This is a broadcast of the UN Police in Timor-Leste to provide you with information about the security situation around the country.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

The situation in Dili has remained relatively stable with no reports of serious security incidents taking place last night or today.

UNPOL officers assisted by the PNTL have increased numbers on the streets of Dili today due to the verdict in the case of the Former Minister for the Interior Rogerio Lobato. The area around the Court of Appeal and across Dili has remained stable. Elsewhere in Dili today there were two attacks on warehouses in Bebonuk this morning. Both were brought under control by the Malaysian and Portuguese formed police units. There were no injuries and minimal looting.

Yesterday, scattered incidents took place, but none were major. In two separate incidents, rocks were thrown at the Bebor and Bebonuk warehouses. UNPOL responded quickly to bring the situation under control, and seven people in total were arrested.

Also yesterday there were reports of gunshots from a house in Taibessi. UNPol and the ISF responded quickly and there were no injuries. The gunshots were fired into the air by FFDTL who were providing armed security for nearby Government officials.

The SRSG requests that the people of Timor-Leste maintain their peace and calm, and cooperate fully with the security authorities.

The Police advise that you avoid traveling during the night to the most affected areas. Contact the police if you see anything suspicious or any kind of problems, and avoid staying near any disturbances. Call 112 or 7230365 to contact the police 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This has been a daily broadcast of the UN Police in Timor-Leste, for the people of Timor-Leste

UNMIT – MEDIA MONITORING - Monday, 06 March 2007
National Media Reports

State Will Use Force To Stop Violence: President Gusmão
President Xanana Gusmão said Timor-Leste would use national defence force to stop the violence in the country. In his Presidential statement on Monday 5th March, the President stressed that the State is no longer tolerating anyone destroying properties or taken somebody else’s life, noting that the violence has been long affecting the capital Dili. Gusmão
lamented that the country is heading a little bit towards anarchism and there is no goodwill from some people of the community to contribute to peace. He said that some protests, rather than bringing people together to resolve the problems, are contributing to distancing the people in a time when the nation needs to recuperate to become an environment of tolerance
and acceptance. He also said it is important to create conditions for all citizens to freely participate in the upcoming elections and that it is the State’s obligation to safeguard the stability of the country, the people and their properties and to stop criminalities and to ensure that the smooth functioning of State institutions and the existence of freedom for
all citizens. The President also appealed to the national and international authorities to use legal means to ensure that the law of the country is obeyed and that any demonstrations must follow the rules. He said that the international forces should take strong action against anyone creating public disorder. Gusmão stated to the nation that if the decision to reduce criminality is not sufficient, the State will take harsher measures.
According to Timor Post, the State had ordered the security forces to use force to stop the violence by issuing a decree law, which authorizes the International Forces to search houses around Dili without a court warrant.
President Xanana Gusmão officially introduced the law yesterday (05/03) at Palacio das Cinzas, Dili. (DN,TP)

UIR Prepared To Stop Violence
Commander of Unidade Intervenção Rapida (UIR) Inocencio da Silva, reportedly told the media Monday following a meeting with Prime Minister Horta that the police is prepared to attend to the violence in the country as the higher superiorities gives the go ahead. On the same occasion, Prime Minister Ramos-Horta asked UIR members to focus on their work seriously.
He said that the State had requested F-FDTL to provide security to State buildings due to the workload UNPOL and PNTL are facing. The Head of the Government said the recent burning and looting of computers from the Ministry of Education was done by a group of criminals and the computers were taken not to study but to sell to their militia friends in Kupang and Atambua and therefore, F-FDTL is willing to protect buildings indicated by the State. Ramos-Horta said the reason the President issued a decree law, which has the support of the Parliament and the UN, is to give more power to the international forces in their operations to make decisions that will help stop disturbances. He said that some groups really want to destabilize the country by terrorizing and pushing the population away from
their homes in order for them to steal. (DN)

Over 200 IDPs In UIR Compound
The Commander in Chief of Unidade Intervesaun Rapida (UIR), Inocencio Araujo da Silva informed that the violence of burning houses and attacking each other by the youth groups has forced 114 families, mostly children and elderly people in Suco Fatuhada and Hudi Laran to seek refuge in UIR compound for protection and security. Furthermore, Inocencio stated that most of the refugees who have lost their houses have been staying at the compound for the last two weeks. The refugees are still not receiving sufficient humanitarian assistance yet. Meantime Prime Minister Jose Ramos Horta who was at the PNTL UIR compound, presented his gratitude to Inocencio and his men for their kindness in giving protection and security to the refugees and pledged that the government will help members of the unit who are facing problems with food. He said the government will provide rice to the whole unit for them to effectively perform their duties. The rice will be distributed by the Ministry of Labour and Community Reinsertion. (TP)

Dialogue To Surrender Will Stop Capture
Prime Minister Ramos-Horta reportedly said that although the international forces continue the search to apprehend Reinado, if Alfredo sends a SMS or approaches the church to re-seek dialogue and follow the justice process, the operation to capture him will immediately cease. He said that there are possibilities for dialogue and that the point of the operation is not to kill him. He said the International Forces have orders not to fire first, noting that in Same, Alfredo’s group fired first at the ISF helicopters which resulted in the death of four people. The Prime Minister said in the months that have passed President Xanana tried to persuade
Alfredo to follow the justice system by holding many dialogues with him, which led to the President being accused of trying to hide Alfredo from the International Forces. He also said that rather than follow the advice from many including Bishop Belo, Alfredo decided to take more guns from the border posts, an act which cannot be accepted by the State, the President
of the Republic and the Parliament. (DN)

MUNJ Gives Deadline To President Gusmão
Coordinator of Movimentu Unidade Nacional ba Justisa (MUNJ) Agusto Trindade Junior has given a 24 hour deadline to the President of the Republic to withdraw his order on the capture of Major Alfredo. Trindade Junior said if the demands are not met he will mobilize youth from all the districts to hold a protest in Dili against the ISF.

Media Is Still Not Paying Attention To Women: Milena Pires
Coordinator United Nations Development Funds For Women (UNIFEM) Milena Pires reportedly told Timor Post that the media is still not reporting much about women. She cited as an example the first page of the newspapers which carried information based mainly about men. Pires said the media must also approach women and report on news about and opinions from women. She said in order to strengthen women’s participation in the 2007 elections, media is an important partner and cannot be ignored. The head of UNIFEM in Timor-Leste said women participating in the elections will provide all the information to the media which is imperative to have a space allocated for it to be reported in a balanced and accurate manner. (TP)

UNPOL Appeals For Public Support (TP)
United Nation Police (UNPOL) and PNTL appealed to all citizens to provide information about the suspect of Sergio Castro de Jesus knows as Sergio Ninja. Sergio Ninja escaped from the Becora prison on 17 February 2007 while he was awaiting trial for his attack and sexual abuses. Sergio Ninja is the fifth prisoner which police have not yet captured UNPOL and PNTL officers said that since he escaped from the Becora Prison, Sergio has been seen around various parts of Dili. The police are seeking public assistance to localize and to arrest Sergio.

JSMP Demands Better Justice in TL
Justice System Monitoring Program (JSMP) appeals to the United Nations in Timor Leste UNMIT to improve the justice in Timor Leste. According to JSMP justice sectors in the Districts of Baucau, Oecussi, Suai and Dili still are not functioning properly due to political interference.

UN ENVOY IN TIMOR-LESTE SAYS TIMORESE FUGITIVE RESPONSIBLE FOR VIOLENCE, CALLS FOR CALM

New York, Mar 5 2007 4:00PM

The United Nations envoy in Timor-Leste has said fugitive Timorese Major Alfredo Reinado and his followers, who are accused of involvement in last year’s deadly violence that rocked the tiny nation, bear ultimate responsibility for the weekend military operation launched against them by the International Security Forces (ISF) because they rejected the Government’s terms of surrender.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General Atul Khare, head of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), has also repeated his call for calm after gangs burnt tyres and fought UN Police on Sunday in the capital Dili, while two vehicles were set on fire in a ministry compound in Gleno-Ermera.

Timorese President Xanana Gusmão had asked for the ISF operation against Maj. Reinado after he ransacked several border police posts late last month, stealing weapons and other quipment, and because he had shown “very clearly that he does not respect the State or its institutions”.

“UNMIT regrets that the efforts to ensure a peaceful judicial path have not been successful, and would like to stress that it is Reinado’s disregard for the laws of Timor-Leste and the wellbeing of its population that have brought us to this point,” Mr. Khare told reporters yesterday, referring to the ISF operations in Same, south of Dili.

“I would like to once more appeal to the people of Timor-Leste to cooperate with the police and the ISF to maintain peace and calm. At the same time, UN Police, along with the PNTL (National Police of Timor-Leste) and assisted as required by the ISF, will continue to take strong actions against all those who indulge in violence or otherwise flout the laws of this country.”

Late last year the UN Independent Special Commission of Inquiry for Timor-Leste, set up to look into the deadly violence that erupted in May and April, found amongst other things that Maj. Reinado and his group were reasonably suspected of committing crimes against life and person during the fighting.

The crisis, attributed to differences between eastern and western regions, erupted in late April with the firing of 600 striking soldiers, a third of the armed forces. Ensuing violence claimed at least 37 lives and drove 155,000 people, 15 per cent of the total population, from their homes.

The Security Council created UNMIT in August 2006 to help restore order after the violence, especially in the run-up to this year’s elections, the first round of which is schedule for 9 April. These will be the first polls held in the tiny nation since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.