year (in 2010 dollars), or $4.75 per person per day in 2021 dollars, about one-fourth of what it was from 2006 to 2013.

The IMF's more optimistic formula expects $6.46 per person per day in 2021 dollars, which, if shared equally, is enough to bring every Timorese person slightly above the poverty line, but still not enough to enjoy a comfortable life. However, if the current pattern continues – with most economic activity primarily benefiting a small fraction of our people – poverty could be even worse than it is today.

We agree with the statement in the Government's press release and Program which says that "it is urgent we diversify our economy [by focusing on] expanding and modernizing the agriculture sector, building a thriving tourism sector, encouraging much higher levels of private sector activity and activating industries, including the growth and expansion of small and micro businesses." Last month, the Ministry of Finance told Parliament that agriculture (hunger and malnutrition), health, education, water/sanitation, basic infrastructure and the election are the government's "national priorities" for 2017.

While La'o Hamutuk wishes that this was true, the proposed 2017 budget allocations tell a very different story. Education and agriculture spending in 2017 will be lower than any year since 2012, and health, water and rural infrastructure continue to be neglected. The big-ticket items, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, are Tasi Mane's highway, airport and supply base, ZEESM, Dili airport and Tibar port, none of which are likely to provide economic and social benefits for most of Timor-Leste's people.

Every country's government cherry-picks facts and spins stories to paint itself in a positive light. It is the role of civil society groups like La'o Hamutuk – as well as journalists, academics, development partners and ordinary citizens – to hold them accountable to the truth, as we have tried to do in this article and in our submission and presentation to Parliament.

More importantly, it is the responsibility of Parliamentarians, technical civil servants and conscientious political leaders to ensure that public relations claims intended to mislead do not get implemented as policy mistakes which damage the future of Timor-Leste's children. We hope that they are up to the task.

Source: http://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/2016/11/spinning-straw-into-gold.html

Original Tais of Timor-Leste endangered

Dili Weekly - November 23, 2016

Paulina Quintao – The original tais (traditional cloth) of the Timor-Leste is in grave danger of becoming extinct due to the government's inaction to develop policy to promote and protect traditional tais weaving.

The Executive Director of Alola foundation, Alzira Reis said some of the tais currently being sold in Dili are imitations and some even imported by foreign entrepreneurs.

"We should have a law that protects our tais from imitations," said Reis. She added that the Alola foundation has an original tais Timor collection from every municipality that has been placed in the cultural museum.

Another concern is that many tais weaving groups use imported dyes and cotton for making the tais as opposed to using traditional natural dyes and local cotton when making tais.

Meanwhile National MP Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares said Timor does not in fact have a specific law that protects that tais of Timor and that the government must first determine the origins of tais.

"There is no law yet because to establish the law we must identify our original arts," she said. "Because our art is similar to that of other countries' in Asia," she said.

She added that every municipality has different shape and designs in their tais but the originality has been almost lost because these have been modernized and use foreign production materials such as the dyes and cotton threads used.

"It is a difficult process. It takes much time and effort to weave a tais so many people are not interested anymore. They are looking at easier ways to produce more," said the MP.

In terms of quality and originality the tais should be made using local cotton and threads. The colour dyes should be made using local natural bark and leaves as this will ensure the high quality and durability of the tais.

Meanwhile the Deputy Minister for Commerce, Industry and Environment (MCIE), Filipus Nino Pereira said the government is conducting a study on the origins of tais weaving but has not completed it yet.

The DM added the government would not tolerate entrepreneurs imitating tais for making clothes to be sold in Timor cheaply.

"This will ruin the originality of the tais. It also lowers the value of the tais made traditionally by Timorese women who put much time and effort to weave tais," he said.

DP Pereira added that once the study is complete the government will take the original tais of Timor to register with UNESCO and the United Nations so that it is recognised as an original cultural product of Timor-Leste.

Finally he said the government is also looking at how it can create a law that will protect the originality of tais.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/development/14198-original-tais-of-timor-leste-endangered

East Timor economy expands at 'satisfactory' rate

Macau Daily Times - November 10, 2016

Economic activity in East Timor is expanding at a "satisfactory" pace that is expected to continue in 2017, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a statement released on Monday in Washington.

The IMF said, however, that Timorese economic development in the medium term will depends on the ability to diversify, given that most of the oil wells currently in operation are expected to be exhausted by 2020.

An IMF team, led by Yu Ching Wong, visited Timor-Leste from October 24 to 28 in order to assess recent economic developments and analyze government policies, and held meetings with the Minister of Finance, with the vice-governors of the Timor-Leste Central Bank and held meetings with representatives of the private sector and civil society.

"Public investment should be carried out more effectively by focusing on projects with higher returns, determined by rigorous evaluation of each of these projects," a strategy that "would ensure more effective Oil Fund spending," according to Yu Ching Wong.

The IMF says that real non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow 5 percent this year, supported by public expenditure and that prices will fall 0.6 percent, with the balance of trade changing from a surplus to a deficit of 9.9 percent of GDP, "largely due to the strong increase in imports related to the increase in public investment."

The budget deficit this year will be 13.9 percent of GDP, with the increase in expenditure financed by additional withdrawals from the Oil Fund. MDT/Macauhub

Source: http://macaudailytimes.com.mo/east-timor-economy-expands-at-satisfactory-rate.html

Invasion & occupation

President urges young people to study hard

Dili Weekly - November 23, 2016

Paulina Quintao – Timor-Leste President Taur Matan Ruak used commemorations for the 25th anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre to call on young people to study and work hard towards a better future and continue the struggle to improve people's well-being because it was the heroes' dream.

He said in the past young people had dedicated their lives to defend the country during the illegal occupations rather than going to school and as a result many had a poor standard of education once Timor finally gained independence. The President said there was no longer any reason for people to be illiterate,

"If you do not want to take chance you will lose," he said at the official commemorations and the National Day of Youth at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili. "Do not forget, the opportunity only comes once."

The President also thanked the families of the dead on behalf of the state for the sacrifice made by their sons and daughters for the future of the country.

Hundreds of young people died on November 12, 1991 after being shot by Indonesian forces during a peaceful demonstration while marching from Motael church to Santa Cruz cemetery.

The demonstration occurred after Indonesian forces attacked Motael church on October 28, 1991, killing pro-independence activist Sebastiao Gomes died.

He said the government had decided to designate November 12 as National Day of Youth to encourage young people to maintain the fighting spirit of those that died fighting for independence.

As the head of state, he said he was proud of the commemorations this year as the government had established an organizing committee, as well as a team to research and write a historical book documenting young people's struggle for freedom.

He said the book was very important for the new generation so that they could have a better understanding of the history and not lose the fighting spirit as this was the key to success.

During commemorations, the government also launched a new monument honouring victims of the massacre which will be constructed in front of the Santa Cruz cemetery.

Meanwhile, President of the November 12 Committee and survivor Grigorio Saldanha said this year's commemorations were held under the theme 'Serving is an honor for the heroes'.

He hoped this would inspire everyone to work hard to change the daily mentality and establish a good future for Timor.

"You should study hard, respect and love one and another, avoid violence, avoid liquor, drugs, staying awake all night and being too lazy to work because you are our hope that the struggle will continue for people's well-being and to establish a good Timor-Leste in the future," he appealed to young people in a speech on the day.

He said the sacrifice made by the youth and Maubere people to win independence should inspire everyone to follow.

He said everyone should make a promise to make sacrifices every day and that public servants should work hard and maintain high standards and avoid bad behavior such as violence, corruption and nepotism because these attitudes only brought suffering to people.

Meanwhile, President of the National Youth Council of Timor-Leste (CNJTL) Dadi Magno said young people had an obligation to continue the struggle for a better future and keep the dream alive of those that sacrificed their lives in the past.

"For the youths who are lazy, undisciplined and have no vision and dream, wake up, stand and move forward to show that we young people are able and we are," she said.

As the new generation, she said young people must continue to hold on tightly to their cultural values, religion and history in order to bring change in Timor, especially in terms of improving the lives of people, which was a good way to honor those that fought for freedom.

To remember victims of the massacre, thousands of people attended a mass at Motael church before participating in a procession to the Santa Cruz cemetery.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/capital/14194-president-urges-young-people-to-study-hard

Remains of 12 Santa Cruz victims finally returned to families for burial

Dili Weekly - November 18, 2016

Paulina Quintao – The November 12 Committee has worked with the government to identify the remains of 12 people killed in the Santa Cruz massacre 25 years ago.

The remains have now been returned to the families for burial according to Timorese tradition.

Committee President Gregorio Saldanha said many of those who died in the Santa Cruz massacre were still unaccounted for.

Sixty-eight people are registered as missing, with the remains of 12 people returned to their families and another two which have yet to undergo DNA testing.

He said it was difficult task as it was not easy for people to provide information about the final resting place of those who died.

"It is time for the government to approach the Indonesian government to reveal the gravesites of all heroes who died in the war [for independence], especially those who died in the massacre of November 12 (1991)," he said at official commemorations marking the 25th anniversary of the massacre and the 11th National Day of Youth at Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili.

He said the remains of 10 people killed during other incidents were also recently discovered. The remains are currently being stored at the National Hospital and are awaiting DNA testing.

He said the committee continued to work with the government and families to locate the remains of those who died fighting for Timor's independence.

He also called on anyone with information about the final resting place of victims to come forward so that they could receive a proper burial.

Hundreds of young people died on November 12, 1991 after being shot by Indonesian forces during a peaceful demonstration while marching from Motael church to Santa Cruz cemetery.

The demonstration was triggered after Indonesian forces attacked demonstrators in at Motael church on October 28, 1991, killing pro-independence activist Sebastiao Gomes.

During official commemorations, President Taur Matan Ruak, thanked the families of the dead on behalf of the state for the sacrifice made by their sons and daughters.

"Thank you for your generosity, we will not forget you, your country will not forget you, [and] to generation after will remember you because your sons and daughters are Timor's heroes," he said.

Although the Santa Cruz massacre sparked international attention and shone a spotlight on human rights violations in Timor-Leste, he said a number of other massacres like Cararas also occurred during Indonesian occupation.

The President used the historical day to call for survivors to join together to fight for people's well-being as although the country now had its independence, many Timorese continue to live in poverty.

Meanwhile, local youth Juvinal Soares said the government had an obligation to locate the remains of all people who died for their country and are still unaccounted for, not just those who died on November 12, 1991.

"I think it is the state's obligation to find out the grave of the heroes and give them a proper place for burial because they died defending the country not because they were sick," he said.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/news/14184-remains-of-12-santa-cruz-victims-finally-returned-to-families-for-burial

25 years after the Santa Cruz massacre: Did corporations influence Western

ETAN Blog - November 13, 2016

David Webster – Digging into the archival records isn't purely academic. It can tell us why governments make the decisions they did – and suggest ways to influence future government decisions.

The Santa Cruz massacre, when Indonesian troops shot a crowd of unarmed pro-independence protesters in East Timor (now independent Timor-Leste) serves as an example. Film footage captured by British journalist Max Stahl, along with reports from US journalists Allan Nairn and Amy Goodman, led to a wave of outrage and activism in Western countries which had supported Indonesia's occupation of East Timor for years. As Timor-Leste president Taur Matan Ruak noted in his speech commemorating the 25 anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre: "The images recorded by those journalists and the articles they wrote travelled the world and spread news of the crime committed in Santa Cruz on 12 November 1991."

Archival records show that governments were sensitive to this pressure and wanted to give the appearance of responding to it in some fashion.

But there was another, much more hidden lobby. Western corporations that were doing business – highly profitable business – in Indonesia also lobbied governments. Much of this was visible. The East Timor Action Network/US pointed to the role of US business lobbies and public relations firms, for instance. But it is difficult to track this lobbying and determine how intense it was.

Archives can help here. The Canadian government archives give one example. Other countries are likely to have a similar pattern of corporate lobbying visible. After the Santa Cruz massacre, as pressure for sanctions against the Indonesian military regime grew, business lobbied to prevent any effective action being taken by the government, calling instead for verbal pressure only.

Canadian companies lobbied hard for "business as usual" with Indonesia in the month after the massacre, the archival record indicates. There are many more letters on the Canadian government's East Timor file from companies than is normal on foreign policy files. A few examples from November and December 1991 follow.

Power generation company Babcock and Wilcox wrote to Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, who had just declared Canada would do more on human rights. Saying they were expecting nearly a billion US dollars in business in the coming year, the company pleased for the government to do nothing that could harm these anticipated profits. The letter: babcock-1991-11-28.

That letter led to a stiff note from the Ontario International Corporation to the Canadian government's Department of International Trade. The OIC was an agency of the government of Ontario, Canada's largest province and home to Babcock and the largest number of corporate head offices in Canada. At the time, Ontario was governed by the New Democratic Party led by Premier Bob Rae. The OIC letter said that any reduction of Canadian aid would cause Indonesia to "invoke punitive counter measures which will severely threaten Canada's (in large part, Ontario's) commercial interests." OIC letter: oic-1991-12-09

The Canadian ambassador to Indonesia invited Canadian business representatives in Jakarta to breakfast at her residence, to brief them on Canada's plans to review aid to Indonesia as a means of human rights pressure over East Timor. This drew lobbying letters from the associations and representatives of Canadian companies operating in Indonesia. "If Canada chooses to be one of the first countries to cut off aid to Indonesia [it] will set back Canada's position in Indonesia [and] have very serious economic consequences on Canadian companies," wrote the Canadian Investment Advisor in Indonesia. (This letter is dated December 7, the 16th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion of East Timor.) The Advisor's letter: investment-advisor-1991-12-07

The Canadian Business Association in Jakarta sent a similar letter to Brian Mulroney. If Canada suspended aid without waiting for the findings of an internal Indonesian government inquiry into the Santa Cruz massacre, the Association wrote, "then Canada is guilty of meddling in the internal affairs of this country." This was an odd conclusion, given that very few countries recognized Indonesia's annexation of East Timor (certainly the United Nations did not). It was odder still in arguing that reducing or even reviewing Canadian aid programmes was a function of Indonesian sovereignty. The association argued that Canadian business in Indonesia was booming and that helped to advance human rights, and asked Ottawa to do nothing until the Indonesian internal inquiry was complete. CBA letter: cba-1991-12-06

Meanwhile in Ottawa, foreign minister Barbara McDougall met with the Canadian Exporters Association, the umbrella group for Canadian companies selling products to other countries. The influential CEA repeated its stance that political pressure for human rights overseas not interfere with Canadian trade. Nothing should be done to harm the "innocent" in Indonesia -a group within which the CEA included Canadian companies there. Cutting Canadian aid to Indonesia, the CEA said, "would irreparably damage Canada's long term dedicated and committed efforts to penetrate Indonesian-ASEAN markets." In other words, for the CEA promoting human rights was fine, but protecting Canadian trade was more important. CEA letter: cea-1991-12-06

Another Canadian company, CAL, joined the lobby with letters to the ministers of foreign affairs, international trade, and international development. CAL expressed support for the idea of human rights but said cutting aid would risk $500-million of business the company expected in Indonesia in the coming five years. Instead, it called for a round table conversation among Canadians, with no concrete action taken for the moment. CAL letter: cal-1991-12-06

As the Canadian government prepared to review its aid programme to Indonesia, Canadian business interests mobilized to lobby against this plan. They had no objection to verbal expressions of concern to the Indonesian government, but they wanted to make sure that the Canadian government did not reduce its aid to Indonesia, for fear this would affect potential profit.

It would be surprising if the same was not happening in other Western countries with business interests in Indonesia. At the time, activists claimed that Western governments were putting trade ahead of human rights. A slice of the Canadian archival records, for one month in 1991, shows that yes, business was certainly lobbying hard to prevent strong pressure on Indonesia, and using arguments about profit to make their case.

About David Webster

Associate professor of History at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Past positions in Toronto, San Francisco and Regina, Saskatchewan. Author of Fire and the Full Moon: Canada and Indonesia in a Decolonizing World (UBC Press, 2009) and collection editor of East Timor: Testimony (Between the Lines, 2004). Human rights advocacy on Timor-Leste and other regions bordering the Pacific. Research focuses include trans-Pacific interactions between Canada and Asia, the diplomacy of independence movements in Asia, and the histories of international organizations.

Source: http://etanaction.blogspot.com/2016/11/25-years-after-santa-cruz-massacre-did.html

Allan Nairn returns to East Timor On 25th anniversary of Dili Massacre when U.S.

Democracy Now - November 12, 2016

Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre on November 12, 1991. Journalists Allan Nairn and Amy Goodman were there when Indonesian troops opened fire on a peaceful memorial procession at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili. The soldiers were armed with U.S. M16s and killed more than 270 East Timorese. We go to East Timor to speak with investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who has returned to the scene of the massacre, where young people re-enacted what occurred. "There was crying, but it was like a celebration of power," Nairn notes, because the Timorese response to the attack sparked an international movement that led the U.S. to cut off military aid, and East Timor eventually won its independence. "People here are not underestimating their power. Americans, we shouldn't underestimate ours, either."

Transcript

Juan Gonzalez: Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the Santa Cruz massacre. It was November 12th, 1991, and journalists Allan Nairn and Amy Goodman were there when Indonesian troops opened fire on a peaceful memorial procession at the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili.

Amy Goodman: The Indonesian military was armed with U.S. M16s. They killed more than 270 East Timorese on that day, November 12th, 1991. We're going to go back to that day with the documentary Allan and I produced as we witnessed this massacre, called Massacre: The Story of East Timor.

Jose Ramos-Horta: I lost one sister and two brothers.

East Timorese woman: It was 10 days before I was to give birth. The army was shooting people, and they would die at our feet, but you couldn't stop to help them.

Jose Ramos-Horta: I know families that were totally wiped out.

East Timorese man: Two American newsmen badly beaten: Mr. Allan Nairn and Miss Amy Goodman.

Amy Goodman: The Indonesian army converged in two places.

Allan Nairn: Hundreds and hundreds of troops coming straight at the Timorese.

Amy Goodman: When they came, they opened fire on the people.

President George H.W. Bush: We pride ourselves, and I think properly so, in standing up for human rights.

Richard Boucher: Military assistance programs expose the trainees to democratic ideas and humanitarian standards.

President Bill Clinton: I'm very concerned about what's happened in East Timor. We have ignored it so far in ways that I think are unconscionable.

Amy Goodman: Massacre: The Story of East Timor. I'm Amy Goodman.

Amy Goodman: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. That was 25 years ago today, 271 people killed. We're going right now to Dili. Allan Nairn is in Dili, East Timor, the capital. He just came from the cemetery where there was a re-enactment of the massacre.

Allan, we only have a few minutes. Can you tell us what people are saying 25 years later and what it's like for you – you were wounded, your skull was fractured by the Indosian military – to return to the site?

Allan Nairn: Well, it's really something, because what they did tonight was – these were young people, many of whom were not born at the time of the massacre, or they were little kids. They played the part, the soldiers and the marchers, and they had studied their – their history. At the end of this pageant, it looked like it did on that day. That street, the actual street in front of the cemetery, was covered with bodies. But these bodies rose up. They started singing. People who were playing the soldiers came forward, they broke their guns. And the spirit was not solemn. It wasn't mourning. There was crying, but it was like a celebration of power. People often make the mistake of underestimating their own power. That was not the atmosphere here. People were celebrating it, because what the Timorese actually did after the real Dili massacre was they sparked an international movement. In the U.S., we were able, through grassroots pressure, to get the Congress to cut off U.S. military aid to the Indonesian military one step at a time, and eventually ended the occupation of Timor. They won their independence.

It also brought down the dictator, Suharto, of Indonesia, because when the Indonesians themselves rose in rebellion against him in Jakarta in '98, he looked into the faces of those Indonesian protesters, and he imagined he saw the eyes of the Timorese. He was afraid, if he opened fire on the – on his own protesters, his remaining U.S. aid would be cut off. His security man told me later they specifically feared it would be another Santa Cruz, that they'd pay too heavy of a price, because the Timorese had already made them pay a price. So Suharto trembled, he hesitated, and he fell, because the people in Jakarta were emboldened. They kept coming out in the streets in waves, and they ended that dictatorship. And all this radiated from the actions of the East Timorese, who on that morning seemed like they were crushed. You know, I think the Indonesian generals, the poor generals, must have been thinking, "My god, what do we have to do to kill these people? They keep coming back and defeating us."

Amy Goodman: Allan, we have 10 seconds.

Allan Nairn: You know, a lot of people have been asking about Trump. They're giving their condolences. People here are not underestimating their power. Americans, we shouldn't underestimate ours, either. This could have – what happened in the U.S. radiated from the collapse of the American middle class. U.S. could have swung radically left with Sanders. It ended up swinging radically right with Trump, because the Democratic establishment has completely discredited itself. The party is ripe for takeover. This isn't over in the U.S. It shouldn't be.

Amy Goodman: Allan Nairn, we're going to do Part 2 of this conversation after the broadcast. Thanks for joining us. Allan Nairn, speaking to us from Dili, East Timor.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/11/11/allan_nairn_returns_to_east_timor

Analysis & opinion

Happy birthday Timor! Our gift to you is to steal your oil, and your future

New Matilda - November 27, 2016

Ella Fabry – Tomorrow, November 28, one of the world's newest nations, Timor Leste, will celebrate the anniversary of its declaration of independence from foreign rule. It's unfortunate that against that backdrop of pride and celebration, Timor continues to fight for self-determination and economic security against a much wealthier neighbour.

It should come as no surprise that this neighbour is Australia, and that Australia has been trashing international law for 14 years, at the expense of a much poorer nation. In recent history, Timor has been occupied by two foreign powers – Portugal and Indonesia – before finally being declared independent in 2002. A few weeks before independence, Australia withdrew its recognition of the maritime boundary jurisdiction at the International Court of Arbitration.

This is a wordy way of saying that Australia realised the rules might prevent them from accessing resources in the Timor Sea, so they decided to claim that they didn't recognise the rules any more. The resulting negotiations – free from any sort of independent arbitration – have created a situation where Timor does not have a permanent maritime boundary, Australia is missing 1.8 per cent of its boundary, and large chunks of resources that lie entirely on Timor's side of the ocean are being harvested by a country that should, in any event, be severely limiting its use of fossil fuels.

Instead, Australia is focussed on taking East Timor's oil.

There is a significant amount of money at stake in this dispute. The last treaty signed by Australia and Timor (which is currently being examined by the Permanent Court of Arbitration) stipulated a 50/50 split of any revenue from the Greater Sunrise Field. This field is as yet completely undeveloped, and it's projected to be worth around $40 billion (USD) over 20 years.

To put that into some kind of perspective, Timor's Gross Domestic Product in 2015 was just over $1.4 billion. Australia's was $1.34 trillion.

For Australia, the difference between accessing the Greater Sunrise field or not is significantly less than 1 per cent of its annual revenue. For Timor, the difference is the potential to almost double revenue, to be able to significantly increase spending in health and education programs and significantly reduce still high infant mortality rates over the next 20 years. But more than these visible results, it provides Timor with the economic security that is needed to invest and create other revenue streams in the future.

On top of this, the relationship between Australia and Timor has long been a policy area where public opinion and government policy are at loggerheads. In 1999, a diverse range of Australians campaigned to send Australian Peacekeepers to Timor to assist with the transition to independence. Many Australians disagreed with the boundary negotiations in 2002, and in 2005 when Australia was back at the negotiating table, thousands of Australians chipped in to put ads on television about the issue.

Even now, with very little coverage in the mainstream media or by any political party, Australians remain aware and supportive of Timor. Anecdotally, since I started working on this issue I've discussed it with friends and family of highly variant levels of political engagement. All of them had at least a basic understanding of what the issue was as soon as I mentioned "the Timor Sea" and "oil". This experience is backed by recent polling suggesting that the majority of Australians understand the issue enough to want it to be resolved in conjunction with international law.

Rarely do we see international issues where political opinion and political action are so polarised.

Most of all, this is an issue of fairness. Look at the map of the oil and gas fields and draw a line halfway between Australia and Timor. The resources are on their side.

Prior to Timor's independence, Australia signed resource sharing agreements in the Timor Sea with Indonesia. Footage can still be found of Australia's then Foreign Minister Gareth Evans sharing a champagne with his Indonesian counterpart as they divided up the spoils of occupation.

For decades the Australian Government has watched passively as Timor resisted colonisation, invasion, occupation and state terrorism. Tomorrow, the Timorese will proudly celebrate their resilience in the face of innumerable atrocities.

People across Australia will no doubt celebrate with them, while our Government continues to steal their resources and jeopardise their future.

Source: https://newmatilda.com/2016/11/27/happy-birthday-timor-our-gift-to-you-is-to-steal-more-of-your-oil/

Timor-Leste approaching 2017 elections with confidence

The Diplomat - November 19, 2016

Timor-Leste looks forward to successful elections next year and stand ready to strengthen its relationships as a member of ASEAN.

Agio Pereira – The article "Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste Prepare for Strategic Elections," published November 14 in The Diplomat, opined on the likelihood of Timor-Leste's early accession into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) while omitting to take into account significant milestones achieved by the country over the past eight years.

Timor-Leste, located in Southeast Asia – recognized as a sovereign state by all ASEAN members and ready to abide by the Charter and willing to carry out the obligations of membership – already fulfills all the membership criteria stipulated in Article 6 of the ASEAN Charter. In recent years, embassies have been established in all ten ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste already participates in ASEAN Regional Forum meetings and workshops.

From the restoration of independence in 2002, regional integration has been a foreign policy priority evidenced by Timor-Leste's active participation in forums such as the annual Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, the Jakarta Defense Dialogue, the Bali Democracy Forum, the Bali Process, the Southwest Pacific Dialogue, and more. On the international front, the country pioneered the G7+ group and has just finished its two-year leadership role in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, representing nine countries and over 250 million people.

Timor-Leste's ASEAN National Secretariat has rolled out comprehensive awareness and capacity building programs to ensure that the country ticks all the boxes for integration with ASEAN. This year, Dili hosted the 2016 ASEAN Peoples' Forum, the largest annual gathering of civil society from the region.

On the human and economic development front, Timor-Leste has made notable gains.

A recent report by the World Bank indicates that "Timor-Leste is facing an outlook starkly different to its recent past. Previously one of the most oil-dependent countries in the world, it could become a post-oil country in as little as five years' time." The same report observes that the government's "reform efforts are beginning to show results, with a pipeline of FDI [foreign direct investment] emerging."

The World Bank forecasts Timor-Leste's economy to clock 5.0 and 5.5 percent growth in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

In the Boston Consulting Group's 2016 Sustainable Economic Development Assessment, Timor-Leste ranked 7th of 160 states for making the most progress in converting economic growth into well-being. A major study announced at the United Nations this year and published in the medical journal The Lancet rated Timor-Leste the "most improved" of 188 nations in the health-related Sustainable Development Goals index for the period 2000-2015.

The government's faithful implementation of the country's Strategic Development Plan is delivering essential infrastructure such as roads, electricity (72 percent of Timor-Leste's population now live in households with access to power), telecommunications, and internet connectivity. A new world-class port is scheduled to come on line in 2020. Economic diversification, the steady increase in foreign investment, and the nurturing of small and medium-sized enterprises ensure that the country's economy will grow and create jobs and opportunities for the youth.

The author of the referenced article framed Timor-Leste as a "struggling democracy" with "a history of communal violence." That is unfair. Timor-Leste has been peaceful for the greatest part of its 14 years as an independent nation. A flare-up in the early years of independence – a common occurrence in post-conflict situations – was doused within a relatively short time and the country returned to calm.

As for democracy, in today's context where many countries struggle to mobilize their citizens to the ballot box to vote, Timorese do not take their democratic rights – for which they have paid a great price – for granted. Voter turnout is high. Local elections conducted across the country's 2,225 villages in October and November this year were orderly, free, and fair with results accepted by all. The number of women elected to the position of suco (village) chief doubled. Timor-Leste has every reason to look to the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in 2017 with confidence and as valued opportunity for people to participate in the democratic process.

Having emerged from a long foreign occupation, Timorese leaders of every political stripe highly value peace and stability as fundamental to the national interest. The citizenry will not reward those who try to make political gains by sowing strife.

While the size of the Timorese economy and market are currently relatively small, they will grow. Size does not, will not, and should not preclude Timor-Leste from being brought into the fold of ASEAN, which was created with the view toward establishing and maintaining peace and stability so that the countries of Southeast Asia can focus on nation-building and development. It is the success of this basic vision of ASEAN that has led it to its next iteration as the ASEAN Economic Community.

Peace, security, and stability are mutually reinforcing in the neighborhood of nations. They remain ever relevant and the bedrock of ASEAN. Timor-Leste has emerged from a difficult history to form a firm friendship with its neighbor and former occupier, Indonesia. Both countries recognized that mutual respect and support are necessary for both Timor-Leste and Indonesia to nurture and consolidate their developing democracies. This has been a remarkable example of reconciliation and mutual consideration.

Every country in ASEAN has expressed support for Timor-Leste's entry into the grouping. Timor-Leste brings to the table the valuable experience of peace-building, a link to the Lusophone countries, a bridge to the South Pacific, and the opportunities of a new and untapped market and destination. The inclusion of this Southeast nation into ASEAN will further enhance the stability and prosperity of the region.

[Agio Pereira is the Minister of State and Spokesperson of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.]

Source: http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/timor-leste-approaching-2017-elections-with-confidence/

Recalling the Dili Massacre

Khmer Times - November 8, 2016

Sonny Inbaraj Krishnan – This Saturday marks the 25th anniversary of the Dili massacre, when 270 East Timorese – including Malaysian-New Zealander Kamal Bamadhaj – were killed when Indonesian troops opened fire on a peaceful demonstration at the Santa Cruz cemetery in East Timor's capital Dili on November 12, 1991.

The killings in Dili transformed East Timor – now known as Timor-Leste – from a non-issue to a major news item overnight due to the presence of foreign witnesses – journalists masquerading as tourists, as the Indonesians later alleged. The unthinkable had happened for East Timor's self-determination movement, albeit at a terrible human cost.

Almost eight years later, in late August 1999, the East Timorese would go on to vote in a UN-sponsored referendum to break away from Indonesia – again at a tremendous human cost with retreating Indonesian special forces and their machete-wielding militiamen torching Dili, ransacking homes and running amuck in an orgy of violence and killing.

The UN, which ran East Timor after the ballot, estimates that more than 1,000 people were killed in the violence.

Mr. Bamadhaj, of Malaysian and New Zealand parentage, was in Dili on November 1991 working as a volunteer translator for Community Aid Abroad, an Australian-based NGO. Witnesses said the student from the University of New South Wales, who was in his early 20s, had died a week after being shot at least three times by Indonesian soldiers during the incident.

In September 1999 this was verified by this writer, then on assignment in East Timor, and Indonesian researcher George Aditjondro when we stumbled upon military documents in a burned-out Indonesian special forces interrogation center in Dili. These documents were later handed to Yayasan Hak – an East Timorese human rights NGO.

A week after the November 12 shootings in Dili, Mr. Bamadhaj's body was flown to Malaysia where he was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Kuala Lumpur. The curious thing was that even though reporters from the local media covered the funeral service, there were no reports about it in the next day's papers.

One newspaper went as far as saying that the mother of Mr. Bamadhaj, a New Zealander, had requested the Indonesian authorities to fly her son's body to New Zealand for the burial. Ironically, a reporter from that paper had been present at Mr. Bamadhaj's funeral in Kuala Lumpur the previous day.

To the relatives of Mr. Bamadhaj, it was clear that there was a concerted attempt to downplay the fact that he had legitimate claims to Malaysian citizenship and therefore Malaysians had a right to be informed of the circumstances that led to his death. The Malaysian government's tight control over the press made this task relatively easy.

The Home Ministry ordered the media to mention only that Mr. Bamadhaj was a New Zealand passport holder, and hence only report the reaction of the New Zealand government.

In the name of Asean "solidarity," the Malaysian government had chosen to censure all news on Mr. Bamadhaj's identity in order to avoid stepping on the toes of its bigger neighbor, Indonesia.

In November 1996, Malaysia again responded the "Asean way" when challenged over its stand on East Timor. That meant time in detention for 66 local activists and local and foreign journalists – including then Asiaweek correspondent Roger Mitton and Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Catherine McGuire – who attended an Asia-Pacific conference on East Timor at a hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian immigration police also deported 46 foreign participants who were at the conference.

Former Malaysian deputy prime minister, and now jailed opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, in justifying the arrests, said: "This is Indonesia's internal issue and it [East Timor] is part of Indonesian territory. We respect their national integrity. If there are issues, we will discuss them the Asean way."

Fast forward 25 years later after the Dili massacre and things have dramatically changed for the better. East Timor became independent in April 2002 and former senator Walden Belo of the Philippines aptly described the world's newest nation, at the time, as an emerging Vietnam in the South Pacific.

"The [East] Timorese have emerged as the Vietnamese of the South Pacific, people willing to take endless punishment to keep alive the dream of a liberated country. And like the Vietnamese in their struggle against the French and the Americans, the [East] Timorese need all the help they can get from the rest of the world."

Indeed, history has its quirks as moments in time. Zadie Smith, the author of White Teeth, writes: "Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories."

Ironically, both Malaysia and Indonesia now are ardent supporters of the new East Timor and are pushing hard for its inclusion into Asean, supported strongly by Cambodia. Malaysia and Indonesia, too, have given numerous scholarships to East Timorese youth to study in both countries' universities and technical colleges.

And all this has been made possible by the magnanimous reconciliatory efforts of East Timor's former prime minister and Nobel Peace Laureate Jose Ramos-Horta and former president Xanana Gusmao.

Mr. Ramos-Horta once told this writer: "In this struggle for independence there are no winners and losers. We are all winners and we are all, also, losers."

In 2002, East Timor was recognized as an Asean observer and joined the Asean Regional Forum in 2005. In 2011, with help from development partners and support from the charismatic Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan, East Timor submitted a formal application to join the regional bloc in 2011.

Twenty-five years ago, the cries for self-determination by the East Timorese were met with brutal force. Now, in the 21st century, East Timor is enjoying the elixir of independence – in no small part due to the sacrifices of Mr. Bamadhaj and the numerous East Timorese who have refused to allow East Timor to be wiped off the face of the Earth, and gave their lives for the birth of a nation.

[Sonny Inbaraj Krishnan is the author of East Timor: Blood and Tears in Asean, published by Silkworm Books, Thailand.]

Source: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/31768/recalling-the-dili-massacre/


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