UNMIT Daily Media Review - Wednesday, 22 November 2006

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

Australia Will Continue To Provide Security: Brendan Nelson

Australian Minister of Defence, Brendan Nelson told the media on Tuesday that his country is committed to providing security to Timor-Leste including training for F-FDTL and help the government implement the 20:20 military program. Among other issues discussed between Nelson and Prime Minister Ramos-Horta, was the work of UNPol and International forces particularly the Australian and New Zealand forces in normalizing the F-FDTL and PNTL, Bilateral Military Corporation, security arrangements for the 2007 elections and training on the surveillance of maritime borders. Brendan Nelson further said that they discussed the situation of the IDPs and the importance of them returning to their homes. He told Ramos-Horta that Australia would reduce the numbers of the present military personnel, if opportunity arises, in which case the country would get a smaller military component from other nations to support Australia and New Zealand forces.

STL reported Australian Defence Minister as saying that the international military forces would not be under the UN command as it was a bilateral corporation. However, the Australian and New Zealand forces are committed to help the people of Timor-Leste and the priority would be to take the IDPs to their home.

Diario Nacional reported that the National Commission for Dialogue and Community Reinsertion lost one of its members, 35 years old José Soares Barros whose body was found in Aimutin, Comoro. Barros was taken from his home at 03:00 a.m. by unknown people accusing him of having close ties with the Kolimau 2000 group, which is responsible for the recent killings in Ermera. He is survived by his wife and 8 children. (TP, STL, DN)

Prime Minister Disgusted With Killing of Brazilian Missionary

PM, Jose Ramos Horta reportedly expressed his anger in relation to the murder of the Brazilian Evangelic Missionary, Edgar Concalves Brito last weekend. He said that the person who killed Brito is considered as an animal because Mr. Brito came to East Timor to work for this country and the East Timorese people. He is very sad with the incident and promised that the perpetrator will be brought to court, face justice and put in Becora Prison for the rest of his life.

Diario Nacional reported on the Brazilian community’s peace protest on Tuesday afternoon in Dili in relation to the death of the Brazilian missionary. Prime Minister Ramos-Horta, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Education, Ambassador of Portugal, Brazil and representatives of the Muslim, Catholic and Protestant Church participated in the march. The organizing coordinator for the event, Tadeo Marcos said the peace march was not only for the Brazilians but also for the Timorese who died during the crisis. The march was held in silence with participants wearing white headbands and holding white pieces of cloth as a sign of peace.
In a separate article, Timor Post reported that 11 people sought medical assistance in Bairro Pité clinic following violence. Teresa Conceição, Head of the clinic’s emergency section said 9 people were from Dili and two from Ainaro District including a policeman and a civilian. Conceição said of those who came from Dili, one had a gun shot wound and came from the Bidau Aikadiruhun; others were hit by rocks and rama ambons. (STL, DN, TP)

Government violates the rights of people: Oliveira

Director HAK Foundation, Jose Luis Oliveira stated that the current government led by Jose Ramos Horta has violated the rights of people as they abandoned the IDPs and prolonged the time of putting an end to the conflict by constructing temporary housing. He added that the effort of the government to sort out the crisis was good but did not have a good system. Hence, abandoning the IDPs and lacking good will to resolve the ongoing crisis meant that the government had violated the rights of people, stressed Oliveira. On another occasion, he also told DN that an apology expressed by the four organs of sovereignty to the people in regards to the conflict was a good sign. (DN, TP)

Alkatiri does not have any intellectual maturity: de Jesus

A senior leader of Fretilin Reformist Group, Egidio de Jesus was reported in STL as having said that the declaration of the former PM and the current Secretary General of Fretilin Party, Dr. Mari Alkatiri in which he accused the Catholic Church of ousting him from the PM seat indicated that Alkatiri did not have any intellectual maturity. His accusation was baseless as there is no evidence, de Jesus said. Hence, Mr. de Jesus called for every East Timorese journalists, intellectualists, and leaders including himself to think first before giving any statement to the public. He said that Alkatiri always speaks first but thinks later. He then reportedly said that Alkatiri was forced to step down because of the involvement of the weapons distribution for the civilians. (STL)

More Peace Marches

Youth for Peace Action is scheduling to hold another march in various parts of Dili on Thursday, a continuation of 12 November marches, calling for peace. According to Timor Post, discussion is still underway today whether to proceed with the march due to the impact it might have. A communiqué issued by the youth, says the action is an initiative of the youth and the population who want to live in peace, to end the violence, the dichotomy of ‘loromonu’ and ‘lorosae’ and appealed to everybody to join the march. The document says ‘if you love Timor-Leste join us/come together’. It is a way to try helping the leaders to find an immediate solution for the crisis. (TP)

Parliament Inquiry Into Purchase Of Ammunitions

MPs question the pledge of Prime Minister Ramos-Horta to purchase ammunition for F-FDTL. According to MP Leandro Isac, Ramos-Horta had stated in the National Parliament that the government under his leadership would not buy more guns and ammunition for Timor-Leste Defence Forces. Contrary to a document the Parliament received, the government had ordered 15 tonnes or two containers of ammunition for F-FDTL. Isac said the current priority is to resolve the internal problem of F-FDTL and not purchasing ammunition for F-FDTL. He said that the people still fear associated with guns and ammunition. He would like the government to justify the purchase. MP Clementino Amaral (KOTA) feels that the public needs to know why the ammunitions were purchased. MP Pedro da Costa (PST) disagrees with the government’s decision of purchasing ammunitions from Korea as the situation in the country does not permit the acquisition of more guns or ammunitions either for F-FDTL or PNTL. (STL)

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