Alkatiri koordinir perundingan pengembangan ladang Greater Sunrise

Mantan Perdana Menteri Timor Leste, Mari Alkatiri, telah ditunjuk pemerintah Dili yang sekarang untuk mengkoordinir perundingan mengenai pengembangan Greater Sunrise.Timor Leste sedang terlibat perundingan yang tegang dengan perusahaan pengembang ladang minyak dan gas, Woodside Petroleum, mengenai lokasi sarana pengolahan gas.Presiden Jose Ramos Horta dalam beberapa minggu belakangan ini mengatakan lebih suka pengembangan itu tidak jadi dilakukan, kalau fasilitas itu tidak dibangun di Timor Leste.Woodside sedang menimbang-nimbang untuk membangunan jaringan pipa ke Darwin, Australia utara, atau membangun sarana terapung di Laut Timor.Timor Leste akan memperoleh 50 persen dari pemasukan dari ladang Greater Sunrise kalau sudah beroperasi. (radioaustralia)

Gas plant chief's threat to move to East Timor

THE natural gas industry has made a last-minute call for compensation under an emissions trading scheme, as the Federal Government puts its finishing touches to the system.
The chief executive of Woodside, Don Voelte, threatened to put a multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas plant on a ship in East Timorese waters, rather than Australian, unless the company was granted compensation.
The Government has so far been adamant that LNG would not be eligible for compensation, but Woodside has lobbied aggressively for a change.
Yesterday, the Minister for Industry, Kim Carr, hinted that the Government had listened to concerns raised by the industry since a green paper on the scheme was made public in July."I'm confident we can get through this without serious difficulties in terms of ensuring that we have a well-designed program that protects the Australian economy and at the same time protects our environment," he told Network Ten.
Mr Voelte has argued that LNG exporters should be considered in the same light as other exporters whose international competitors do not have to pay for a carbon trading scheme.
Mr Carr would not rule out changes to the compensation details that were announced in July. The final version of the scheme will be unveiled in a white paper in the next three weeks. (smh)

Australian PM influenced Indonesian president's decision on East Timor

The former Indonesian President, B.J. Habibie has revealed he was pushed into making a quick decision on East Timor's independence because of a letter from Australia's Prime Minister at the time, John Howard.In 1998 Mr Howard suggested the East Timorese be given the chance to vote on independence in ten years.It was a major change in Australia's policy.Mr Howard has told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's TV Program, The Howard Years, he didn't think it would lead to a fast change in Indonesia's stance.Doctor Habibie told the same program he wasn't pleased by the suggestion that he resolve the matter over time."That means prepare them for 10 years or whatever and then after that give them their independence. ""So as I read that I was upset. It is John Howard who make me make a quick decision." (australianetwork)

Fearless filmmaker wins youth award

A young Sydney filmmaker who spent time with East Timor rebel leader Alfredo Reinado as he waged a battle against government forces has won the top film prize at this year's Spirit Of Youth Awards (SOYA).

Rebecca Parker, 26, is finishing work on Rebel Soldier, a full-length documentary about East Timor's short but turbulent history.
Parker filmed the charismatic rebel leader as he led his rebellion during 2006.
Reinado was killed by guards in February this year during an attack that saw President Jose Ramos Horta shot and critically wounded in the capital, Dili.
"I have had to carry the burden of the project myself including doing the camera, lighting, sound [and] filming in the jungle with the rebel soldiers in precarious situations," Parker said.
She is among six young Australians and a group of young rockers who walked away last night with $10,000 in cash, airline tickets and year-long mentorships from leaders in their fields.
The winners were among 1,600 artists who submitted more than 10,000 works in the award categories of film, music, fashion, photography, industrial and object design, visual art and visual communications.
The awards, in their fifth year, accept work from artists aged 30 and younger.
Industry heavyweights including fashion designer Carla Zampatti, actor Rachel Ward and television and radio presenter Adam Spencer were among the many to walk the red carpet at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art.
They were treated to a music performance by Melbourne-based music winner My Disco - comprised of band members Ben Andrews, Rohan Rebeiro and Liam Andrews, all aged 29 and who will be mentored by music producer Scott Horscroft.
The band has toured the world for the past five years and sees the award as a leg up.
"We have much more planned with the aid of SOYA," the band said.
"No rest!"(abc.net)

PIC Rebecca Parker: Winner of a Spirit Of Youth award. (AAP: Tracey Nearmy)

John Howard flew solo on big decisions

THREE of the biggest decisions of the Howard years - the GST, the intervention in East Timor and the Pacific solution - were decided with virtually no consultation with cabinet, it can be revealed for the first time.
A new television documentary, which is based on more than 20 hours of interviews with John Howard and 180 hours of interviews with key players in Australia and overseas, confirms how dominant the former prime minister was in running the affairs of the nation for almost 12 years.
Former foreign minister Alexander Downer reveals how one of the most controversial policies of the Howard years - the so-called Pacific solution under which asylum-seekers from Australia were moved to neighbouring island nations - was devised.
Mr Howard had told him: "Go and find someone who will take them."
Mr Downer said: "So I went back up to my office and got my staff together there and said: 'Well, now we are literally going to have to think up a country to send these people, that'll take them.'
"One of my staff, she said: 'Well look, you had that call from Rene Harris, the President of Nauru, a week or so ago pleading for two or three hundred thousand dollars, so he could pay for some oil, what about ringing him?"'
The interviews are from The Howard Years, a four-part series to begin on ABC TV on November 17.
Filmed and edited in the style of Labor in Power, which chronicled the Hawke and Keating years, the series contains scores of admissions and revelations about some of the most contentious issues during Mr Howard's term.
Mr Howard says he regrets having worn a bullet-proof vest at a gun rally, saying he felt like "a goose"; businessman Chris Corrigan, who divided public opinion when he brought guard dogs on to the waterfront to Australia, says "the dogs were my idea"; and Peter Costello says the words from a leaked internal party memo describing the government as mean and tricky "didn't come back to haunt me so much as to haunt John Howard". But the predominant theme of the series is the all-pervasive influence of Mr Howard over key decisions of the time.
Apart from the Pacific solution not going to cabinet before it was constructed, the GST and East Timor also were decided upon without cabinet consultation. Former Howard chief of staff Grahame Morris says there was "no great discussion" about a GST because the government feared that if it got the bureaucracy to work on it details would leak.
"He (Mr Howard) felt there had to be change to the tax system but there was no great discussion about this," Mr Morris says. "There was no great plan - 'Hey, fellas, if we do a GST andwhat not, what will that mean? Let's have the bureaucracy work on it', all that sort of stuff - because the minute you start doing that those sort of things leak."
Supporting that lack of consultation about the largest tax reform in Australian history, then finance minister John Fahey reveals he was shocked when Mr Howard announced on television that he was going to introduce a tax system with a GST.
"I will never forget the moment I listened to the PM on Sunday television announcing that we're about to embark upon a new tax system underpinned by a GST," Mr Fahey says.
"I suspect at that moment that the expletive that came out of my mouth came out of the mouth of many colleagues around Australia and I remember saying to my wife when I finally composed myself, 'Fasten your seatbelt, we're in for a rough ride' - and that was pretty true too."
Howard adviser Arthur Sinodinos made it clear the office knew how radical a GST was.
According to a colleague, Mr Sinodinos said: "We've taken a boat, we've sailed it down the coast of Africa and we've gone into the jungle and pulled out the meanest, nastiest gorilla we could find, sailed back to Australia and let it loose on the streets."
That same lack of consultation is clear regarding Mr Howard's historic letter of December 19, 1998, to then Indonesian president BJ Habibie telling him Australia was changing its policy and backing for the first time an act of self-determination for East Timor. Says then deputy prime minister Tim Fischer: "Let me tell you something: the most important letter ever written during the Coalition government's period of office, leading to the creation of East Timor, never went to cabinet."
The ABC has interviewed US President George W. Bush, who, in reference to the events of September 11, 2001, says of his relationship with Mr Howard: "In many ways our friendship was forged in fire, the fire of war."
Mr Bush says of Mr Howard: "He may not look like someone who plays on the scrum of the Australian rugby team but believe me he's plenty tough."
Shortly after the interview, as he is taking the ABC crew on a tour of the White House to show them a picture of his mother, Mr Bush says: "That prime minister of yours, he's a tough little dude."
Mr Costello's bitterness comes through. In reference to the famous memo written by then Liberal Party president Shane Stone that said the government was seen as mean and tricky, Mr Costello says: "Why write it? That's incompetent. And why leak it? That's treachery.
"Look, if there was one copy and it was written by Shane (Stone) and given to John (Howard), the leak's come from one of those two sources." (theaustralia)

Ramos Horta ready to torpedo gas pipeline to Darwin

EAST Timor president Jose Ramos Horta yesterday threatened to thwart the development of a $108 billion gas field rather than "surrender" the project to Darwin.

"I love Australia, I feel very much part of it, the blood in my body is Australian, donated by young Australian soldiers," he said.
"But I love my country and people even more..."
"You are rich and powerful, so I have to side with my people who are weaker and poorer. I hope you understand this."
Mr Ramos Horta used his address to NT Parliament to attack the executives of Australia's second largest oil and gas producer, Woodside Petroleum.
He said East Timor was the most viable site for the Greater Sunrise oil and gas project.
"The pipeline will go where it should go. The shortest route and cheapest," he said.
"Timor Leste cannot and will not bow to pressures from the Woodside CEO millionaires."
Mr Ramos Horta said most of the men responsible for the global financial crisis work for oil and gas companies.
"We will not bow to unilateral decisions made by these infamous CEOs that manage and mismanage world economies," he said.
"I for one prefer to forestall Greater sunrise than surrender to the dictates of a bunch of oil executive millionaires." (ntnews)

HEATED: East Timorese president Jose Ramos Horta arriving at NT Parliament yesterday. Picture: Brad Fleet

Ramos Horta tells of finding his would-be assassin

Lindsay Murdoch, Darwin
October 31, 2008
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EAST Timor President Jose Ramos Horta has found the man who shot and almost killed him, instantly recognising him on a visit to Dili's Becora jail.
"I stared at him," Mr Ramos Horta told The Age yesterday. "He turned away, embarrassed and couldn't look me in the eye. I have been waiting for him to come forward and confess his crimes."
Mr Ramos Horta said the man he identified as having shot him twice in the back during attacks in Dili on February 11 was not Marcelo Caetano, the rebel named as his attacker, who was hunted in East Timor's mountains by hundreds of soldiers, including Australia's SAS commandoes.
"Marcelo Caetano was wrongly accused," Mr Ramos Horta said.
"I never said it was him. It was a media beat-up."
Mr Ramos Horta realised a mistake had been made in April, when Mr Caetano, a member of renegade soldier Alfredo Reinado's gang, surrendered with other rebels.
Rather than "deep anger showed on the face of the President" when he met Mr Caetano, as one Australian newspaper reported, Mr Ramos Horta said he was, in fact, upset that a dreadful mistake had been made.
Speaking publicly for the first time about coming across his attacker, Mr Ramos Horta said the man who shot him was one of the Reinado gang, who is among a group of 22 rebels being held in Becora jail until East Timor's Prosecutor-General completes an investigation into the attacks.
"He was one of Alfredo Reinado's men, without doubt," Mr Ramos Horta said.
"Those rumours and innuendo that it was an element of the F-FDTL (East Timor's army) or somebody else who shot me are absolutely wrong."
Mr Ramos Horta, who survived the attack after emergency surgery in Darwin, said he has not asked the name of the man he identified as his attacker.
"I await the legal process," he said.
"If or when the prosecutor wants me to come face to face with the man in an identification parade, I will do it."
But Mr Ramos Horta said there was no way that he was mistaken. "I saw this man at close range — less than 20 metres," he said. "I looked at the intent in his eyes. At that precise moment I turned to run and he shot me twice in the back."
Mr Ramos Horta said he was not worried that the investigation into the attacks was still not complete.
He said East Timorese knew the basic facts about what had happened, and that prosecutions would begin in February.
"What they know is that the president was shot by elements of Alfredo Reinado on February 11," Mr Ramos Horta said.
"They know that act was absolutely unforgivable on the part of Alfredo Reinado to enter the president's compound in an aggressive and hostile manner."
Reinado, a cult hero figure, and one of his men were shot dead at Mr Ramos Horta's house.
Mr Ramos Horta was visiting Darwin yesterday where, during an address to the Northern Territory's Parliament, he urged the territory to develop close ties with East Timor . (theage)

Tinjau Ulang Batas RI-Australia di Laut Timor

Kupang (ANTARA News) - Batas wilayah perairan RI-Australia di Laut Timor yang dibuat dalam kurun waktu 1971 - 1997 harus ditinjau ulang oleh pemerintahan kedua negara menyusul disahkannya RUU Wilayah Negara menjadi UU oleh DPR-RI pada 28 Oktober 2008 di Jakarta."UU tersebut bisa dijadikan pedoman sekaligus kekuatan diplomasi baru oleh Jakarta untuk meninjau kembali seluruh batas wilayah perairan antara RI-Australia di Laut Timor yang dibuat sejak 1971-1997," kata Ferdi Tanoni, Ketua Pokja Celah Timor dan Direktur Yayasan Peduli Timor Barat (YPTB) di Kupang, Kamis.Penulis buku "Skandal Laut Timor, Sebuah Barter Politik Ekonomi Canberra-Jakarta, 2008" itu mengatakan, UU itu bisa digunakan Jakarta untuk segera menetapkan satu batas maritim permanen antara RI-Timor Leste yang belum pernah dibahas sejak Timor Timur lepas dari Indonesia pada 30 Agustus 1999.Mantan agen imigrasi Australia itu menyatakan, batas wilayah perairan RI-Australia di Laut Timor versi 1991-1997 sangat merugikan Indonesia karena hampir 80 persen wilayah perairan di Laut Timor dikuasai Australia untuk kepentingan bisnis minyak dan gas bumi (migas).Wilayah perairan Laut Timor sangat kaya dengan sumber daya alam seperti minyak dan gas bumi sehingga Australia menggebu-gebu menguasai hampir seluruh wilayah perairan itu sampai mengusir nelayan tradisional Indonesia yang berlayar di Laut Timor yang telah dilakukan mereka sejak berabad-abad lalu."UU Wilayah Negara ini sangat kita tunggu-tunggu karena sudah 63 tahun merdeka, negara kita tidak mempunyai UU yang mengatur tentang batas wilayah negara sehingga melemahkan posisi Indonesia dalam mempertahankan kedaulatan negaranya. Timor Leste yang baru merdeka saja sudah memiliki UU Batas Wilayah Negara," urainya.Tanoni menilai garis batas laut antara Indonesia dengan Timor Leste dan Australia di sekitar Celah Timor masih bermasalah dan harus dirundingkan kembali."Kita harapkan UU itu menjadi amunisi baru bagi Indonesia dalam merundingkan kembali batas wilayah perairannya dengan Australia dan Timor Leste di Laut Timor," harapnya. (Antara)

New Zealand surgeons remove 3.3kg tumour from East Timorese baby

AN East Timorese baby has had a tumour the third of his body weight removed in a life-saving operation in New Zealand.
The 3.3kg tumour was removed by volunteer surgeons at Wellington Hospital in the capital at the weekend, the Dominion-Post newspaper reported.
The tumour would have eventually killed the 14-month-old boy had the surgical team not stepped in, said Bill Day, chairman of the Wellington Hospital and Health Foundation and local Rotary Club president - which organised the trip to New Zealand.
Little Alex Gonzaga and his mother Elisa Da Conceicao flew to Wellington from Dili about two weeks ago for the operation involving a 10-strong surgical team.
Everything went according to plan and the benign tumour was removed from around his crucial organs in record time - about two hours - on Sunday.
"It has just been stunning, everyone pitching in to save his life," Mr Day said. Alex, who weighed about 11kg before the surgery, is expected to make a full recovery and will be ready to go home in a few days.
Alex's tumour was spotted by a doctor in East Timor. He was examined further on a visiting medical ship and referred to the Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children program (Romac).
Brendon Bowkett, who led the surgical team that operated on Alex, is a pediatric surgeon and a frequent visitor to East Timor to operate on children there.
"It is not just one child that benefits. It benefits the kids we treat here because it adds to our experience and when the child goes home the villagers see positive results. It is very rewarding," he said. (news.com.au)

Pic: Alex Gonzaga, 14 months, from East Timor, had a 3.3kg tumour removed by volunteer surgeons in Wellington / Supplied

Ex-army officer blames wife for $1m fraud

A retired army major is blaming his ex-wife for a series of frauds that cost investors almost $1 million.
His wife, Jennifer Margaret McIntyre, has already pleaded guilty to the fraud charges.
Today George Frederick McIntyre, 54, went on trial for in Christchurch District Court denying the joint offending, the Christchurch Court News website reported.
Defence counsel James Rapley told the court: "Some of these investors were deceived. Some of them were told outright lies to ensure they parted with their money. But these acts or deceits were practised by Mrs Jennifer McIntyre and were done without Mr McIntyre's knowledge."
McIntyre denies charges of conspiring with his wife to defraud the public, and one charge of obtaining $10,000 by deception.
McIntyre served in East Timor and retired from the army in 2002, when he became self-employed as an insurance agent.
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) prosecutor Nicholas Till said the couple married in 1980 and separated in 2003.
They were shareholders and directors of companies called G F and J M McIntyre, Cromac Group Limited, Cromac Group International Ltd, and Cromac Pacific Ltd, a company registered in Fiji.
The SFO said they jointly or separately, or working as a team, offered financial and budgeting advice and encouraged investments at a good rate of return - sometimes 12 percent a year.
Over several years to February 2004 they received $1,438,000 from investors and provided deeds of guarantee even though they had no assets of their own.
The investors were almost all army personnel investing their savings or superannuation payments.
The funds were used for the McIntyres' business expenses, personal expenses, and hire purchase payments for themselves and their children.
No investments or purchases of assets were made on behalf of the investors. New investors were never warned that their financial position meant they were unlikely to be repaid.
"In some instances, investors were repaid but these repayments were made from money obtained from new investors," said Mr Till.
In 2004, the McIntyres were adjudicated bankrupt with a loss of $996,341 to those who had placed investments with them.
Mr Rapley said McIntyre had been involved in several projects including exporting ostrich products to China, a land development at Lake Tekapo, and humanitarian projects with an emphasis on East Timor.
All these businesses existed, but the funds were lost because the businesses failed. The money had been obtained from a range of people as loans.
The trial is before Judge Raoul Neave and a jury. (odt.co.nz)

New Book Opens Eyes To East Timor

UQ journalism lecturer Heather Stewart jumped at the chance to follow an Australian volunteer eye clinic team to East Timor earlier this year, and has recently published her first book about the experience. Saving Sight Saving a Nation captures the blindness epidemic in East Timor via a series of stunning photographs, and was launched by leading Brisbane eye surgeon Dr Kevin Vandeleur on October 18. Dr Vandeleur is part of the East Timor Eye Program (ETEP), a volunteer effort aimed at eradicating preventable blindness in the fledgling nation by 2020. Taking photographic equipment, in addition to an audio and camera crew, Ms Stewart (from Fig Tree Pocket), independently traveled to Dili and joined the eye clinic team at the ramshackle hospital in the city to record their work. "It was a shock by any standards to see how Dili was still struggling despite having independence," Ms Stewart said. "I was determined to come back to Australia and tell the story about how desperate blind people are in East Timor and give credit to the volunteers who are trying so hard to help." On her return Ms Stewart generated content for ABC News and Lateline about the state of camps in the major regions housing over 100,000 displaced East Timorese. Her feature about the ETEP also appeared on the Channel Nine Sunday program. "I was expecting Timor to be further advanced and I really felt for the displaced people and was grateful they gave me a chance to tell their story," she said. The ETEP uses volunteer teams from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, International Centre for Eyecare Education and the ProVision Optometry Team, who provide services to help and prevent curable blindness in the East Timorese population. Project founder Dr Nitin Verma, an opthalmologist based in Hobart, said more than 30,000 patients have been seen by the group and more than 3,000 operations have been carried out. "I can tell you that the joy that you get when the bandage is remove and the patient has seen and the smile that you get is all that you want, and it hasn't faded," Dr Verma said. Ms Stewart followed the eye clinic team for a week in Dili and also visited Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao's home to interview him and his wife - Australian-born first lady Kirsty Sword Gusmao. A few days later there was an assassination attempt on his life and President Jose Ramos Horta, highlighting the political instability in East Timor and the plight of the Timorese. "It made me realise even more how important it was to come home and tell the story that something good was happening in East Timor," Ms Stewart said. Saving Sight Saving a Nation will be available in eye surgeries across Australia and East Timor, with all proceeds donated to the Timor Eye Clinic Program. It can also be ordered online. (medilexicon)

Migrants stranded in East Timor cheated out of hope - Feature

Dili - Last Saturday, 16 Tamil men waited eagerly on the south coast of East Timor for a boat to take them to Australia. They were near the end of their journey and they'd spent the last of their money, but it didn't matter. They knew a better life was only 650 kilometers across the sea.
However, the boat never arrived and instead they were arrested and thrown in jail for three days. Now, they are broke, jobless, without legal representation and some are about to be homeless.
The men say they will be killed if they return to their home in Sri Lanka and they don't know where to go, but all of them would like to leave East Timor.
They claim to be refugees from Sri Lanka's civil war where they survived kidnappings, bombings and have lost family members. So the men, either alone or in small groups, set out for a better life.
Two of them have lived in Timor six years and have families with Timorese women, others have been here only weeks. But all ended up in the country by accident, victims of scams which bilked them out of thousands of dollars and broken promises of safe, legal passage to Australia.
Some of the men said it took them years to save up the money they gave to their agents. But when they arrived in Timor, they found they had no connecting flights or tickets waiting and slowly realized they were not going to Australia. Then they realized they were stuck in one of the poorest countries in Asia.
So, a few weeks ago, when an Indonesian man named Frankie offered them a boat, the men paid him a total of 3,700 dollars to take them finally to their new home. Instead, they got cheated once more.
Sinnathurai Baheerathan left Sri Lanka six years ago, afraid for his life. "Sri Lanka is a very difficult land with many problems," he said. "Every day 20 or 30 people die."
He said he left everything behind. In six years he has never called home once. Today he has a Timorese wife and a child, but his life in Timor has not been easy.
In 2006, East Timor was rocked by months of civil unrest and hundreds of homes and business were torched, including his. Two years on, Baheerathan still gets up every day hours before sunrise and begins to fry dough, which he sells in one of the Dili markets. The dough balls sell for five cents each and Baheerathan said he can make up to 2 dollars a day.
A few months ago he and a Tamil neighbor met Frankie. "Every time he came over to the house to eat with us he would ask us, where would you like to go," said Baheerathan.
He said Frankie made similar offers to ex-pats from the Indian community. "He said he had already been [to Australia] two or three times." (earthtimes)

Church weighs into abortion debate in East Timor

A move to soften tough abortion laws in mainly Catholic East Timor is stirring opposition from the powerful Church.
Activists are backing a proposed law that would loosen the country’s blanket ban and allow abortions for women whose lives are in danger. But Church leaders have refused to drop their objections that the bill, scheduled to be voted on by parliament next month, violates basic religious teachings.“The Church is opposing this because they always see abortion as a crime,” said Filomena Barros dos Reis from the Alola Foundation women’s rights group.East Timor’s current law, which was copied from Indonesia’s criminal code during the country’s 24-year occupation, bans abortion in all cases.The new bill contains stiff jail terms of between two and eight years for abortionists and women who get abortions. It would also not allow abortions in the case of rape or incest.But dos Reis said she has told Church leaders that allowing abortions in the case of potentially fatal health problems would save lives.“We still have a lot of pros and cons because the community of Timor-Leste, they still trust the Church ... so we are still discussing with the Church,” she said, using the country’s official name.Justice Minister Lucia Lobato said last week that the proposed law would not significantly liberalise the government’s strongly anti-abortion stance.“The general principle is that abortion is a crime,” she said. “So a mother or a pregnant woman who gets an abortion, consciously or unconsciously, it’s still a crime and it has to be processed legally so punishment can be made.” The one exception, she said, was if a doctor certified that the pregnancy was a threat to the mother’s life.This has proven too much for the Catholic Church.“In principle, the Church worldwide doesn’t agree with abortion under any conditions because we have the technology to protect mothers, such as transplants,” Pastor Martinho Gusmao said in an interview last week.Impoverished East Timor, which gained independence in 2002 after more than two decades of Indonesian occupation, has the world’s highest fertility rate, with the average woman giving birth to eight children, says the UN. (taipeitimes)

East Timor tries to buy some time

By Matt Crook

DILI - The streets of Dili are quiet - for now. Clashes between rival gangs have subsided and thousands have finally returned to their homes after fleeing the fighting that erupted in East Timor in 2006. But behind the veneer of calm, the entrenched conflicts that sparked that street violence simmer. The opposition Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) is engaged in a war of words with East Timor's Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. For weeks, FRETILIN members have promised - without announcing a date - to hold a "peace march" in Dili, which many fear could instigate new clashes. Fueling the fire, Gusmao threatened on Monday to arrest any anti-government protesters who joined such a march. United Nations troops are preparing to pull out of East Timor, but there are rising concerns that the new island country's national police force, the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL), is woefully ill-prepared to take over their security responsibilities, despite a series of UN training programs. East Timor is once again at a potential tipping point, with fears that political friction, police factionalism, an east-west divide, police-military animosity and high unemployment could lead to a repeat of the 2006 violence, when 37 people were killed and up to 150,000 fled their homes. East Timor's history has been plagued with infighting, which until 1999 was directed mainly at Indonesian occupiers. FRETILIN is still irked: after winning the popular vote in the 2007 parliamentary election the party watched rival Jose Ramos-Horta form a coalition government led by the second placing party, the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT). FRETILIN secretary general Mari Alkatiri said in an interview, "We never recognize the government because we won the election and the president of the parliament decided to invite the second-most-voted party to form the government. We want to have a government that can rule our country without corruption, without nepotism and with competency." The purpose of the FRETILIN-proposed peace march is to push for new elections, as well as to "show clearly who is who in this country and who has the most support from the people and to prove that this government has no legitimacy," Alkatiri said. FRETILIN's has little to gain should its proposed march devolve into anarchy, but there are other worrisome factors that could lead to new rounds of violence. Much rides on the PNTL's ability to handle a demonstration and the possibility of riots, analysts say. PNTL Operational Commander Mateus Fernandes said in an interview that his men are "100% ready to hold security". The PNTL, which has 3,194 officers and about 500 based in Dili, has found it difficult to handle even minor public disturbances. At a student protest in June, PNTL officers fired tear gas and made 51 arrests. At a job fair held earlier this month, warning shots were fired as a group of jobseekers broke through a barricade. Later, at a pop concert on October 15, PNTL officers struggled to deal with a heaving crowd of young men, occasionally beating them back with batons. The PNTL was established in 2002 by the UN, at the time the new country's transitional governing authority. Supporting the PNTL now are 2,600 UN Police (UNPOL) and International Stabilization Force (ISF) troops stationed throughout the country. But even with that aid and armed presence, the PTNL has been strained to maintain law and order during volatile situations. Some security experts point to alleged shortcomings of the UN's training of the PNTL, which aimed to build it rapidly into a credible, professional force. The UN has a mandate until mid-February, although the handover of power to local forces is unlikely to take place until mid-2009. There is an alphabet soup of factions within the PNTL, including the UIR, URP, UPF, SIP, CSP, NID, each wearing a different uniform and resulting in parallel policing with different police groups operating independently. Some believe divisions between these factions would make it difficult for the PNTL to launch a cohesive response to major future disturbances. "PNTL do their own thing. Some of them work with UNPOL, some of them don't. Even with UNPOL here, there were still weeks when it was complete anarchy," said a security expert from a non-governmental organization based in Dili. "The PNTL and the military have pointed weapons at UNPOL on many occasions and told them to get lost. Once those things start to happen, you can't go back and reverse it."

East-west divide

The problems don't end there, however. Tensions have recently intensified in Dili with the circulation of an anonymous leaflet threatening violence against the government if someone from the eastern region of the country is appointed as the new police commander in November. The leaflet also airs perennial complaints about discrimination in the government structure favoring those who hail from the east side of the country over those from the west. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the letter and the government has been cagey about its relevance. State Secretary for Security Francisco Gutteres said, "I don't believe the leaflet is a concern, although we still have no idea who wrote it." The east-west regional divide was highlighted in 2006 when Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak fired 600 mostly western soldiers, known as the Petitioners, after they abandoned their posts to protest against alleged discrimination in rank promotions. The controversial move was known to be supported by Alkatiri. That pique played a large part in the violence that later erupted, where clashes between the police, army, youth groups and others spilled onto the streets and international peacekeepers were called on to help restore order. Ramos-Horta and Gusmao were at the time both engaged in a political battle with Alkatiri and both played the Petitioner's grievances to their political advantage, including through organized protests and a nationally televised address criticizing the military's move. East Timor's armed forces, the Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor Leste (F-FDTL), now comprises soldiers mostly from the country's eastern region, where Ruak is known to have considerable support. At the same time, he faces possible prosecution for his role in arming civilians during the 2006 riots. A UN-commissioned report found that Ruak provided weapons to former freedom fighters that had been part of the Forcas Armadas da Libertacao Nacional de Timor-Leste (Falintil), FRETILIN's former military wing. Whether Ruak will ever be prosecuted is up in the air, with fears that if there were tension between the army and the police could lead to new clashes. Two years later, the grievances of the Petitioners have yet to be resolved. Those who were fired by the government have received lump-sum payoffs, which have kept them quiet, although the issue of discrimination was never addressed. Meanwhile, military members who stayed loyal to their posts are left disillusioned that the soldiers they see as traitors have received handsome payouts. Ramos-Horta's and Gusmao's government has increasingly taken to paying people in a bid to smooth tensions. For instance, displaced citizens have received funds in the form of government-provided recovery packages, usually between $500 and $4,500 per family. However, deals still need to be made with the people who have been squatting in the houses of the displaced on their return. Just as crucial to Dili's stability are the Timorese gangs and martial arts groups that played a significant role in the 2006 violence. Unemployment in Dili is staggering, with more than 40% for the 20-24 year-old demographic jobless. Their prospects are constrained by low education levels, as less than 50% of the country's children make it through six years of learning. The education gap is open to manipulation and youthful frustrations have previously been expressed through violence. Peace negotiations between rivals gangs and the introduction of a PNTL special task force in 2007 has so far held a tenuous peace, but with such a large group of disenfranchised youth, the issues that drove them to the streets two years ago are still in place. It's unclear whether FRETILIN has the support or funds to stage a mass protest to mobilize these groups to its cause, but with so much else bubbling beneath the surface, East Timor's future as a stable, independent nation is still very much in doubt. (atimes)

Matt Crook is a East Timor-based freelance journalist. He may be reached at writer@whatismatt.com

E Timor Opposition defends 'Peace March'

East Timor's Opposition Leader has rejected Government accusations that the Fretilin party is stoking security tensions by planning a mass demonstration.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao says the Government will not hesitate to arrest violent demonstrators.
Mari Alkatiri has told Radio Australia it is Fretilin's democratic right to hold its so-called Peace March, just as it is the Government's right to arrest violent people.
He says the Government was trying to blame others for its own mistakes.
"They've been trying to solve problems by using only money, but not to solve the political problems through political means, that they've failed," he said.
"The Government has failed at all levels, and they're trying to blame others for their own mistakes."
Fretilin has not named a date for its mass demonstration.
Violence between eastern and western factions in East Timor flared in May 2006, killing 37 people and displacing 150,000 East Timorese.
Mr Alkatiri says his party was not behind an anonymous pamphlet circulating in Dili threatening more violence if a person from the island is named the new commander of the police force.
"Fretilin has nothing to do with this kind of issue," he said.
"Xanana has to be blamed for this kind of 'east and west' in Timor Leste. He was the one in 2006 to divide the country into east and west, Xanana himself." (abc.net)

Xanana Ancam Tangkap Pengunjukrasa

Dili - Perdana Menteri Timor Timur Xanana Gusmao, Senin, mengancam akan menangkap penentang yang menanggapi seruan kalangan oposisi untuk berunjukrasa besar menentang pemerintah di tengah keprihatinan atas ketenangan negara."Kami akan menarik yang terlibat dalam unjukrasa apa pun demi keamanan bangsa," katanya kepada wartawan saat ditanya tentang rencana unjukrasa oleh lawannya, Partai Fretilin."Saya tidak peduli apakah orang menyebut saya diktator, karena prioritas kami adalah ketenangan dan keamanan bagi semua warga," katanya.Pemimpin Fretelin, Mari Alkatiri, yang menyatakan pemerintah koalisi sebagai tidak sah, mengancam mengadakan demonstrasi besar untuk mendepak Gusmao dari kedudukannya, tapi tanggalnya belum ditentukan.Timor Timur secara resmi mendapatkan kemerdekaan dari Indonesia pada 20 Mei 2002, tetapi sejarah singkatnya dikotori kerusuhan politik dan perseteruan di antara mereka.Selebaran gelap juga beredar di Dili berisi ancaman berunjukrasa jika orang Timor Timur bagian timur dijadikan panglima baru polisi saat jabatan itu kosong pada November.Pernyataan pembedaan daerah seperti itu mencetuskan pembelotan besar oleh anggota angkatan bersenjata dan menyebabkan tentara terpecah pada 2006 serta bentrok senjata dengan polisi dan kelompok di jalanan yang menewaskan sedikit-dikitnya 37 orang.Pasukan asing penjaga perdamaian pimpinan Australia membantu mengamankan negara itu di tengah-tengah kekerasan tersebut.Presiden Timor Timur Jose Ramos Horta pada tengah Mei menyeru perdamaian dan persatuan di negara Asia itu dalam pidatonya memperingati ulang tahun keenam kemerdekaan negara itu di Dili.Perayaan itu dilakukan tepat tiga bulan setelah Ramos Horta ditembak dan cedera dalam serangan pemberontak pada 11 Pebruari, yang juga ditujukan ke Xanana.Pemberontak bertanggungjawab atas serangan itu menyerahkan diri bulan sebelumnya, tapi kekhawatiran bakal terjadinya lagi kekacauan membayangi keceriaan hari kemerdekaan negeri itu.Keamanan tetap ketat di sekitar pemimpin negara itu dan tentara asing, yang masuk ke negara itu saat pertempuran antar-unsur dua tahun lalu, mengawasi ketat perayaan tersebut.Timor Timur bekas jajahan Portugal dan bergabung dengan Indonesia pada 1975. Sekitar 200.000 warga negara itu tewas akibat sengketa dan penyakit, yang tidak bisa dicegah dalam dua setengah dasawarsa terahir.Negeri itu memilih merdeka dalam jajak pendapat ditaja Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa pada 1999.Timor Timur merdeka resmi pada 2002, tapi terjerumus dalam kekacauan kembali akibat pemecatan 600 tentara pembangkang pada 2006, yang memicu kekerasan di jalanan di antara unsur berseteru itu.Pemberontakan itu berahir setelah pemimpin pembangkang, Alfredo Reinado, tewas dalam serangan terhadap kediaman Ramos Horta oleh pengikutnya pada April.Pengamat menyatakan benih kegoyahan lebih jauh tetap ada di negara miskin berpenduduk sekitar satu juta jiwa itu dan ketegangan politik terlihat, bahkan ketika pemimpin negara itu berkumpul pada peringatan hari kemerdekaan tersebut.Xanana menolak berjabat tangan dengan pemimpin lawan, mantan Perdana Menteri Mari Alkatiri dari partai Fretilin.Pemerintah baru pimpinan Xanana mulai bertugas pada Agustus 2007 di tengah-tengah tentangan partai Alkatiri, yang meraih suara terbanyak dalam pemilihan umum pada Juni, tapi tidak memiliki cukup suara untuk memerintah. (ANTARANews)

Australia Akan Tarik Pasukan dari Timor Leste

Canberra - Australia akan mengurangi jumlah pasukan penjaga perdamaiannya di Timor Leste, sehubungan dengan terus membaiknya situasi keamanan di sana, pemerintah Australia menyatakan Rabu. "Otoritas Timor Leste telah memperlihatkan profesionalisme mereka dalam menangani situasi keamanan dan kini saatnya yang tepat untuk mengurangi pasukan Australia," kata Menteri Pertahanan Australia, Joel Fitzgibbon, dalam sebuah pernyataan, seperti dikutip Reuters.Timor Leste telah berjuang keras mencapai kestabilan sejak mencapai kemerdekaan pada 2002. Angkatan Daratnya terpecah berdasarkan garis regional pada 2006, sehingga menyebabkan timbulnya aksi kekerasan yang menewaskan 37 orang dan mengakibatkan 150.000 orang melarikan diri ke tempat yang aman. Menurut Fitzgibbon, sekitar 100 tentara Australia akan pulang pada awal 2009, sehingga jumlah tentaranya tinggal 650 orang di Timor Leste. Sebanyak 2.500 tentara dan polisi asing akan tetap berada di negara itu guna membantu pasukan keamanan lokal mempertahankan stabilitas. (ANTARANews)

Australia to cut E Timor troops to 650

Australia is to withdraw the number of soldiers operating in East Timor because of the improved security situation, the federal government has announced.
Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said the Australian Defence Force would cut back its total force presence in East Timor to approximately 650 personnel by early next year.
Currently, the Australian-led International Stabilisation Force (ISF) comprises around 750 Australian troops plus some from New Zealand.
"The reduction in the total number of deployed personnel under Operation Astute is appropriate given improvements in the security situation in East Timor," Mr Fitzgibbon said in a statement on Wednesday.
He said the Australian government was encouraged by the growing ability of the East Timorese agencies, with support from the United Nations, to deal with security.
"The East Timorese authorities have shown through their professional handling of the security situation that the time is now right for some draw-down of the Australian ISF presence," he said.
Following the draw-down, the force will total 790 Australian and New Zealand personnel.
Mr Fitzgibbon said there was no change to the mission and Australian and New Zealand troops would continue to play a key role in East Timor's security.
"The ISF will continue to provide security support to the government of East Timor and the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) in order to maintain a stable environment," he said.
Mr Fitzgibbon said Australia would also maintain the ability to rapidly reinforce the ISF at short notice if required, as was demonstrated earlier this year following the assassination attempt directed at the nation's political leaders.
He said Australia remained committed to supporting the government of East Timor in developing its Defence Force and maintaining security and stability. (news.theage)

Tuna under threat in key SE Asia ecosystem: WWF

JAKARTA - Key tuna species are under threat from overfishing in Asia's diverse Coral Triangle region and a drastic rethink is needed to stave off collapse, environmental group WWF said Tuesday.
Tuna species in the triangle, including heavily overfished bluefin and bigeye tuna, are under increasing pressure as fleets move in from depleted fishing grounds in other parts of the world, WWF researcher Lida Pet Soede said.
The Coral Triangle -- which is bounded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and East Timor -- contains spawning and nursery grounds as well as migratory routes for up to 89 percent of the world's tuna catch, according to the WWF.
The triangle is one of the most biologically diverse areas on earth.
"The larger context of the Coral Triangle, where there still are very important spawning grounds for a number of very valuable tuna species is critical," Soede said.
A decision last week by Spain, Japan and other countries to close down bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean will mean more fishing ships will move into the triangle, Soede said
"Regional collaboration around management of this global commodity is pretty obvious. If you can't agree on managing this commodity together, everybody is going to get hurt," she said.
Representatives from the six Coral Triangle nations, fishing companies and WWF are meeting in the Indonesian capital until Thursday to discuss ways of curbing overfishing in the area.
Discussions are set to include the creation of a carbon-trading style system to pay countries with large spawning grounds such as Indonesia in return for reducing fishing of tuna, Soede said.
Saut Hutagalung, a senior official in the Indonesian fisheries ministry, said the country was struggling to regulate tuna fishing by a fleet of mostly small, unlicensed boats.
Indonesia has no effective quota system for species apart from the lucrative bluefin tuna, prized for sushi and sashimi, Hutagalung said.
The archipelago nation produced 700,000 tons of tuna in 2007, he said. (abs-cbnnews)

BRUNEI BLAST TIMOR TO GO TOP

PHNOM PENH (21 Oct 2008) – Brunei blasted Timor Leste 4-1 to go top of the standings in the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 qualifiers here at the National Olympic Stadium.With Laos beating the Philippines 2-1 in an earlier match, it has made the chase for the two only available spots into the next round still open.“It was an excellent game and it was tough until the final whistle,” said Vjeran Simunic, the head coach for Brunei.“But we were going for the positive result as we needed the points to make sure that we have a good chance to qualify into the next round.”With Timor looking a shade off colour as captain Alfredo Esteves looking a little restrained, it allowed Brunei more space to push forward.It did not take too long for Brunei to go in front where in the ninth minute off a short pass from the left, prolific striker Mohd Shahraezn Said blasted home to put them in front.Timor continued to struggle after that and with the failure to win the midfield battles, their stray passes added to the confusion of the forwards as Brunei continued to stamp their authority.In the 26th minute, Shahrazen was again on target when he headed home a well-executed cross from Sairol Sahari to put the sultanate in a confident mood as they head into the dressing room at the half.The second half saw Simunic urging his lads on and in the 57th minute, Brunei nailed their third goal of the evening when a clever chip from the midfield was put well beyond the reach of Timor keeper Leonel Araujo by the nippy Mohd Azwan Saleh.Brunei gave then gave themselves an unassiable lead in the 76th minute with a penalty from Sallehuddin Damit although Timor did pull a goal back ten minutes to the end from Rosito Soares.“Brunei started the match better than us,” lamented Pedro Almeida, the head coach for Timor Leste.“We made two mistakes earlier in the game and they scored both times. That is football.” (aseanfootball)

East Timor nabs Aussie-bound job seekers

Sixteen Sri Lankans and four Indonesians have been detained in East Timor over a plot to illegally sail to Australia, authorities say.
The men were arrested in Betano village, on East Timor's south coast, while preparing to board an Indonesian fishing boat.
Officials said the men had admitted they were planning to travel to Australia.
"Some of them say they (were trying to) enter Australia to look for jobs," said the deputy director of East Timor's immigration department, Boavida Ribeiro.
The Sri Lankans were believed to have entered East Timor overland from Indonesia, while the Indonesians sailed the boat from Betun port, in West Timor, Ribeiro said.
"It was a small boat (and) in poor condition," he said.
Authorities in East Timor say they have not caught many people trying to travel to Australia illegally.
"(The last time) was in 2007 when we (detained) five people," Ribeiro said.
The men are being held in Dili's police watch-house.
Authorities are unsure at this stage if the men are part of a wider people smuggling or trafficking operation.
The immigration department expects an investigation will be complete by the end of this week.
The International Office for Migration in East Timor said they have offered assistance to the group. (nz.news)

SO CLOSE BUT YET SO FAR FOR TIMOR LESTE

PHNOM PENH (19 Oct 2008) – It was a case of coming so close but yet so far for Timor Leste when they gave away a two-goal lead to be held to a 2-2 draw by hosts Cambodia on the second match day of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 qualifiers at the National Olympic Stadium.The score at the end of the first half was 1-0 when Anggisu Barbosa slammed home the lead with seconds left to the breather before Jose Perreira added the second goal through a penalty in the 67th minute.But Cambodia, who had beaten Laos 3-2 in their opening game two days earlier, replied through a 78th minute penalty from Khim Borey before Sun Sovannarith grabbed the equalizer ten minutes to the end.“The most important is that we got the one point,” said Prak Sovannara, the head coach of Cambodia afterwards.“We came back after being two goals down and that speaks a lot about the ability of the players and personally, it is a wonderful result.”It was Cambodia who were the early aggressors with Ieng Saknida testing Timor keeper Leonel Araujo with a 25metre drive that went over the crossbar.Four minutes later, it was Timor’s turn when Manuel Pereira’s cross for the waiting Rosito Soares at the far end was denied by Cambodia keeper Samreth Seiha.Cambodia had the lions’s share of the exchange and in the 13th minute a header from Sun Sovannarith was blocked while some time afterwards, a swerving freekick from Chan Rithy was punched out of play by Leonel.But there was no denying Timor the lead in the 45th minute when off a cross from captain Alfredo Esteves from the right, Anggisu flicked the ball in from the far post.The break saw no changes to the way both teams played although Manuel Pereira played more as the lone striker as Timor tried to contain the pressure from the hosts who were cheered by more than 12,000 fans.With Cambodia failing to score even though they did bring in veteran midfielder Pich Sina in the 56th minute, Timor went further ahead when Jose Pereira converted a penalty in the 67th minute after Cambodian keeper Ouk Mic was penalized for bringing in down Maneul Pereira inside the box.Cambodia took a more offensive stance and they finally turned the game on its head when following sustained pressure, Timor conceced a penalty after captain Esteves was penalized for a fault on Sovannarith inside the box.Khim Borey delivered the goal from the spot to give Cambodia some glimmer of hope of stealing the one point.And they did just that in the 80th minute when Sovannarith slammed home the equalizer off a rebound.“We played well in the first half but we were under a lot of pressure in the second half,” said Pedro Almeida, the head coach for Timor Leste.“We had to defend a lot and that tires the team. But the one point is good against Cambodia.” (aseanfootball)

BORROMEO BREAKS TIMOR’S HEART

PHNOM PENH (17 Oct 2008) – A solitary strike from Alexander Borromeo in the second half of an evenly contested match gave the Philippines a well-deserved 1-0 win over Timor Leste in the opening match of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 qualifiers here at the National Olympic Stadium. The score was a far cry from the 7-0 beating Timor Leste suffered in the last qualifiers in 2006 which was played in Bacolod City – a thought not lost on Philippines head coach Juan Cutillas.“Sure, the Philippines beat them 7-0 in the last match but that was played at a neutral venue and also Timor did not have some of the quality players they have now,” said Cutillas.“Timor played very well but we deserved to win because we created a lot of chances.”Playing under sweltering conditions, both teams were a little slow off the block where Philippines only created the first chance in the 12th minute off a header from Ian Araneta but which went wide.Two minutes later, Timor fought back through Manuel Pereira but even though he managed to beat the off-side trap, he just could not get the last touch as both teams contend with the deadlock at the break.The failure of either Philippines or Timor to put some muscle at the centre of the park meant that the midfield struggle continued in the second half.Philippines then carved their first goal after the break in the 68th minute when Borromeo slammed home the lead following a botched freekick.Timor had a great chance of stealing the one point but their goal was disallowed after the second linesmen spotted a technical fault with the ball not being in play.“I enjoyed the way we played,” said Pedro Almeida, the head coach of Timor Leste.“And the disallowed goal was the mistake of our goalkeeper, so there’s no contention on that. We will just pick up from what we have shown here and improve to our next game.”(aseanfootball)

Asian Beach Games 2008 - Indonesia Gasak Timor Leste 9-1

Sanur - Kemenangan besar diraih tim sepakbola pantai Indonesia. Menjalani laga pertama menghadapi Timor Leste, I Nyoman Jumada cs meraih kemenangan meyakinkan 9-1.

Menjalani laga di Pantai Sanur, Sabtu (18/10/2008), tim Indonesia mengawali langkahnya dengan hasil memuaskan. Tampil meyakinkan di tiga babak, skuad besutan pelatih Mahayasa memetik kemenangan 9-1.

Adalah I Kadek Yuli Pari Mawan yang menjadi bintang kemenangan tim tuan rumah dengan tiga gol yang dilesakkannya. Putra Bali kelahiran 24 Juli 1986 itu menjebol gawang lawan di menit 1, 5 dan enam babak ketiga.Juga tak kalah gemilang adalah I Nyoman Jumada dan Dewa Dwipa Yuda dan masing-masing menambah dua gol buat pasukan merah putih. Sementara dua gol Indonesia lainnya masing-masing datang dari AA Artadinata dan I Wayan Metra Jaya. Satu-satunya gol Timor Leste yang bersarang di gawang Indonesia datang di menit keempat babak ketiga melalui Chiquito Do Carmo. Di pertandingan selanjutnya Indonesia akan menghadapi tim Qatar. Pertandingan tersebut juga akan dilangsungkan di Sanur pada Minggu (20/10/2008). Indonesia sendiri tergabung di Grup A bersama Timor Leste, Uzbekistan dan Qatar.Pada pertandingan lainnya di Grup B, Uni Emirat Arab juga membuka lebar jalannya ke babak kedua. Menghadapi Myanmar, UEA memetik kemenangan 2-0.(Detik)

Climate Change, Global Credit Crisis Deepen Poverty and Hunger in East Timor

By Phil Mercer

Sydney

16 October 2008

Aid agencies warn that East Timor faces a food crisis and more than half of its youngest children are going hungry as global food prices soar. A new survey reveals that more than 70 percent of households across East Timor are unable to find enough to eat each day for almost half the year. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

A group of international aid organizations says that East Timor's "hungry season", which usually lasts for a couple of months, now extends for almost half of the year.The number of children under age five suffering from chronic malnutrition has hit as high as 59 percent in many areas. In some districts the food crisis has touched 90 percent of households.Aid workers say the global financial meltdown has contributed to the problem, as jobs are lost and donors cut back aid, while food prices have spiraled upward. Charities estimate that an extra 100 million people have been pushed closer to hunger in other parts of Asia, the Pacific and Africa, as well. Andrew Hewett, the executive director of Oxfam Australia, says changing weather patterns have cut into East Timor's harvests."We are finding that climate change is causing problems for people's livelihoods and people's food security in that country," Hewett said. "It was already a pretty desperate situation in East Timor. People were used to the idea that for at least a couple of months a year that they just did not have enough food. The problem is that that period has got greater."Despite turmoil in international financial markets, charities urge wealthier countries to support emergency food programs.Aid workers have reported similar problems in Cambodia and the Solomon Islands, where children are increasingly surviving on just one meal a day.It has been a hard road for East Timor since independence from Indonesia in 2002. It suffers ethnic and regional divisions, and youth unemployment is above 60 percent.In addition, a rebellion by disaffected soldiers in 2006 triggered violence that killed more than 30 people and forced 150,000 residents from their homes. Thousands remain in refugee camps. (VAONews)

Oxfam: Timor Timur Hadapi Krisis Pangan Serius

Penduduk Timor Timur menghadapi krisis pangan serius karena adanya perubahan iklim dan kemelut keuangan internasional.
Kata laporan badan bantuan internasional Oxfam, 70 persen lebih penduduk Timor Timur sejak setengah tahun terakhir tidak punya cukup makanan tiap hari. Kata Oxfam, di daerah-daerah tertentu, hampir 60 persen anak-anak dibawah usia lima tahun menderita kekurangan gizi yang kronis.
Kata kepala eksekutif Oxfam di Australia, Andrew Hewitt, krisis pangan itu disebabkan berubahnya iklim setempat dan bertambahnya tanaman yang digunakan untuk membuat bahan bakar.
Pejabat bantuan mengatakan, krisis keuangan global telah mempersulit keadaan karena banyak orang kehilangan pekerjaan dan sejumlah negara donor mengurangi bantuan mereka.
Perkiraan badan bantuan mengatakan 100 juta lagi penduduk di Asia, Afrika dan kawasan Pasifik semakin dekat pada bencana kelaparan. (VOANEWS)

QUIET CONFIDENCE AHEAD OF AFF SUZUKI CUP QUALIFIERS KICK-OFF

PHNOM PENH (16 Oct 2008) – There was an air of quiet confidence and subtle trepidations at the pre-match Press Conference this morning at the Nagaworld Hotel ahead of the official kick-off for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 qualifiers tomorrow afternoon.

The conference was held immediately after the team managers’ meeting and was attended by more than 25 members of the local press corps and two journalists from abroad.

Philippines will open their campaign against Timor Leste tomorrow while hosts Cambodia will be up against Laos.

Brunei will have the day off.

None of the teams were willing to assess their opponents’ strength or weaknesses preferring instead to focus on their own game plan and their need to have a positive start to the tournament.

All the teams taking part are of almost equal strength with several making their preparations for this qualifier abroad – signaling their seriousness and their desire to win.

At stake would be the only two available slots for the tournament proper which will be held in December in Indonesia and Thailand.

QUOTES

“On behalf of the local football family and also the government of Cambodia, I welcome everyone to Phnom Penh. I hope for a successful tournament in very friendly atmosphere. Cambodia is a very young country and we are trying to learn more in hosting big international events. With that, I would like to thank the Asean football family and WSG (World Sport Group) for all their support.” - His Excellency General Sao Sokha, President of the Football Federation of Cambodia (FFC)“

I know that the all the teams here are well-prepared and they want to win the two available slots to the next round (of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008). But I hope that while they will play hard, they should also uphold ‘Fair Play’ above all else.” - Nugraha Besoes, Head of Delegation, Asean Football Federation (AFF)

“We played two games in Bangkok before coming here where we also had several days of training. We won one match and lost once – both games were against professional club sides. Although we have a few players playing abroad, I don’t think that it will be a big advantage against Timor Leste.” - Alberto Honasan, technical consultant of the Philippines FA

“We have been in training for the last two months. Some players are new but we hope that we can do well in this tournament. We played against Philippines in 2004 and I know that there have been a lot of changes to both teams. I am looking for a positive start so we will see what happens at the end of the game (as far as the results are concerned).” - Pedro Almeida, head coach of Timor Leste

“We have had some three months of preparation and before this tournament, we went to South Korea to play eight matches. We played against mostly university teams where we won one match, draw one game and lost six times. I know that the results have not been very good but the mentality of the players have been positive and we will look to win our first game.” - Dary Bouy, assistant coach of Cambodia

“Before coming to Phnom Penh, we were training at one of the professional clubs in Vietnam (at Hong An Gia Lai). This team is being prepared for the SEA Games which Laos will be hosting next year. The team may be young but I think that they have been shaping up very well. We need more exposure for sure but I think that we can be strong for this meet.” Niwat Klaysang, team manager of Laos

“I am very happy to join this tournament. I took over this team two months ago. We did not go anywhere for matches or training where we have been at home in Bandar Seri Begawan. But I’m looking forward to the matches. And not playing tomorrow will give me chance to look at the other teams and how we can prepare ourselves.” -Vjeran Simunic, head coach of Brunei Darussalam

TOURNAMENT FIXTURES

(All matches at the National Olympic Stadium)

17 OCT 2008: Philippines vs Timor Leste (1400hrs) / Cambodia vs Laos (1600hrs)

19 OCT 2008: Timor Leste vs Cambodia (1400hrs) / Brunei vs Philippines (1600hrs)

21 OCT 2008: Philippines vs Laos (1400hrs) / Timor Leste vs Brunei (1600hrs)

23 OCT 2008: Laos vs Brunei (1400hrs) / Cambodia vs Philippines (1600hrs)

25 OCT 2008: Brunei vs Cambodia (1400hrs)/ Laos vs Timor Leste (1600hrs)

PIC: The team representatives from Timor Leste, the Philippines, Laos and Brunei at the pre-match Press Conference this morning at the Nagaworld. (aseanfootball)

East Timor sells off its artefacts, history - Feature

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Dili -Last week on eBay a search for East Timor would have come up with a black, wooden, hand-carved statue of a male, not quite a metre high. At 150 US dollars it was by far the most expensive object from East Timor, and one might have wondered why. Perhaps it was only a replica of a centuries-old sacred clan totem believed to represent ancestors. Or, maybe it was the real thing.
Either way, it's gone now.
In East Timor, one of the poorest countries in Asia, everything -even the sacred - has a dollar value. With poorly enforced protection laws foreign sales of Timorese artefacts are not rare on eBay. Though eBay isn't the only way Timor loses its history.
Peter Lape, the curator of archaeology of the Burke Museum at the University of Washington in Seattle, has been making trips back and forth to Timor since 2002. Through his field work studying early rock art and fortified settlements and the work of a handful of others it has been established that East Timor has been peopled for at least 40,000 years and likely well before then.
Today, a number of archaeologists believe that the first Australians, Timor's southern neighbour, were in fact Timorese.
"I was drawn to Timor-Leste because it is historically important to the region and the world," Lape said. "It was a place of earliest human migrations from Africa to Australia and New Guinea."
As the centre of this Asia-Pacific crossroads, Timor is an important key in the history of human migration, "when we know more about these early Timorese then we will know more about the early settlers of Australia."
Lape has been questioning: Why is Timor-Leste so different from Indonesia, and especially Maluku? How have people adapted to Timor-Leste's unique climate and geography?
But to answer these questions is a race against time and progress. In 1999 East Timor broke free after 24 years of Indonesian occupation. It was an occupation known for its secrecy. Westerners, feared to be spies, journalists or pro-Timorese activists, were not especially welcome in the province. Much archaeological work was put on pause during those years.
Now, trying to catch up, Lape says he can see valuable sites disappear as the country opens up to the world and readjusts itself after 24 years of conflict.
"Sites are everywhere, but people often don't recognize them when they are building things - or if they do, only after it is too late to save them," he said.
Since 2005 Lape has been studying the ruins of a 5,000-year-old village at the eastern tip of the island. The site is as far from Dili, East Timor's capital, as one can get - there is no phone service, electricity or internet, but only jungle and sea, fishing villages and farmland.
In these parts the biggest threat to preservation is not eBay - it's the locals.
"The site I worked on in Ira Ara, for example, was already half destroyed because people had been digging away at it to get stones and soil to build a small chapel," he said.
The Timorese government is responding to these threats. In August most of the districts in which Lape works were dedicated as the Nino Konis Santana National Park - East Timor's first.
Pedro Pinto, the director of the park, said the government is making an effort to protect everything it can through better local awareness and management.
"We are preparing a plan for management of the [archaeological] sites," Pinto said. "This will be a guide to preserving the sites for future managers."
In August Pinto hired Adelino Rogario to conduct awareness trainings for the 10,000 estimated Timorese living within the national park.
Unlike national parks in many developed countries which are empty of villages, East Timor's national park is speckled throughout with isolated collections of thatched huts. Rogario said those communities, scattered across mountain, marsh and jungle, are needed.
The park is 126,000 hectares big and is currently overseen by only a handful of forest guards. So Rogario conducts his trainings to get communities on board as a vital first line of protection.
"These sites are something valuable to the Timorese, something which is ours," said Rogario. "But first we must protect, then conserve and then promote."
That is, once the sites are found. Rogario said that he estimated there are many archaeologically important sites still nestled in mountain crags or smothered by the virgin lowland rainforest.
Even as Timor seeks to protect these wild, historically vital areas, the country is eager to develop.
In the middle of the district is a large lake that has been picked as the site for a hydroelectric power plant and each year the nation spends more on roads and bridges which bring jobs to impoverished local economies and perhaps later, hundreds of tourists.
Preserving the past is a race against the future, Lape said. Tourists can bring poorly planned development schemes and, too often, looters of archeological sites.
"Looting of objects for sale has been a growing problem in South-East Asia, during Indonesian times and even now, many cultural objects were stolen and sold on the global antiquities market," said Lape.
Nuno Oliveira, an advisor to the secretary of state for culture, is leading a team of Timorese across the country armed with GPS devices with which he says they will collect data on sites of historical and cultural significance and store it online.
The locations of the oldest, most sacred places in Timor will be recorded and then the sites will be assessed in terms of importance to the community and antiquity, among other criteria.
But Oliveira is a realist and he said despite his work change is slow and in coming years even more sites could be destroyed or badly damaged. It gives his work urgency.
"At least we'll have some information out there, before this stuff is destroyed forever," he said. (earthtimes)

Kids back Timor youth

FOUR dedicated young local girls are trying to make life easier for kids in East Timor.Twins Ellie and Mollie Travica of Emerald, Kallista’s Elly Robertson and Emma Falconberg of Berwick are raising awareness and cash for better education in the small province of Ermera.For most 11-year-olds a task of such mammoth proportions would be daunting, but not for these girls.The Beaconhills College students formed a group called YES (Youth for East Timor Squad) to help raise awareness and cash for school 20 De Septembro.The girls have raised more than $4000 this year and are putting together a scrapbook of photographs for the students of 20 De Septembro.In the last year of the East Timor guerrilla war, on 20 September 1999, the small school was burnt down.It was re-opened a short time later but struggled under poor conditions with little shelter.In 2003, through the Alola Foundation, Beaconhills College in Berwick became its sister school.Through the school’s fundraising, 20 De Septembro was able to open the first of its classrooms in 2006.The girls became involved in the school while in Grade One and decided to do something more to make a difference.Teacher Carmel Byrne said when the girls started middle school they discovered there was no connection with 20 De Septembro and wanted to change that.“They wanted to pull the school together to support East Timor,” she said.YES was also formed as part of a futures learning and problem solving project. But, for the girls it was about more than just another school project – they wanted to make a difference.The girls have now been nominated as one of five state finalists in the Macquarie Bank Future Problem Solving Program with the winners announced on 19 October.Ellie said they had not only raised cash but spoken about the school’s plight on many occasions.She said the most important part of the project was raising awareness.Mollie said they were also trying to set up a pen pal system with the school but had encountered a few snags.Elly said that so far two school buildings had been rebuilt, but there was still so much more to be done.She said that at least three more buildings needed to be built.The girls said apart from raising cash and awareness, they were hoping to build lasting friendships with 20 De Septembro. (RangesTraderMail)

PBB Diminta Hentikan Penyelidikan Kerusuhan 1999

SOIBADA (Suara Karya): Presiden Timor Leste Ramos Horta , Senin mengatakan ia ingin PBB menghentikan penyelidikannya atas pertumpahan darah yang terjadi menyangkut keputusan kemerdekaan dari Indonesia tahun 1999.
Para pemimpin Timor Leste dan Indonesia Juli mengatakan masalah itu sudah ditutup setelah menyatakan penyesalan dengan kesimpulan-kesimpulan satu komisi kepercayaan gabungan yang menyalahkan pasukan keamanan dan sipil Indonesia karena melakukan "pelanggaran berat hak asasi manusia."
Tetapi PBB, yang memboikot komisi kebenaran itu, mengatakan pihaknya akan terus mendukung pengusutan melalui Unit Kejahatan Serius, yang dibentuknya untuk membantu kantor kejaksaan Timor Leste menyelidiki aksi kekerasan di mana PBB mengatakan 1.000 warga Timor Leste tewas.
"Sebagai kepala negara, saya tidak mengesahkan atau mengizinkan penyelidikan PBB atas kejahatan tahun 1999. Sikap kami adalah memelihara hubungan baik dengan Indonesia," kata Ramos Horta kepada Reuters ketika mengunjungi distrik Soibada, sekitar 100km dari ibukota Dili.
Beberapa pejabat militer Indonesia telah diadili oleh pengadilan hak asasi manusia Indonesia setelah kerusuhan tahun 1999 itu.
Timor Leste, bekas koloni Portugal yang kemudian bergabung dengan Indonesia tahun 1975, meraih kemerdekaan setelah satu pemungutan suara yang diselenggarakan PBB tahun 1999. Wilayah itu memperoleh kemerdekaan penuh tahun 2002.

Fears of unrest in E Timor

Dili - An opposition plan for a massive march on East Timor's capital and rumours of tension in the police force are raising concerns of a return to instability in the tiny Southeast Asian nation.

An unsigned pamphlet has been circulated in Dili complaining of official discrimination against Timorese from the impoverished country's western region in favour of those from the east.

The pamphlet also threatened protests against the government if an easterner is appointed the new police commander when the post becomes vacant in November.

Such claims of regional discrimination sparked a mass desertion by members of the armed forces, leading to fighting in 2006 between military, police factions and gangs in street violence that killed at least 37 people.(iol.co.za)

East Timor Honors Cuban Independence Day

Dili, Oct 10 (Prensa Latina) East Timor celebrated Cuba’s Independence deed within the World Drive Against the Blockade with a new telephone line (roaming) joining both countries.

Engineer Jose Brandao, manager of Timor Telecom, said October 10 means freedom for Cuba and Ambassador Ramon Hernandez helped boost it through bilateral communications with a call to the main offices of ETECSA telephone company.

Ambassador Hernandez called the roaming contribution from the field of communications, within the World Drive, to breach the near 50-year unfair and failed US Blockade of Cuba.

The diplomat reminded that Cuba will address late this month for the 17th time the UN General Assembly on the Cuban resolution stressing on the need to end this unilateral measure.

The roaming Timor Leste-Cuba inauguration also involved local officials from communications, social and state-run institutions, relatives of Timorans studying in Cuba and Cuban collaborators. (plenglish)

When words are not enough

TROUBLE appears to be brewing in East Timor again as security forces step up roadblocks and increase security around government buildings

Fretilin, the largest political party, is organising an anti-Government protest march across the country, prompting threats by the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, to jail participants

But on the streets of Dili, the capital, children do not know or care about the bickering and plotting by the country's political elite who have been antagonists for decades.

Twenty-one vulnerable teenagers and young people were given disposable cameras to capture their lives.

Their images are remarkable.

A girl cuddles her toy bear; three naked children sit above a waterhole; a bride adjusts her husband's tie; a cockatoo rests on a perch; children play beachfront soccer; youths tender goats; children frolic in the surf.

One of the youths, Remegito da Costa, wants to become a full-time photographer. "The pictures are my eyes, mouth, ears and feelings," he says.

Rose Magno, a freelance photographer who supervised the project for the non-government organisation Ba Futuru ("For the Future") said it was often difficult and inadequate for young people to express their traumatic experiences through words.

"Giving them an opportunity for creative outlet through the camera lens and visual narrative enables them to transform their negative feelings into seeing positive changes in their personal development and environment," Ms Magno said.

"These children and youth, most of whom have never taken a picture before, ventured out and brought back compelling interpretations on themes such as love, identity, community, peace, conflict transformation and hopes and dreams for their futures." (smh.com.au)

Fancy handwork... a photograph from the exhibition showing young people in a carefree moment at the beach.

DEMI MERAH PUTIH

Sosok yang satu ini memang unik. Kecintaannya kepada Negara Republik Indonesia tidak bisa diragukan lagi. Betapa tidak, demi membela Indonesia dan merah putih ia tidak hanya rela dijebloskan ke penjara Cipinang, Jakarta. Pria asal Timor Timur itu juga harus berpisah dengan anak dan istrinya yang memilih menjadi warga Negara Timor Leste ketika peristiwa jajak pendapat lalu.

Nama Eurico Guterres mulai dikenal ketika terjadi peristiwa pasca jajak pendapat Timor Timur pada 1999 lalu. Kala itu warga Timor Timur terpecah menjadi dua. Mereka dihadapkan pada dua pilihan, antara menjadi warga Negara Timor Timur atau bergabung dengan Republik Indonesia. Konflik horisontal pun tidak terelakan lagi. Maka terjadilah peristiwa kerusuhan yang sangat memalukan di mata dunia internasional. Menurut data dari berbagai sumber, kala itu ratusan nyawa melayang dan ribuan warga kehilangan tempat tinggal.

Dunia internasional, terutama Amerika Serikat dan Australia menekan Indonesia melalui PBB untuk mengusut tuntas dalang pelaku kerusuhan itu. Bahkan negara adidaya itu mengancam akan membawa ke mahkamah internasional mereka yang terlibat kasus pelanggaran hak asasi manusia itu. Indonesia yang serba salah, akhirnya menjadikan Eurico Guterres, yang kala itu menyandang gelar Wakil Penglima pejuang pro Integrasi sebagai tersangka kerusuhan pasca jajak pendapat itu.

Banyak kalangan menilai, bahwa pemuda gondrong kelahiran Uatolari, Timor Timur, 4 Juli 1969 itu dikorbankan demi tekanan dunia internasional. Di tengah pro dan kontra waktu itu, Eurico Guterres dengan lantang dan jantan menyatakan siap dihadapkan ke pengadilan jika bersalah. Dan yang membuat banyak kalangan kagum adalah, sikap Guterres yang datang sendiri ke pihak berwajib. Tidak berbelit-belit, apalagi bersembunyi dan mengaku sakit ketika menjadi tersangka kasus korupsi seperti para tersangka yang akan ditangkap KPK baru-baru ini.

Melalui sidang pengadilan, Eurico Guterres akhirnya diganjar hukuman 10 tahun penjara. Dan ia manjalani hukuman itu di penjara Cipinang Jakarta hanya dua tahun. Guterres berhasil mengajukan Peninjauan Kembali ke Mahkamah Agung, dan dalam prosesnya ditemukan bukti baru yang meringankan. Walau kini ia telah bebas, Guterres masih tidak mengerti mengapa ia sampai dijebloskan ke dalam penjara. Menurutnya, ia yang memihak negara yang dicintainya justru dijebloskan ke penjara. “Seandainya waktu itu saya memilih bergabung dengan Timtim mungkin saya sudah menjadi menteri” ujarnya sambil menerawang.

Pasca menjalani hukuman, Eurico Guterres kini mengisi kehidupannya dengan kuliah hukum di LP Cipinang yang diselenggarakan Universitas Bung Karno. Ia memilih kuliah hukum selain mengaku tidak mengerti hukum di Indonesia, juga karena cita-citanya yang ingin menjadi pengacara. Selain itu, Guterres yang kini memilih tinggal di Kupang, Nusa Tenggara Timur juga terjun ke dunia politik. Ia kini bersiap-siap menjadi calon legislatif dari Partai Amanat Nasional. Salah satu perjuangannya adalah memperjuangkan pengungsi Timor Timur yang hingga kini masih banyak yang telantar pasca peristiwa jajak pendapat dulu. (KickAndy)

http://www.metrotvnews.com/

Former Finnish president wins Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO, Norway - Finland's ex-president Martti Ahtisaari received the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to 'fraternity between nations' in Alfred Nobel's spirit," the committee said in announcing the prize.

By selecting Ahtisaari, 71, for the prize, the Nobel committee returned its focus to traditional peace work after tapping climate campaigner Al Gore and the U.N. panel on climate change last year.

The secretive five-member committee said that Ahtisaari's work across the world - Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East - proved that such efforts can have a profound effect on peace processes.

"Through his untiring efforts and good results, he has shown what role mediation of various kinds can play in the resolution of international conflicts," the committee said in announcing the 10 million kronor (US$1.4 million) prize.

"For the past 20 years, he has figured prominently in endeavors to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts," the citation said, mentioning his work in conflicts from Namibia and Aceh, Indonesia, to Kosovo and Iraq.

Ahtisaari had been listed as a possible Nobel Peace Prize candidate since 2005 after he negotiated an end to a conflict that began more than 130 years ago by bringing together the Indonesian government and the leaders of the separatist guerrilla movement in Aceh.

"He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa," the citation said.

Speaking to NRK Norwegian TV, Ahtisaari said he "was very pleased and grateful" at receiving the prize.

Asked what work he considered the most important, Ahtisaari, the first Finn to win the prize, said that "of course Namibia is absolutely the most important because it took such a long time." He also singled out his work in Kosovo and Aceh.

Ahtisaari was a senior Finnish diplomat when in 1977 he was named the U.N. envoy for Namibia, where guerrillas were battling South African apartheid rule. He later rose to undersecretary-general, and in 1988 was dispatched to Namibia to lead 8,000 U.N. peacekeepers during its transition to independence.

Ahtisaari said he hoped the prize would make it easier to attract financing for his peace work.

"There are always many possibilities. I really hope now that I receive the prize that it makes it easier to finance the organizations that I chair," he said. "It's very important to be able to act properly, you need financing and you never have enough."

Ahtisaari has had a broad career in politics and in peacemaking.

A primary school teacher who joined Finland's Foreign Ministry in 1965, he spent 20 years abroad, first as ambassador to Tanzania and then to the United Nations in New York.

He was U.N. undersecretary of state for administration and management from 1987 to 1991, heading the U.N. operation that brought independence to Namibia in 1990.

In 1994, Ahtisaari accepted the presidential candidacy of Finland's Social Democratic Party and won the election. He did not seek re-election in 2000 and has since participated in various international peace efforts.

In 2007, Ahtisaari's office - Crisis Management Initiative - started secret meetings in Finland between Iraqi Sunni and Shiite groups to agree on a road map to peace.

The talks, based on the format of peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland, included 16 delegates from the feuding groups. They "agreed to consult further" on a list of recommendations to begin reconciliation talks, including resolving political disputes through nonviolence and democracy.

In August 2005, Ahtisaari helped end 30 years of fighting between Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government with peace talks in Finland, which he initiated and mediated with Crisis Management Initiative. A peace agreement, signed in Helsinki, followed seven months of negotiations between the two parties, which he initiated and mediated.

Ahtisaari was also chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina working group in the international peace conference on former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1993, and was special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on former Yugoslavia in 1993.

Although Serbia bitterly rejected Ahtisaari's attempts to forge a compromise settlement on Kosovo, which declared independence in February, his blueprint forms the essence of the new nation's constitution.

Ahtisaari's plan also laid down the guidelines for the deployment of a European Union police force in Kosovo and other key aspects of the way today's Kosovo is run day to day.

The peace prize is presented in Oslo while Nobel prizes for medicine, chemistry, physics and economics are handed out in Stockholm, Sweden. The ceremonies are always on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896. (newsobserver)

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Associated Press writer Matti Huuhtanen reported from Helsinki, Finland. Associated Press reporters Slobodan Lekic in Brussels, William J. Kole in Vienna and Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm also contributed to this report.

Associated Press writer Matti Huuhtanen reported from Helsinki, Finland.