11 June 2007 View all news | Send to a friend | Print
By Tito Belo
An East Timor fugitive army rebel said he would personally seek out those behind last year's violence if the government refuses to negotiate with him immediately.
Alfredo Reinado escaped last August along with 50 other inmates from a prison where he was being held on charges of involvement in a wave of violence that killed 37 people and drove 150,000 from their homes earlier that year.
"I insist East Timor authorities must hold dialogue as soon as possible, so that we can resolve the problems," Reinado told Reuters by telephone from his hideout.
"We have been very patient but if they delay the dialogue we will lose our patience. We will come down to the town to capture the perpetrators of the crisis," the former military police chief said, referring to last year's violence.
Reinado said he and his followers would not lay down arms.
"I am not a thief but I am still an active member of East Timor's defence force. We are defending the dignity of the military and are serving the nation," he said.
Reinado, East Timor's former military police chief, has been accused of raiding a police post and making off with 25 automatic weapons while on the run.
He managed to evade a raid by Australian-led troops in March, which caused thousands of his supporters to protest in the capital.
Reinado said he would only turn himself in once the ruling Fretilin party is no longer in power and foreign troops sent into East Timor after last year's violence are out of the country.
President Jose Ramos-Horta said he believed Reinado should face justice. "I told you, Alfredo Reinado's case is complicated because it is about justice, but the negotiation continues," he told reporters.
"I have given the opportunity to prosecutors and bishops to negotiate with Alfredo Reinado, so that he can face justice because we only get justice from a court, not through a political compromise," Ramos-Horta said.
Ramos-Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner who spent years abroad as a spokesman for East Timor's struggle for independence from Indonesian occupation, was installed as president last month.
His victory has raised hopes of greater stability in a nation still struggling to heal divisions five years after it won independence from Indonesia.
Brought to you by REUTERS
© REUTERS 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
E Timor defiant on boost to forces
E Timor defiant on boost to forces
Mark Dodd
June 14, 2007
EAST Timor's Prime Minister has thumbed his nose at Australia by announcing plans to give military chiefs free rein to spend millions of dollars raised from oil and gas fields to upgrade the country's defence force.
Just a week after Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called on the impoverished nation to spend money on infrastructure, not weapons, Prime Minister Estanislau da Silva has endorsed pre-election military spending and argued the armed forces should have more autonomy on procurement.
While Mr Downer said last night he was confident the plan would not proceed, Mr da Silva has told East Timorese reporters that the Timor Defence Force should manage its own finance and recruitment and should pursue development of its assets.
This would weaken the current system, under which parliament oversees defence procurement.
The news triggered a warning from defence expert Bob Lowry that the tiny nation could descend into chaos if it spent its scarce resources on weapons and allowed the watering down of good governance standards.
The Australian revealed last week that East Timor had produced the equivalent of a defence white paper outlining a plan for big military spending.
Mr da Silva said: "The head of the Government agrees with F-FDTL (the defence force) on the question of financial procurement, which should be the responsibility of the defence ministry in order to allow it to improve its work. To continue this program (Force 2020), attention needs to be given to purchasing new equipment, including a naval component allowing the F-FDTL to operate in East Timorese waters."
The 2020 report, prepared without the advice of Australian defence officials or others helping keep security in East Timor, recommended the purchase of several missile-equipped corvette-class warships to enforce the country's vulnerable maritime zone.
Last night, Mr Downer played down the Prime Minister's remarks, linking them to electioneering ahead of a national poll on June 30.
"I am confident Force 2020 will not happen as East Timor does not have the resources to deliver such a large military," he said. "Australian and international defence advisers are working with their East Timorese counterparts on the 2007-2010 force development plan to develop realistic capabilities."
Mr Lowry, an expert consultant in Southeast Asian politics and defence, warned the events pointed to a real danger that East Timor's fragile democracy could be derailed.
"Some people in the Australian defence community over there (East Timor) are saying, 'don't get too worried, it's just an aspirational doctrine'. But the trouble with these sort of things (defence plans) is, they do infiltrate themselves into the political system.
"Anyone with half a brain would know there is only one role for the (East Timor) military - if they decide to have one - and that is to back up the police."
Mark Dodd
June 14, 2007
EAST Timor's Prime Minister has thumbed his nose at Australia by announcing plans to give military chiefs free rein to spend millions of dollars raised from oil and gas fields to upgrade the country's defence force.
Just a week after Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called on the impoverished nation to spend money on infrastructure, not weapons, Prime Minister Estanislau da Silva has endorsed pre-election military spending and argued the armed forces should have more autonomy on procurement.
While Mr Downer said last night he was confident the plan would not proceed, Mr da Silva has told East Timorese reporters that the Timor Defence Force should manage its own finance and recruitment and should pursue development of its assets.
This would weaken the current system, under which parliament oversees defence procurement.
The news triggered a warning from defence expert Bob Lowry that the tiny nation could descend into chaos if it spent its scarce resources on weapons and allowed the watering down of good governance standards.
The Australian revealed last week that East Timor had produced the equivalent of a defence white paper outlining a plan for big military spending.
Mr da Silva said: "The head of the Government agrees with F-FDTL (the defence force) on the question of financial procurement, which should be the responsibility of the defence ministry in order to allow it to improve its work. To continue this program (Force 2020), attention needs to be given to purchasing new equipment, including a naval component allowing the F-FDTL to operate in East Timorese waters."
The 2020 report, prepared without the advice of Australian defence officials or others helping keep security in East Timor, recommended the purchase of several missile-equipped corvette-class warships to enforce the country's vulnerable maritime zone.
Last night, Mr Downer played down the Prime Minister's remarks, linking them to electioneering ahead of a national poll on June 30.
"I am confident Force 2020 will not happen as East Timor does not have the resources to deliver such a large military," he said. "Australian and international defence advisers are working with their East Timorese counterparts on the 2007-2010 force development plan to develop realistic capabilities."
Mr Lowry, an expert consultant in Southeast Asian politics and defence, warned the events pointed to a real danger that East Timor's fragile democracy could be derailed.
"Some people in the Australian defence community over there (East Timor) are saying, 'don't get too worried, it's just an aspirational doctrine'. But the trouble with these sort of things (defence plans) is, they do infiltrate themselves into the political system.
"Anyone with half a brain would know there is only one role for the (East Timor) military - if they decide to have one - and that is to back up the police."
UN ENVOY TO TIMOR-LESTE URGES DEMOCRATIC ELECTION PROCESS
Press Release - UN News Center
Jun 12 2007
With campaigning for Timor-Leste's parliamentary elections in full swing, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today called on all concerned to ensure a democratic process.
"It is important that campaign messages be delivered freely, fairly and without violence or intimidation or misuse of state resources," he said in a news release.
So far, only four of the more than 150 campaign activities held across Timor-Leste by the 16 political parties have been marred by violent incidents, according to the UN Integrated Mission there (UNMIT).
Mr. Khare stressed that the 30 June elections should have a restorative and unifying impact and must not lead to divisiveness.
In view of a number of security incidents that occurred during this campaigning period, the Special Representative reminded all political players that justice and the rule of law will be upheld. "Those who break the law and use political campaigning as an opportunity to indulge in criminal activity will continue to be dealt with swiftly by police in Timor-Leste," Mr. Khare said.
UNMIT is mandated by the Security Council to support Timor-Leste in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process.
Jun 12 2007
With campaigning for Timor-Leste's parliamentary elections in full swing, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today called on all concerned to ensure a democratic process.
"It is important that campaign messages be delivered freely, fairly and without violence or intimidation or misuse of state resources," he said in a news release.
So far, only four of the more than 150 campaign activities held across Timor-Leste by the 16 political parties have been marred by violent incidents, according to the UN Integrated Mission there (UNMIT).
Mr. Khare stressed that the 30 June elections should have a restorative and unifying impact and must not lead to divisiveness.
In view of a number of security incidents that occurred during this campaigning period, the Special Representative reminded all political players that justice and the rule of law will be upheld. "Those who break the law and use political campaigning as an opportunity to indulge in criminal activity will continue to be dealt with swiftly by police in Timor-Leste," Mr. Khare said.
UNMIT is mandated by the Security Council to support Timor-Leste in all aspects of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary electoral process.
Gusmao's party tipped to win Timor polls despite lack of policies: ICG
http://nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30036768
Jakarta - The new party of East Timor's ex-president Xanana Gusmao appears likely to head a government after parliamentary polls this month despite a lack of policies to lure voters, a report said Wednesday.
The International Crisis Group said that ahead of the June 30 polls, personalities rather than party platforms were swaying East Timor's voters and that no party was offering concrete solutions to the tiny country's problems.
Gusmao, a former independence fighter who remains popular across the impoverished half-island nation, has formed a new party in a bid to take the prime ministership after stepping down as president last month.
But his party, the Congresso Nacional De Reconstrucao de Timor-Leste (CNRT), "has a poorly developed structure, no policies and little more going for it than its leader's charisma," the ICG report said.
"That, however, may be sufficient," it added, noting that based on last month's presidential polls, the CNRT is likely to win 20 to 25 per cent of the vote and then ally with smaller parties to form a parliamentary majority.
Gusmao's ally, President and Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, won 22 per cent of the vote in the first round and 69 per cent of the presidential run-off.
A CNRT-led coalition, the Brussels-based think tank said, would be more consultative and transparent than the Fretilin-led government of Mari Alkatiri, though it may be less cohesive and less competent in economic management.
Of all the parties contesting the polls, only Fretilin, the ICG said, "seems to have any understanding of the complex technical issues involved in management of revenues and regulation of the petroleum sector."
East Timor has more than one billion dollars from oil and gas revenues locked away in a Petroleum Fund, and a debate over how, and how quickly, the money should be spent has emerged.
Fretilin has dominated parliament since East Timor officially gained independence from Indonesia after decades of occupation in 2002.
Alkatiri was forced however to resign last year amid unrest in the wake of his sacking of around a third of the army.
Street battles between rival security factions led to at least 37 deaths and forced Dili to ask for international peacekeepers to be dispatched to restore a fragile calm.
The ICG said that a CNRT-led coalition would be in a better position to address the political and social divides exposed by last year's bloodshed and more open to advice on how to rebuild and strengthen national institutions.
"But implementation of programmes... will depend not just on political will, but also on professional skills," it warned.
The ICG noted that Gusmao was not widely seen as a promising prime minister "because of his impatience with detail, among other things," so his advisers are recommending he have two deputies.
The report also warned that while presidential elections were largely peaceful, "accusations and inflammatory rhetoric may feature heavily in the parliamentary campaign in a way that could heighten tensions and lead to more violence."
Nevertheless, the fact that the presidential vote took place with few serious incidents showed that the country may emerge from last year's crisis more easily than first thought, it concluded.
Agence France Presse
Jakarta - The new party of East Timor's ex-president Xanana Gusmao appears likely to head a government after parliamentary polls this month despite a lack of policies to lure voters, a report said Wednesday.
The International Crisis Group said that ahead of the June 30 polls, personalities rather than party platforms were swaying East Timor's voters and that no party was offering concrete solutions to the tiny country's problems.
Gusmao, a former independence fighter who remains popular across the impoverished half-island nation, has formed a new party in a bid to take the prime ministership after stepping down as president last month.
But his party, the Congresso Nacional De Reconstrucao de Timor-Leste (CNRT), "has a poorly developed structure, no policies and little more going for it than its leader's charisma," the ICG report said.
"That, however, may be sufficient," it added, noting that based on last month's presidential polls, the CNRT is likely to win 20 to 25 per cent of the vote and then ally with smaller parties to form a parliamentary majority.
Gusmao's ally, President and Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta, won 22 per cent of the vote in the first round and 69 per cent of the presidential run-off.
A CNRT-led coalition, the Brussels-based think tank said, would be more consultative and transparent than the Fretilin-led government of Mari Alkatiri, though it may be less cohesive and less competent in economic management.
Of all the parties contesting the polls, only Fretilin, the ICG said, "seems to have any understanding of the complex technical issues involved in management of revenues and regulation of the petroleum sector."
East Timor has more than one billion dollars from oil and gas revenues locked away in a Petroleum Fund, and a debate over how, and how quickly, the money should be spent has emerged.
Fretilin has dominated parliament since East Timor officially gained independence from Indonesia after decades of occupation in 2002.
Alkatiri was forced however to resign last year amid unrest in the wake of his sacking of around a third of the army.
Street battles between rival security factions led to at least 37 deaths and forced Dili to ask for international peacekeepers to be dispatched to restore a fragile calm.
The ICG said that a CNRT-led coalition would be in a better position to address the political and social divides exposed by last year's bloodshed and more open to advice on how to rebuild and strengthen national institutions.
"But implementation of programmes... will depend not just on political will, but also on professional skills," it warned.
The ICG noted that Gusmao was not widely seen as a promising prime minister "because of his impatience with detail, among other things," so his advisers are recommending he have two deputies.
The report also warned that while presidential elections were largely peaceful, "accusations and inflammatory rhetoric may feature heavily in the parliamentary campaign in a way that could heighten tensions and lead to more violence."
Nevertheless, the fact that the presidential vote took place with few serious incidents showed that the country may emerge from last year's crisis more easily than first thought, it concluded.
Agence France Presse
Monday, June 4, 2007
The War On Christianity
http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/indones/articles/20070604.aspx
June 4, 2007: In West Java, Islamic terrorists have forcibly closed another Christian church. Typically, a mob of Islamic militants will invade a church, during services, and desecrate the place, drive the worshipers out, and attack any clergy, all the time shouting Islamic slogans. When the police investigate, none of the known Islamic militant groups will take credit for the attack. In the last three years, at least 30 Christian churches have been forced to close in West Java.
June 3, 2007: Pleading poverty, Indonesia has called on Japan, China and South Korea to help provide security for the Malacca Straits. This narrow sea lane carries much of the oil needed to sustain economic activity in Japan, China and South Korea. The narrow straits are vulnerable to terrorist attack (like sinking a large tanker, to block passage).
May 31, 2007: Partisan and gang violence continues in East Timor, making the capital a particularly dangerous place to be, especially whenever peacekeepers or police are not in the immediate area. Police are being accused of taking sides, and using their weapons, at some political rallies. There will be elections for the president and parliament in a month.
May 30, 2007: In East Java, villagers demonstrating over navy efforts to develop land, led to at least a dozen people getting shot by marines. The marines later claimed they had not aimed directly at the people, but too many witnesses saw what happened. The military has long owned large amounts of unused land, some of it claimed by locals. Attempts by local civilians to sort the matter out in the courts has not been successful. There's always been a lot of corruption in Indonesia, in the military and the courts.
May 27, 2007: East Timor Rebel Major Alfredo Reinado has now shown up on Indonesian television, in a recorded interview. Appearing in a clean military uniform, and looking quite confident, Reinado demanded that criminal charges against him be dropped. Australian troops believed they had Reinado on the run, but now it's possible that Reinado has escaped into Indonesian West Timor. Reinado support comes from the western part of East Timor, and friends there could have gotten him across the border. At the same time, a policeman was shot outside the capital, in an area Reinado was thought to be hiding. Reinados few remaining followers have guns.
June 4, 2007: In West Java, Islamic terrorists have forcibly closed another Christian church. Typically, a mob of Islamic militants will invade a church, during services, and desecrate the place, drive the worshipers out, and attack any clergy, all the time shouting Islamic slogans. When the police investigate, none of the known Islamic militant groups will take credit for the attack. In the last three years, at least 30 Christian churches have been forced to close in West Java.
June 3, 2007: Pleading poverty, Indonesia has called on Japan, China and South Korea to help provide security for the Malacca Straits. This narrow sea lane carries much of the oil needed to sustain economic activity in Japan, China and South Korea. The narrow straits are vulnerable to terrorist attack (like sinking a large tanker, to block passage).
May 31, 2007: Partisan and gang violence continues in East Timor, making the capital a particularly dangerous place to be, especially whenever peacekeepers or police are not in the immediate area. Police are being accused of taking sides, and using their weapons, at some political rallies. There will be elections for the president and parliament in a month.
May 30, 2007: In East Java, villagers demonstrating over navy efforts to develop land, led to at least a dozen people getting shot by marines. The marines later claimed they had not aimed directly at the people, but too many witnesses saw what happened. The military has long owned large amounts of unused land, some of it claimed by locals. Attempts by local civilians to sort the matter out in the courts has not been successful. There's always been a lot of corruption in Indonesia, in the military and the courts.
May 27, 2007: East Timor Rebel Major Alfredo Reinado has now shown up on Indonesian television, in a recorded interview. Appearing in a clean military uniform, and looking quite confident, Reinado demanded that criminal charges against him be dropped. Australian troops believed they had Reinado on the run, but now it's possible that Reinado has escaped into Indonesian West Timor. Reinado support comes from the western part of East Timor, and friends there could have gotten him across the border. At the same time, a policeman was shot outside the capital, in an area Reinado was thought to be hiding. Reinados few remaining followers have guns.
Foreign troops deployed after 2 killed in East Timor campaign violence
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/04/asia/AS-GEN-East-Timor-Campaign-Violence.php
The Associated PressPublished: June 3, 2007
DILI, East Timor: International troops were rushed Monday to a volatile region of East Timor where two men were fatally shot during campaigning for parliamentary elections later this month, authorities said.
One of the dead was a campaign worker for independence hero Xanana Gusmao, who is running for prime minister in the upcoming polls, seen as key to restoring stability in the tiny nation, police said.
An off-duty police officer was suspected in the killing in Viqueque district, the United Nations said, indicating bitter divisions in the country's security forces and ruling elite that exploded into violence and political turmoil last year remain a threat.
Later Sunday, Timorese police opened fire on a crowd confronting Gusmao and his supporters as they attempted to return the body to the man's family, the U.N. statement said, citing initial reports. A 24-year-old man was fatally shot and a 16-year-old boy was injured in the incident at a roadblock.
A platoon of foreign troops led by Australian soldiers was deployed to the district and the United Nations was reviewing its election security strategy, the statement said. A platoon typically contains between 30 and 40 soldiers.
"This is a very sad day for me and for East Timor's democracy," said Gusmao. "I again call on all people of our young nation to give up violence. With violence we only hurt ourselves, our country, and those that we love."
East Timor, which broke from Indonesian rule in a U.N.-sponsored 1999 ballot, had been heralded as a success in nation-building until a rift in the police and armed forces escalated into gunbattles, looting, arson and gang warfare just over a year ago. The violence killed 37 people and drove 155,000 from their homes.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was elected president on May 9, raising hopes of stability, although more than 3,000 international police officers and soldiers remain stationed in the country to maintain peace and order.
Ramos-Horta took over from Gusmao, who was imprisoned during Indonesia's occupation for leading the resistance to Jakarta's rule.
Political commentators have expressed fear that efforts by Gusmao and Ramos-Horta to sideline the Fretilin party — which currently holds a majority of seats in the legislature — could lead to more bloodshed.
Last week, a hand grenade killed a man and wounded three others, while supporters of rival candidates clashed with machetes and rocks elsewhere in the country, wounding a dozen people.
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, is the youngest and poorest country in Asia, with an unemployment rate of around 50 percent. About two-thirds of children under age 5 are malnourished.
The Associated PressPublished: June 3, 2007
DILI, East Timor: International troops were rushed Monday to a volatile region of East Timor where two men were fatally shot during campaigning for parliamentary elections later this month, authorities said.
One of the dead was a campaign worker for independence hero Xanana Gusmao, who is running for prime minister in the upcoming polls, seen as key to restoring stability in the tiny nation, police said.
An off-duty police officer was suspected in the killing in Viqueque district, the United Nations said, indicating bitter divisions in the country's security forces and ruling elite that exploded into violence and political turmoil last year remain a threat.
Later Sunday, Timorese police opened fire on a crowd confronting Gusmao and his supporters as they attempted to return the body to the man's family, the U.N. statement said, citing initial reports. A 24-year-old man was fatally shot and a 16-year-old boy was injured in the incident at a roadblock.
A platoon of foreign troops led by Australian soldiers was deployed to the district and the United Nations was reviewing its election security strategy, the statement said. A platoon typically contains between 30 and 40 soldiers.
"This is a very sad day for me and for East Timor's democracy," said Gusmao. "I again call on all people of our young nation to give up violence. With violence we only hurt ourselves, our country, and those that we love."
East Timor, which broke from Indonesian rule in a U.N.-sponsored 1999 ballot, had been heralded as a success in nation-building until a rift in the police and armed forces escalated into gunbattles, looting, arson and gang warfare just over a year ago. The violence killed 37 people and drove 155,000 from their homes.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jose Ramos-Horta was elected president on May 9, raising hopes of stability, although more than 3,000 international police officers and soldiers remain stationed in the country to maintain peace and order.
Ramos-Horta took over from Gusmao, who was imprisoned during Indonesia's occupation for leading the resistance to Jakarta's rule.
Political commentators have expressed fear that efforts by Gusmao and Ramos-Horta to sideline the Fretilin party — which currently holds a majority of seats in the legislature — could lead to more bloodshed.
Last week, a hand grenade killed a man and wounded three others, while supporters of rival candidates clashed with machetes and rocks elsewhere in the country, wounding a dozen people.
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, is the youngest and poorest country in Asia, with an unemployment rate of around 50 percent. About two-thirds of children under age 5 are malnourished.
Call for inquest into East Timor death
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200706/s1942280.htm
A Darwin-based East Timor activist says there is more than enough evidence for the Northern Territory coroner to hold an inquest into the death of an Australian man 32 years ago.
Roger East, 29, is believed to have been shot dead by Indonesian soldiers while working in East Timor.
Rob Wesley-Smith says he knows of several people who witnessed what happened, and he knows where the body is buried.
"[My] Timor activist colleague Brian Manning said that he met a Chinese woman who stopped over the body on the beach," he said.
"Other people [including] Peter Cranaher have done research to identify where we think the body is buried.
"I've been to that spot ... unfortunately it's under a large wall."
Mr Wesley-Smith says he is hoping justice will prevail soon, and international politics will not get in the way.
"I think the person handling it has been away and gets back this week and probably needs a few days to get up to speed."
A Darwin-based East Timor activist says there is more than enough evidence for the Northern Territory coroner to hold an inquest into the death of an Australian man 32 years ago.
Roger East, 29, is believed to have been shot dead by Indonesian soldiers while working in East Timor.
Rob Wesley-Smith says he knows of several people who witnessed what happened, and he knows where the body is buried.
"[My] Timor activist colleague Brian Manning said that he met a Chinese woman who stopped over the body on the beach," he said.
"Other people [including] Peter Cranaher have done research to identify where we think the body is buried.
"I've been to that spot ... unfortunately it's under a large wall."
Mr Wesley-Smith says he is hoping justice will prevail soon, and international politics will not get in the way.
"I think the person handling it has been away and gets back this week and probably needs a few days to get up to speed."
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