UNMIT Daily Media Review - Thursday, 30 November 2006

National Media Reports
TP - Timor Post
DN - Diario Nacional
STL - Suara Timor Lorosae
RTTL - Radio e Televisao de Timor-Leste

Alfredo Status Needs To Be Cleared: MP Menezes

MP Rui Menzes who is also the spokesperson for PD reportedly said that the government must identify issues pertaining to Alfredo and clarify whether he is still in the army, and explain the guns under his possession and how he acquired them. Menezes said the government is responsible for the guns currently in the hands of Alfredo. He said the process of purchasing weapons has not been transparent under the former and present Prime Ministers.

He said the Timorese people and institutions with close connections to defence and security are amazed with the type of guns Alfredo has in his possession. In relation to Prime Minister Ramos-Horta’s statement calling Alfredo a criminal, Menezes said that a person should not be condemned as a criminal until proven so by a court. Meanwhile, Alfredo has stated that there are political interests in using him as the accused. He said that he is aware of the authors of the crisis and does not want to be the victim of other people’s wrongdoing. (DN, STL, TP)

Lobato’s Trial Starts Today

Timor Post and STL today reported on Timor Leste’s former Interior Minister Robato’s trial, scheduled to start in Dili today. According to these dailies, the trial has been moved from Dili District Court to the Court of Appeal due to the situation and the conditions. A team of national and international lawyers are representing Lobato. (STL, TP)

Domestic Violence Rate High in Viqueque

PNTL Sub-Inspector Gaspar da Costa has said that according to cases attended by the police in Viqueque area, domestic violence is on a high. Da Costa said police are having difficulties attending to some cases due to the lack of vehicles assigned to PNTL in that area. He further said that despite the crisis, a total of 47 PNTL officers continue to work and some are now in Dili undergoing the ‘screening’ program to ascertain whether they were involved in the crisis.

In a separate article, STL reported on Deputy Prime Minister Rui de Araújo’s speech during the seminar on the 16-day activities against violence. He said that the local leaders play an important role in helping to decrease violence against women. Therefore he reminded the participants that the three-day seminar is important for them to learn how to respond when domestic violence occurs, and stressed the importance of using the knowledge in their daily activities. (DN, STL)

Government Plans To Help The Media

Prime Minister Ramos-Horta has reportedly told Jornal Diario that the government already has plans to help local private newspapers and radio stations because they provide the same information services as the national broadcast services. Ramos-Horta said the role of Timorese journalists is important, but the resources are limited due to economic factors, adding, despite the difficulties, the journalists try and get the news to share with the public. He further said at times the information is distorted but that’s normal and like the journalists, the government and the MPs also make mistakes but the important thing is to keep on defending the freedom of expression and the media. The Prime Minister said this type of assistance depends on the proposals from the newspapers and the type of services provided that can be used by the government such as paying for a full page of coverage in the newspapers for government information as is done in some other countries. (DN)
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