National Media Reports

Daily Media Review
Wednesday, 14 June 2006
UNOTIL

Government Will Establish New Suburb

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Defence, José Ramos-Horta announced the government’s plan to establish a new suburb. “The government already has plans for a new project, as well as budget and house designs to be implemented. The government is looking for an area for a new suburb,” Ramos-Horta told Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) following a visit to STL’s headquarters on Tuesday. According to the Minister, the new suburb will be for those people who have fled and lost their homes, adding that the conditions would be better off than the ones they previously in which they previously lived and would include electricity, water access and security, reported (STL)) Wednesday. He further explained that the government had already studied the matter and will create a department to look into the establishment of the new neighbourhood “

Minister Ramos-Horta stressed that people not obeying law and order will be detained. “I warned them not to carry on with this bad behaviour and to stop. And, they should not dream of taking or pushing away the people from the East from their homes because in a week or month the population will return to their homes,” said Ramos-Horta pointing that anyone found occupying their homes will be imprisoned. Hortas said that the international forces will continue in Timor-Leste for this year and the next until they detained all those in possession of guns. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Cooperation and also Minister of Defence said a new prison will be built in Weberek, Manufahi District. “The Parliament is preparing the legislation to open a prison camp in Weberek for the prisoners currently detained in Becora in which they would be allowed to not only eat, drink and sleep, but also work and provide food. (STL)


Opposition Disagrees Resolution

Opposition MP’s from União Democratica Timorense (UDT) and KOTA walked out of the Parliament plenary session during the voting of the proposed resolution to repudiate violence in Timor-Leste. According to STL, MP Manuel Tilman, (KOTA) reportedly said he had always argued while living in exile that the Timorese people were civilized people, with their own culture, and without violence. But the reality today in Dili does not correspond to this assessment and he asked who is at fault? “Do we have a government, a Constitution or not? The Constitution says the population cannot have guns. The guns belong to the population and from where or whom were they brought? Who is responsible for PNTL and F-FDTL. For those in charge of the guns, why did they allow them to be released?” Tilman asked, adding ‘these people are responsible and not the population’. He stated these were the reasons his party voted against the resolution.

MP Quiteria da Costa (UDT) said based on the current situation there is no point in discussing the resolution as to who should be blamed, therefore her party voted against it. On Tuesday, Fretilin bench presented a resolution in the Parliament to Repudiate Violence which was approved by 43 in favor, one against and one abstain. (STL)

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