It has been alleged that senior figures in the East Timor Church approached a defence forces (Falintil-FDTL) commander to lead a coup against the Alkatiri government.
According to Australian journalist John Martinkus, the Church leaders approached commander Brigadier Taur Matan Ruak following the weeks of mass demonstrations against the former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri government in April 2005 but he rejected the offer.
Last year's church-backed demonstrations was prompted by Dr Alkatiri's decision to drop religious education from the curriculum. The Catholic clergy had called for his resignation.
The allegations, published yesterday on the New Matilda website, were made by senior sources within the command of F-FDTL who reportedly told Mr Martinkus that leaders of East Timor's defence forces were approached on three separate occasions in the past 18 months to lead a coup against Dr Alkatiri.
The sources say that early this year Brigadier Ruak was again approached and requested to lead a coup in a meeting with two prominent East Timorese leaders and two foreign nationals. Again, the commander refused, reportedly telling them it was against the constitution and would set an unacceptable precedent.
One of the commander's leading deputies, Lieutenant-Colonel Falur Rate Laek, a veteran of the war against Indonesia, was also approached by the same two local leaders and foreign nationals. He too, refused. According to Mr Martinkus' report, the nationalities of the foreigners were not revealed.
Mr Martinkus says his sources confirmed Dr Alkatiri's claim that allegations against him were politically motivated. Dr Alkatiri has blamed opposition groups within East Timor that had foreign backing for the recent unrest and said this crisis was a foreign backed coup.
In a wide-ranging interview last week, Dr Alkatiri blamed opposition groups for the breakdown of law and order last month that led to at least 130,000 East Timorese fleeing their homes and the total collapse of the East Timorese police force.
He said these people had repeatedly tried to convince prominent commanders in the East Timorese armed forces to overthrow his government in an armed coup. When this failed, they helped provoke the army mutiny which had taken the country to the brink of civil war.
It was the sacking of 600 soldiers from the tiny country's western regions that precipitated the latest violence. The soldiers were protesting what they perceived as discrimination in the armed forces which is dominated by commanders from the country's east where the guerrilla forces fighting Indonesia's 24-year occupation held out.
In an interview with Mr Martinkus, Dr Alkatiri said his political opponents exploited ethnic divisions within the police force to create unrest.
"Then they try to influence the PNTL [national police force]. How did they do it? Through this kind of propaganda, Loromunu, Loro Sae (West versus East). They succeeded in dividing the people within the PNTL. This is the whole strategy.
"Then they put groups of PNTL against groups of F-FDTL in confrontation. And they succeeded again. This is why I requested assistance from outside," he said in reference to the arrival of Australian-led foreign troops in late May.
Dr Alkatiri is adamant the violence was orchestrated as part of a program to topple his government. "It has to be institutions, some organisations inside, assisted by others outside," he said.
He could not identify any of the alleged individuals or organisations and said that East Timor would need some time to investigate. "I think there are outside groups ... can be from Australia maybe from Indonesia but not the governments ... But still I do believe there are outside groups," he said.
Dr Alkatiri stepped down on Monday after Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta resigned in protest over his continued reluctance to quit and his close ally President Xanana Gusmao threatened to do the same.
He denies allegations, aired on last week's Four Corners program, of participating in the arming of a civilian "hit squad" aimed at eliminating his opponents, including Church leaders. Dr Alkatiri said on Monday in a resignation statement that he was stepping down for the good of the nation.
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29 Jun 2006
domingo, julho 02, 2006
Timor Church accused of plotting coup
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"Last year's church-backed demonstrations was prompted by Dr Alkatiri's decision to drop religious education from the curriculum. The Catholic clergy had called for his resignation."
the decision wasnt to drop religion from the curriculum, but yet to make it a extra-curriculum subject and not obligatory in the state schools. The students can choose or not choose the subject if they wanted to have religion has a subject in school (however in the catholic schools the subject still obligatory, its understandable).
just making a correction
To put things into perspective that decision would have been the same as droping the religious studies from the curriculum as the argument was that the church would have to put up with the costs for salaries if some parentes opted for their children to attend religious studies. The government always said that there was not enough money to finance everything. Given the lack of ability of churches (catholic, protestant and others) to put up with the costs it would translate in practical terms to no religious studies even if parents wanted their children to have it.
Basically that decision was intended to abolish religious studies because of alleged lack of money to finance it.
Furthermore it would have discriminated towards smaller and weaker religious intitutions with less financial strenght to finance the costs.
A situation could have been created where protestan students may not have been able to access religious studies purely because their churches being smaller could never afford to finance the costs associated with salaries for religious techers.
This was the root of the problem.
Tradução:
A Igreja de Timor acusada de tramar o golpe
Foi alegado que figuras importantes da Igreja de Timor-Leste propuseram a um comandante das forças de defesa (Falintil-FDTL) para liderar um golpe contra o governo de Alkatiri.
De acordo com o jornalista Australianot John Martinkus, líderes da Igreja abordaram o Comandante brigadeiro Taur Matan Ruak no seguimento de semanas de manifestações de massas contra o governo do antigo Primeiro-Ministro Mari Alkatiri em Abril de 2005 mas ele rejeitou a oferta.
No ano passado a decisão do Governo do Dr. Alkatiri de retirar do curriculo a educação religiosa provocou manifestações apoiadas pela Igreja. O clero católico pediu a sua esignação.
As alegações, publicadas ontem no New Matilda website, foram feitas por fontes superiores do seio do comando das F-FDTL que alegadamente disseram a Mr Martinkus que líderes das forças de defesa de Timor-Leste foram abordadas em três ocasiões separadas nos últimos 18 meses para liderar um golpe contra o Dr Alkatiri.
Fontes disseram que no início deste ano o Brigadeiro Ruak foi outra vez abordado e foi-lhe pedido que liderasse um golpe numa reunião com dois proeminentes líderes timorenses e dois estrangeiros. Outra vez, o comandante recusou, dizendo-lhes como relatou, que isso era contra a constituição e abriria um precedente inaceitável.
Um dos vice-comandantes da liderança, o Tenente-Coronel Falur Rate Laek, um veterano da guerra contra a Indonésia, foi também abordado pelos mesmos dois líderes locais e estrangeiros. Ele também, recusou. De acordo com a reportagem de Mr Martinkus, não foram reveladas as nacionalidades dos estrangeiros.
Mr Martinkus diz que as suas fontes confirmaram a queixa do Dr Alkatiri que as alegações contra ele foram politicamente motivadas. O Dr Alkatiri tem acusado grupos da oposição de Timor-Leste de terem apoio estrangeiro para o recente desassossego e disse que esta crise foi um golpe apoiado por estrangeiros.
Numa entrevista na semana passada de grande amplitude, o Dr Alkatiri acusou grupos da oposição pela quebra da lei e da ordem no mês passado que levaram à fuga das suas casas de pelo menos 130,000 Timorenses e ao colapso total da força de polícia Timorense.
Ele disse que essas pessoas tentaram repetidamente convencer proeminentes comandantes das forças armadas Timorenses a derrubar o seu governo num golpe armado. Quando isso falhou, eles ajudaram a provocar o motim das forças armadas que levou o país à beira da guerra civil.
Foi o despedimento de 600 soldados das regiões orientais do pequeno país que precipitou a última violência. Os soldados protestavam o que eles entendiam ser discriminação nas forças armadas que é dominada por comandantes do leste do país onde as forças da guerrilha que lutaram contra os 24 anos da ocupação da Indonésia se refugiaram.
Numa entrevista com Mr Martinkus, o Dr Alkatiri disse que os seus opositores políticos exploraram divisões étnicas na força policial para criar desassossego.
"Depois tentaram influenciar a PNTL [força de polícia nacional]. Como é que o fizeram? Através deste tipo de propaganda, Loromunu, Loro Sae (Oeste contra Leste). Tiveram sucesso na divisão das pessoas na PNTL. Esta foi a estratégia completa.
"Depois colocaram em confronto grupos da PNTL contra grupos da F-FDTL. E tiveram sucesso outra vez. Foi por causa disso que eu pedi assistência do exterior," disse numa referência à chegada de tropas estrangeiras lideradas pela Austrália em fins de Maio.
O Dr Alkatiri está convicto que a violência foi orquestrada como parte dum programa para derrubar o seu governo. "Foram instituições, algumas organizações do interior, apoiadas por outras no exterior," disse.
Não poude identificar nenhum dos alegados individuos ou organizações e disse que Timor-Leste precisará de algum tempo para investigar. "Penso que há grupos do exterior ... podem ser da Austrália talvez da Indonésia mas não governos ... Mas contudo acredito que há grupos do exterior," disse.
O Dr Alkatiri saíu na Segunda-feira, depois do Ministro dos Estrangeiros José Ramos-Horta resignar em protesto sobre a sua continuada relutância em desistir e o seu aliado próximo o Presidente Xanana Gusmão ameaçar fazer o mesmo.
Ele nega alegações, feitas no programa Four Corners na semana passada, de participação em armar um “esquadrão de ataque” de civis com o objectivo de eliminar opositores políticos, incluindo líderes da Igreja. O Dr Alkatiri disse na Segunda-feira numa declaração de resignação que saia para o bem da nação.
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29 Junho 2006
"Again early this year he was approached and requested to lead a coup in a meeting with two prominent East Timorese leaders and two foreign nationals."
Two prominent East Timorese leaders. who else, XANANA and RAMOS HORTA.
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