Soliders bid farewell as they fly out to Timor

EMOTIONS ran high at Darwin Airport yesterday as more than 120 troops bound for East Timor farewelled their loved ones.
It was a particularly hard time for Darwin-based soldier Warrant Officer Class 2 Leigh Hedger as he only married his wife Debbie 10 days ago, and the newlyweds' first child is due while he is away in March.
He hadn't even boarded his flight yesterday when Mrs Hedger, who fought to hold back tears, said: "I'm looking forward to him coming home."
The deployment is for eight months and it is WO2 Hedger's third mission to East Timor in his 18 years in the Army.
"It's always hard being away from family but I am also really looking forward to the deployment," he said.
"It will be good to see how much the country has changed since we got involved."
WO2 Hedger, from Durack in Palmerston, is among more than 400 Darwin Diggers from the 1st Brigade's 5th Royal Australian Regiment at Robertson Barracks who will deploy to East Timor in separate groups this week.
The troops, some who have also been pulled from Adelaide, will form the Timor-Leste Battle Group 5 (TLBG-5).
Their main role will be to provide support to the Timorese government to maintain stability and law and order.
For Darwin-based trooper, Private Cory Lahz, 22, it will be his first overseas deployment since joining the Army a year ago.
"It's an exciting time," he said.
5RAR Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Jake Ellwood, said saying goodbye to family was always hard for the soldiers.
"The leaving is always difficult," he said. "But it's the life of a soldier, - that's our job and as always the guys are raring to go.
"They feel very prepared for the mission that is ahead of them."
Australian Defence Forces have been on peace keeping missions in East Timor since October 1999.
Lt-Col Ellwood said they were "absolutely" making a difference.
He said, like all overseas deployments, there would be a "level of risk" for the soldiers in East Timor. (ntnews.com.au)

Cabo Verde: PR de Timor-Leste aceitou convite para visitar país em 2009

Cidade da Praia, 02 Out (Lusa) - O Presidente de Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, deverá visitar Cabo Verde no primeiro trimestre de 2009, em resposta a um convite nesse sentido feito na semana passada, em Nova Iorque.
À margem da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas, o Presidente de Cabo Verde, Pedro Pires, encontrou-se com o seu homólogo timorense, a quem formulou o convite, que foi aceite.
"O Presidente Ramos-Horta está interessado em conhecer Cabo Verde, as instituições cabo-verdianas, tendo em conta que somos pequenos países e podemos ter alguns traços comuns", afirmou hoje Pedro Pires, numa conferência de imprensa na Cidade da Praia.
Também à margem da Assembleia Geral, Pedro Pires disse que se encontrou com o presidente da Comissão da União Africana, Jean Ping, com quem discutiu a amortização das dívidas que Cabo Verde tem em relação ao pagamento das quotas da organização.
"Como sabem, estamos atrasados no pagamento das quotizações e está a fazer-se um esforço no sentido da sua resolução. Para tal é preciso negociar com a comissão da União Africana", explicou.
Pedro Pires afirmou que Jean Ping se mostrou disponível e que o Governo irá agora negociar a amortização da dívida cabo-verdiana com a organização.
O Presidente da República alertou também os cabo-verdianos para a necessidade de estarem atentos, já que sendo Cabo Verde um país pequeno poderá sentir os efeitos da crise financeira mundial na sua economia.
Um dia depois de regressar da 63ª Assembleia Geral da ONU e de visitas às comunidades cabo-verdianas nos Estados Unidos, Pedro Pires lembrou que a economia cabo-verdiana tem como motor o turismo e a imobiliária, pelo que é necessário acompanhar a situação com atenção para que o país não sofra grandes impactos.
"A economia cabo-verdiana tem tido como motor a imobiliária e acho que neste momento há que pensar nisso. Há uma questão da qual não se pode fugir que é o aumento do custo do dinheiro, quer dizer haverá certamente uma restrição do crédito nesses países, maior selectividade na atribuição do crédito, maior rigor e maior cuidado na concessão de crédito. Sendo assim haverá certamente uma certa retracção da economia", admitiu.
Pedro Pires ressaltou que as autoridades e o país têm de estar de sobreaviso já que se trata de uma situação sobre a qual Cabo Verde não tem "controlo ou capacidade de intervenção".
"Penso que o Governador do Banco de Cabo Verde está a acompanhar a situação porque já discuti essa situação com ele. Mas eu diria que é preciso muito cuidado nos créditos, e o cidadão deve ser realista e aprender a viver com os seus recursos. Quanto às autoridades é acompanhar com muito cuidado o que está acontecer lá fora e evitar que tenha impactos muito fortes entre nós", aconselhou. (noticias.sapo.pt)

Timor abre terceiro inquérito para julgar repasse de armas

Por Pedro Rosa Mendes, da Agência LusaDíli, 1° out (Lusa) - O processo de transferência de armas, que na quinta-feira tem o terceiro inquérito em Díli, capital do Timor Leste, é a mais recente “assombração” da crise de 2006 para a estabilidade frágil do país.A Procuradoria-geral da República (PGR) marcou para quinta-feira o interrogatório do coronel Falur Rate Laek, depois de ontem inquirir o coronel Lere Anan Timor e o major Mau Buti.Os três oficiais superiores são membros do Estado-Maior das Falintil-Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) e comandantes históricos da resistência timorense.A PGR pretende também chamar à justiça o chefe do Estado-Maior das Forças Armadas (CEMGFA) timorense, brigadeiro-general Taur Matan Ruak, e o ex-ministro da Defesa Roque Rodrigues, membros do Conselho Superior de Segurança e Defesa Nacional.Na origem do processo está a distribuição de armas a civis pelas F-FDTL, em 24 de maio de 2006.O episódio aconteceu após quatro semanas de instabilidade desencadeada pelos chamados peticionários das F-FDTL, a partir de 28 de abril daquele ano. A implosão da Polícia Nacional (PNTL), a deserção do major Alfredo Reinado, comandante da Polícia Militar, a existência do grupo de Vicente Conceição “Railós”, armado pelo então ministro timorense do Interior, Rogério Lobato, e incidentes como o ataque à residência de Taur Matan Ruak foram analisados pela Comissão Especial Independente de Inquérito (CEII) das Nações Unidas.A CEII, que apresentou o seu relatório final em outubro de 2006, concluiu que, “ao armarem civis, o ministro da Defesa e o chefe da Força de Defesa atuaram sem base legal e criaram uma situação de perigo potencial significativo”.“No dia 17 de maio, o brigadeiro-general Taur Matan Ruak escreveu ao primeiro-ministro (Mari Alkatiri) solicitando uma auditoria ao depósito de armas das F-FDTL em resposta a alegações segundo as quais pessoas civis teriam sido vistas a andarem com armas das F-FDTL”, recorda o relatório da CEII.“As provas perante a Comissão estabelecem que as F-FDTL começaram a armar civis no dia 24 de maio de 2006. Isto foi feito sob ordens do brigadeiro-general Matan Ruak e com o conhecimento do ministro da Defesa”, diz o documento.“Foram feitas listas contendo nomes e os correspondentes números de série das armas entregues, mas as pessoas não assinaram em como receberam as armas”, apurou a Comissão.ApreensãoA Comissão mostra sua preocupação pelo grau de distribuição ilegal e irregular de armas no Timor Leste e pela inércia demonstrada pelo Governo para fazer face à falta de controle de armas no seio das suas forças armadas perante informações e análises credíveis relativamente à ilegalidade e/ou irregularidade da posse de armas, sua movimentação e uso.A CEII concluiu que “as armas foram distribuídas com o conhecimento e aprovação das seguintes pessoas: Roque Rodrigues; Taur Matan Ruak; Tito da Costa Cristóvão, também conhecido por Lere Anan Timor; Manuel Freitas, também conhecido por Mau Buti; e Domingos Raul, também conhecido por Rate Laek Falur” (sic).A Comissão recomendou que estas pessoas sejam processadas judicialmente por transferência ilegal de armas.O International Crisis Group, que analisou a crise num relatório que precedeu o da CEII, disse que, “em contraste com a transferência secreta e ilegal de armas da Polícia a civis, esta (das F-FDTL) foi relativamente ordenada e bem documentada, tornando mais fácil a recolha das armas após a chegada de tropas internacionais”. (agencialusa.com)

Mari Alkatiri Puji Duet SBY-JK

JAKARTA, KAMIS - Wacana majunya kembali pasangan SBY-JK dalam pemilihan presiden mendatang enggan dikomentari oleh mantan Perdana Menteri Timor Leste Mari Alkatiri. Mari merasa tak perlu banyak berkomentar mengenai penilaian kinerja dan kans SBY-JK dalam pilpres mendatang.
"SBY-JK adalah sahabat saya terutama ketika bekerja sama dalam konferensi di Bali dan saya bahagia mengetahui mereka. Tapi apakah mereka dipilih, itu urusan orang Indonesia bukan oleh Timor Leste," ujar Mari usai bertemu dengan Ketua Umum PP Muhammadiyah Din Syamsudin di Jakarta, Kamis (2/10).
Terkait hubungan bilateral dengan Timor Leste, Mari mengatakan tak memiliki beban apapun ketika siapa saja yang terpilih nanti menjadi orang nomor satu di Indonesia. Namun demikian, Mari tetap memuji kinerja SBY-JK dalam mengusahakan hubungan bilateral dengan Timor Leste.
"Siapapun yang akan terpilih jadi pemimpin saya pikir akan memberikan yang terbaik untuk hubungan kedua negara namun SBY dan JK saat ini memang memiliki kontribusi yang besar kepada hubungan Indonesia dan Timor Leste saat ini," demikian Mari Alkatiri. (kompas.com)

Mari Alkatiri Kunjungi Kediaman Din Syamsuddin

Jakarta -Mari Alkatiri, mantan Perdana Menteri (PM) Timor Leste, berkunjung guna bersilaturahmi ke kediaman Ketua Pengurus Pusat (PP) Muhammadiyah, Din Syamsuddin, di Pejaten Elok, Jakarta, Kamis.Mari temani oleh puteranya, Lukeno Alkatiri, dan Ketua Komunitas Muslim Timor Leste, Arief Sagran. Kunjungan Mari ke Indonesia atas undangan Menteri Agama (Menag), Maftuh Basyuni, untuk shalat Idul Fitri berjamaah di Istiqlal bersama undangan lain. Setelah itu Mari juga bertemu dengan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dan hari Kamis ini, sebelum ke Mozambik Ketua Partai Fretilin itu bersilaturahmi dengan Din Syamsuddin.Mari menyatakan kunjungannya ke Indonesia murni hanya untuk bersilaturahmi dan tidak ada agenda politik.Ketika ditanya Din kapan Fretilin berkuasa lagi, Mari mengatakan, "Tidak lama lagi."Meskipun enggan berbicara politik, tetapi Mari sempat mengatakan bahwa kondisi korupsi di negara semakin parah. Dia mengutip pernyataan sebuah LSM yang menyatakan korupsi kini menjadi budaya di Timor Leste.Mari datang pukul pukul 10.30 WIB dengan mengenakan baju batik merah marun berlarik putih. Arif mengatakan saat ini terdapat sekitar 2200 kaum muslimin di Timor Leste, dan lima mesjid. Sejak 2006, jumlah kaum muslim berkurang karena pindah ke Kupang atau Atambua. Dia mengatakan tidak ada diskirminasi dan intimidasi atas kaum muslim dan Idul Fitri kini menjadi hari libur resmi di negara itu. Dia berharap kerjasama dengan Indonesia, khususnya Muhammadiyah ditingkatkan. Sejumlah putera Timor kini bersekolah dan kuliah di institusi pendidikan Muhammadiyah di Malang dan Jakarta. Ketika ditanya rencana Muhammadiyah membuat cabang di Timor Leste, Din mengatakan, dulu saat masih menjadi bagian dari Indonesia ada rencana membentuk pengurus wilayah. Kini ada pembicaraan untuk membentuk organisasi sejenis di sana seperti di negara lain, seperti di Singapura, Malaysia, dan Thailand Selatan."Tapi biarlah pembentukan itu secara alamiah saja," kata Din. Organisasi Muhammadiyah di ketiga negara itu tidak mempunyai hubungan organisatoris dengan Muhammadiyah di Indonesia tapi punya hubungan dalam mengamalkan nilai-nilai Muhammadiyah dan Islam. "Dalam waktu dekat juga akan ada organisasi Muhammadiyah di Kamboja Laos dan Jepang," kata Din. Din juga menjelaskan hubungan dirinya dan Muhammadiyah di Mari cukup erat dan dekat. Mari pernah menjadi pembicara pada sejumlah kegiatan yang diselenggarakan Muhammadiyah dan lembaga dialog antara agama. "Kita harapkan Timor Leste bangkit sebagai negara," kata Din. Dia juga menjelaskan organisasinya juga berhubungan erat dengan umat khatolik di Dili. (ANTARA-News)

Pejabat Timor Leste Ada Juga yang Muslim

Ketua Komunitas Muslim

Jakarta - Umat muslim di Timor Leste bisa hidup tenang di sana. Walau dikelilingi tetangga yang berbeda agama, ibadah bisa dijalankan. Bahkan ada pejabat di pemerintahan yang muslim."Keadaan di Timor leste cukup kondusif. Kita tidak pernah diintimidasi. Saat ini ada pejabat kita yang muslim seperti Wakil Gubernur Bank Sentral di Timor Leste seorang muslimah, dokter juga ada yang muslim, jaksa dan pengacara juga," jelas Ketua Komunitas Muslim Timor Leste Arif Abdul Sagran di kediaman Ketum PP Muhammadiyah Din Syamsuddin di Pejaten Elok, Jakarta Selatan, Kamis (1/10/2008).Data pada 2006 lalu, ada sekitar 2.452 umat islam di Timor Leste. Namun menurutnya kemungkinan jumlahnya sudah berkurang. "Sebagian pindah ke Kupang (NTT) mencari kehidupan yang lebih baik," ujar Arif.Di sana, tempat ibadah tersebar di beberapa lokasi. "Kita punya 5 masjid dan 2 ada di Dili (ibukota Timor Leste)," jelasnya.Lalu bagaimana dengan lebaran di sana? "Kami mendapatkan libur selama 1 hari," tandasnya. (detiknews.com)

Cambodia to Host AFF Suzuki Football Cup 2008 in October

Cambodia will host the qualifying matches of ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Football Cup 2008 in Phnom Penh in October, a statement from the Football Federation of Cambodian (FFC) said Tuesday.

Philippines, East Timor, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei will compete in the qualifying matches, media officer for FFC Tep Phanny said.

In the first leg Philippines is to play with East Timor and in second leg, Cambodia will play with Laos, the statement said.

AFF Suzuki Cup is the former Tiger Cup, Phanny said. (english.cri.cn)

Timor police tensions worry authorities

Worrying signs are emerging of tensions within East Timor's police force, similar to the rift among armed forces that sparked deadly violence in 2006.
Authorities are preparing to appoint a new police commander amid a new push to rid the force of corrupt and undisciplined officers.
But evidence of a flare-up in regional tensions, between those from the country's east and west, have authorities concerned.
An inflammatory leaflet has been circulating in the capital, Dili, warning: "If a person from the east is appointed as commander, we will petition and organise people from districts to go against the government".
East Timor was torn apart in 2006 when east-west tensions sparked deep divisions in the armed forces and ultimately triggered violence that left at least 37 people dead and around 150,000 displaced.
The unrest prompted countries including Australia to send in troops to restore order.
Government sources and one UN official believe the leaflet was written by a group of officers within the police force. It includes threats of violence and calls for early elections if anyone from the east is appointed police commander.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) said the development was "deeply concerning".
"As we have seen before, if this sense of discrimination and resentment is left to fester it can cause serious problems down the track," ICG analyst in East Timor Anna Powles said.
Former prime minister Mari Alkatiri, who now leads the opposition Fretilin party, said the threats mirrored the kind of tensions that led to the 2006 violence.
"In 2006 they started with this kind of thing - the pamphlets and letters dividing the people," he said.
But unlike in 2006, there are 1,500 UN police and almost 1,000 Australian and New Zealand troops deployed in East Timor.
UN police are taking the emergence of the leaflet seriously and trying to confirm its source.
"We pay attention to any information regardless of classification," Acting UN police commander Juan Carlos Arevalo said.
State Secretary for Security Francisco Gutteres believes the leaflet was written by officers who will be hurt by a new promotions system aimed at wiping out corruption and nepotism.
"I am quite sure that more than 80 per cent of the police are quite supportive of the new changes," he said.
But there are other signs of problems within the police force.
Members of the Task Force Unit recently threatened to strike over a pay dispute, leading to a heated confrontation at police headquarters.
And the Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro last week revealed that the interim head of the police, Alfonso de Jesus, was being questioned in relation to disciplinary issues. (news.theage.com.au)

Alkatiri Hits Out At East Timor Talk

East Timor's main political opposition party has accused the government of being "totally incapable" of convincing the Woodside-led Sunrise joint venture partners that an onshore liquefied natural gas project based in East Timor is the best option for the field, writes Russell Searancke.

Mari Alkatiri, the leader of the Fretilin party and former East Timor prime minister, questioned whether the Xanana Gusmao-led government knew "the ground rules for the legal and technical process, which will guide the discussions" on choosing the a development option.Alkatiri was prime minister when the Timor Sea and the Greater Sunrise treaties were reached with Australia.He said the Fretilin party has always been "ready, willing and able" to contribute to talks with the Sunrise joint venture and Australian government."That is how we were able to negotiate the outcomes we did," he said. "We included civil society, opposition in parliament, the president."He added that recent media reports that the venture had decided on Darwin as the location for the LNG plant were "premature". (timorlorosaenacaolia-founihatetun.blogspot.com)

ALKATIRI KRITIKA NEGOSIASAUN MINA-RAI

Partidu opozisaun boot-liu iha Timor-Leste akuza governu AMP (de facto) ho "inkapasidade totál" atu hamaus joint venture partners ba Sunrise ne'ebé Woodside lidera, katak opsaun di'ak liu ba projetu atu habeen (prosesa) gás ne'e maka iha Timor-Leste, Russell Searanckle hakerek.

Mari Akatiri, lider partidu FRETILIN no mós eis-primeiru ministru, kestiona se governu ne'ebé José Alexandre lidera iha duni koñesimentu kona-ba "regra bázika iha prosesu legál ho téknika, ne'ebé sei loke-dalan ba diskusaun ne'e" bainhira hili opsaun dezenvolvimentu.Alkatiri maka primeiru ministru kuandu akordu ba Tasi Timór ho Greater Sunrise ne'e halo ho Austrália.Nia dehan, partidu FRETILIN sempre "prontu, iha vontade no iha kapasidade" atu kontribui ba negosiasaun ho joint venture ba Sunraise ho governu australianu."Tanba nune'e maka ami konsege hetan rezultadu ida iha negosiasaun ne'e" tenik nia. "Ami inklui sosiedade sivíl, opozisaun iha parlamentu, prezidente."Nia kontinua katak reportajen hosi mídia foin daudauk ne'e, katak joint venture ne'e deside tiha ona atu lokaliza planta LNG ne'e ba Darwin, "prematuru". (timorlorosaenacaolia-founihatetun.blogspot.com)

Vitima invazaun/okupasaun Indonesia nian hetan iha tasi ibun, Aeroporto Nicolau Lobato

Foin daudauk ema hetan mate ruin iha tasi ibun aeroportu Nicolau Lobato nian. Kuandu autoridadi sira ke fatin ne sira hetan mate ruin hosi ema nain 5 mak hakoi hamutuk iha ne. Mate ruin balu iha kilat musan kuak iha nia ulun, seluk iha tali kesi sira nia liman ka ain metin. Bapa sira nebe oho sira, futu metin uluk tiha sira mak oho. Sira ne vitima hosi invazaun Indonesia nian nebe viola lei internasional hotu-hotu liu-liu viola direitu emar nian, hanesan ho vitima 200,000 resin seluk.

Ita hotu hatene katak to agora laiha ita nia lider ida mak hakarak koalia netik kona ba justisa ba vitima 200,000 resin ne. Iha German (Alemanha), Iha Rwanda, iha Kosovo, iha Australia, iha Amerika, iha fatin hotu-hotu, vitima sira buka tuir justisa ba sira nia familia nebe sai ba vitima ba krimi kontra direitu emar nian. Sira nia governu rasik ajuda sira buka justisa ne. To agora mos ema sei kaer nafatin kriminoju NAZI sira biar sira katuas ka ferik ona ho idade besik 100 ona. Tansa Timor oan nian nebe foin akontese iha tinan 30 kotuk ne labele hetan justisa?Prezidente Ramos-Horta dehan katak maski ita tenki honra vitima sira ne, ita tenki husik ita nia pasadu para halo rekonsiliasaun ho Indonesia. Tuir Horta rekonsiliasaun ho Indonesia importante liu duke justisa ba vitima sira ne.Maibe Presidente Horta labele bosok ita uainhira nia temi rekonsiliasaun. Buat nebe Presidente Horta buka laos rekonsiliasaun, maibe solusaun politika ida para bele husik kriminoju sira halai hosi responsabilidade. Kriminoju sira ne bele halo fali krimi iha fatin seluk hanesan agora halo daudaun ih Aceh ho Papua. Maibe vitima sira sei la hare tan sira nia aman, inan, oan, ho familia ka maluk sira seluk. Vitima sira nia vida mak sai at ba nafatin ho trauma nebe sira sofre iha tinan 24 nia laran.Maibe vitima sira laos buka deit rekonsiliasaun maibe sira buka justisa. Mundu tomak hakarak justisa. Justisa laos dehan atu lori deit kriminoju ida ba tribunal. Maibe justisa mos presija atu vitima sira hatene lolos saida mak akontese ba sira nia maluk, sira nia mate hanusa, mate tambasa, hakoi iha nebe, se mak responsabilija. Vitima sira hakarak hari netik monumentu ida ba sira nia alin, maun, bin, inan, aman, avo sira, maluk diak sira, hodi reja netik orasaun ruma. Vitima sira nebe mate ona mos hakarak sira nia klamar hakmatek bainhira sira nia maluk rasik halibur fali sira nia ruin hodi tau netik ai-funan ruma, reja netik orasaun ruma.Hanesan vitima, ita tenki hare ba justisa laos deit atu halo vitima sira nia laran k'maan, maibe atu aviza mos ba kriminoju sira seluk katak kuandu sira halo krimi, sira sei selu.Ita kompriende ita nia lider sira nia preokupasaun katak Indonesia nasaun ida importante tebes ba ita. Ita lakohi halo Indonesia sira hirus ita tamba buat nebe akontese iha tempu uluk. Maski Presidente Horta nia familia rasik mos sai vitima iha funu ne, nia prontu atu halo rekonsiliasaun ho kriminoju sira iha Indonesia. Nia prefere hare kriminoju ida halai hosi justisa no komete fali krimi iha fatin seluk, duke hare ba vitima sira, sira nebe mate ona no sira nebe atu sai vitima foun ba kriminoju ne.Maibe iha relasaun diak ho Indonesia mos tenki iha bazea ida iha dame nia laran, dame iha klamar no neon. Ita labele diak deit ho ema ida maski ita hatene katak ema ne mak oho ita nia aman, inan, ho maluk sira; ema ne estraga ita nia alin ho inan-feton sira seluk. Ida ne sei halo ita nia laran la hakmatek. Bainhira ita moris ho laran la hakmatek, ita nia vida sei kompletu. Bainhira ita la hetan justisa ba ita nia maluk sira, ita nia vida sei la kompletu. Ita nia nasaun mos sei la kompletu.Ema judeu ida nebe konsege moris hosi krimi nebe NAZI sira halo hasoru povu judeu iha German durante segunda gera mundial pasa ninia vida tomak buka justisa ba ema vitima sira. Loron ida jornalista ida husu ba nia, tansa mak o lakon o nia vida tomak halao servisu ne? Nia hatan nune: Loron ida kuandu hau mate, hau sei ba hasoru hau nia maluk sira, liuliu vitima NAZI nian iha lalehan, sira sei husu ba hau, "o nia vida iha mundu ne'e, hafoin funu segunda gerra mundial, o halo deit saida?" Maluk balu sei hatan katak nia sai arkitektu, ka sai doutor, sai sientista, sai ema riku liu iha mundu. Maibe hau sei hatan nune: "Ha'u la haluhan imi". Ida ne mak halo hau nia laran hakmatek, hau nia vida kompletu, ema judeu ne hatan.Agora, saida mak ita sei hatan ba ita nia maluk vitima sira nebe mate iha invazaun ho okupasaun Indonesia nian? Hau tauk karik ita sei hatan ba sira, "hau sai belun bot ho ema nebe oho imi."Hau hakfodak bainhira ita nia lider sira laos deit hakarak husik kriminoju sira ne halai hosi justisa maibe hasae fali kriminoju sira ne hanesan ho anju. Hau hakfodak bainhira Sr. Xanana Gusmao hakuak malu ho general Wiranto. Hau hakfodak uaihira PM Xanana ho Presidente Horta elogia fali ditador Suharto bainhira nia mate. Hau hakfodak bainhira Xanana dehan katak nia ho Prabowo Subianto ne belun diak. Hau hakfodak liu tan bainhira Sr. Xanana ho Sr. Horta husu ba ita atu haluhan tiha ita nia sofrimentu, ita maluk sira nebe mate, atu labele halo kriminoju sira ne hirus.Uluk ita sai ona prisioneiru (hostage) ba kriminoju sira ne, agora ita labele sai tan prisioneiru ba sira. Ita hakarak justisa laos deit atu fo honra ba ita nia maluk sira nebe sofre ho mate tamba kriminoju sira ne. Ita hakarak mos justisa atu kriminoju sira ne labele halo fali krimi ne hasoru ema seluk. Ita hakarak justisa atu krimi sira hanesan labele mosu tan, ba ita ka ba ema seluk iha mundu ne.Hau nia laran nakdedar ituan bainhira hau rona katak Dr. Longuinhos Monteiro mak agora kaer kazu ne. Longuinhos mesak mak iha poder atu desidi se investigasaun bele halo liu tan ba fatin ne hodi hare se iha tan karik mate ruin seluk. Hau husu ba governu atu trata kazu ne ho seriedade, ho sinseridade. Se bele, refere kazu ne tribunal internasional. Mate ruin iha Timor-Leste laos mak sira nain 5 nebe foin daudauk ita hetan. Sei iha tan 200,000 resin iha Timor-Leste tomak. Dr. Longuinhos Monteiro laiha kapasidade, intelektual nein material, atu hare ba kazu sira ne. Se lae husik vitima sira ba buka rasik sira nia mate maluk ho ajuda hosi povu hosi rai seluk. Iha ema barak iha mundu ne mak sinti simpatia barak ho povu Timor no sira prontu atu ajuda ita hetan netik justisa ruma atu halo ita nebe moris bele moris ho hakmatek, sira nebe mate ona sira nia klamar mos bele hakmatek ona. Buat nebe akontese ba Timor-Leste labele akontese tan, nein iha Timor nein iha mundu ne. (timorlorosaenacaolia-founihatetun.blogspot.com)

AMP sa'e, Korrupsaun mós sa'e, haktuir Transparency International

Timor-Leste: SITUASAUN SAI PIÓR IHA 2007-2008, "MONU" DALAS 22

Maioria hosi paíz luzofonia sira (nasaun ne'ebé adopta portugés nu'udár língua ofisiál), menus Cabo Verde, sai piór liu tan iha klasifikasaun kona-ba korrupsaun, Transparency International fó-sai ohin. Transparency International halo análize ba nivel iha fenómena ida ne'e iha nasaun 180.

Lista ne'ebé publika tinan-tinan, halo estimativa ba magnitude korrupsaun iha setór públiku tuir persepsaun hosi negósiu ho analista sira iha nasaun sira ne'e ida-ida. Klasifikasaun hosi nasaun sira ne'e hahú hosi nasaun ne'ebé iha korrupsaun menus liu (dalas 1) to'o nasaun ne'ebé iha korrupsaun aas liu (dalas 180) no korresponde ba eskala ho pontu 10 (livre hosi korrupsaun) to'o zero (korruptu tebetebes).Tuir Transparency International, Timor-Leste agora tama iha grupu nasaun ne'ebé situasaun ne'e sai piór "tebe-tebes" (signifikadamente) entre 2007 ho 2008, hafoin rejista mundasa aat liu iha eskala hodi tun hosi fatin 22 ba kraik.Nasaun ne'ebé iha tinan kotuk okupa dalas 123 ho pontu 2,5, tinan ne'e monu ba dalas 145 ho pontu 2,2, hanesan ho Kazakhstan, maibé di'ak liu uitoan kompara ho nasaun sira hanesan Bangladesh, Kenya ho Rúsia.Portugal okupa dalas 32 iha tinan ne'e ho pontu 6,1, tun pontu 0,4 kompara ho índise ba tinan 2007 nian.Hosi nasaun luzofonia sira seluk, Cabo Verde sa'e dalas rua ba leten ho índise muda hosi dalas 49 ba 47 hamutuk ho Costa Rica, Úngria, Jordánia ho Malázia.Brazil mai tuir Cabo Verde nu'udár nasaun luzofonia ne'ebé hetan klasifikasaun di'ak liu, maske ninia pozisaun iha dalas 80 iha 2008 defaktu monu hosi dalas 8 ba kraik kompara ho tinan kotuk.Burkina Faso, Morroco, Saudi Arabia ho Tailándia iha pozisaun hanesan ho Brazil.São Tomé e Príncipe ladún monu maka'as hosi pozisaun 118 iha tinan kotuk ba 123 iha 2008 maibé nia mantén pontu hanesan (2,7) no iha fatin hanesan ho nasaun sira seluk hanesan Nepal, Togo, Nigeria ho Vietnam.Mosambike monu hosi dalas 15 iha lista ne'e no lakon pontu 0,2 hodi okupa pozisaun 126, enkuantu Angola ho Guiné-Bissau lakon dalas 11 ba okos, ne'ebé korresponde ho redusaun pontu hosi 2,2 ba 1,9.Angola ho Guiné-Bissau agora okupa dalas 158 hamutuk ho Azerbaijan, Burundi, Gambia, Congo, Sierra Leonne ho Venezuela.Macau, Rejiaun Administrativa Espesiál China nian, tun hosi 34 iha tinan kotuk ba 43 iha tinan ne'e no korresponde ba redusaun pontu hosi 5,7 ba 5,4. Iha tinan rua tuir-tuir malu Macau rejista iha "agravamentu iha nivel ne'ebé haree hanesan korrupsaun" (increase in level of perceived corruption; agravamento dos níveis percebidos de corrupção).Análize hosi nasaun 180 ne'e hatudu katak Dinamarka, Noza Zelándia ho Suésia maka mai iha primeiru lugár ho pontuasaun 9,3, tuir fali Singapura ho 9,2.Iha dalas ikus liu maka Somália ho pontu 1, tuir fali Irák ho Myanmar ho pontuasaun 1,3 ho Haití ho 1,4.Durante aprezentasaun ba índise ne'e iha Berlín, Huguette Labelle, prezidente Transparency International nian, revela katak iha aumentu iha nivel korrupsaun iha nasaun ki'ak sira no eskándalu ne'ebé mosu bebeik iha korporasaun boot sira iha nasaun riku sira."Kontinuasaun iha aumentu iha nivel korrupsaun ho pobreza, ne'ebé ameasa sosiedade barak iha mundu ne'e, lori hela ita ba dezastre umanitária no ita labele tolera ida ne'e. Até iha nasaun sira ne'ebé privilejiadu tebe-tebes, ne'ebé sansaun la aplika ho proporsaun, luta hasoru korrupsaun ne'e mós tenke haka'as tan," nia defende. (timorlorosaenacaolia-founihatetun.blogspot.com)

President Horta statement to the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly

Mr. President, Majesties,Heads of States and Government, Ministers, Excellencies, First, it is my duty to congratulate you Mr. President for your well deserved election to preside over the 63rd session of the General Assembly.

I now turn to the situation in my own country.

On 11th February I was almost fatally shot. I escaped by an act of God and thanks to the professionalism and dedication of doctors and nurses at the Australian army medical centre in Dili and the doctors and nurses in the Darwin Royal Hospital.To them and to all who have prayed for my life and recovery. I reiterate my eternal gratitude. I stood at the frontier between Life and Death, saw darkness of death and the beauty of life that I almost left behind.The attack on me and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao shocked the nation and my near death served to unite the people in opposing violence. Since then the situation in Timor-Leste has been the most peaceful in many years without any politically motivated violence registered so far and even common criminality has been significantly reduced.The Government led by Mr. Xanana Gusmao, a resistance hero, has made enormous efforts in stabilizing the country and in delivering services to the people. The progress is visible. A growing number of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) caused by the 2006 crisis is returning home. Most camps that existed for two years are now empty.More than 700 former soldiers who were at the origin of the 2006 mutiny have accepted a Government financial package and returned home.On the economic front, our real GDP will register 7% growth by the end of this year. However, if we factor in oil and gas revenues. our economic growth will be around 19%. While our real annual per capita GOP is less than US$400, this figure jumps to over US$4,000 if we factor in oil and gas revenues.However, we would not have succeeded in pulling back from the brink without the prompt and steadfast support from the international community. I thank the Secretary-General and through him the entire UN family and in particular those serving in my country in different capacities for their selfless contribution to preserving peace in Timor-Leste.I also thank Australia and New Zealand for maintaining a robust and credible security force in my country in assistance to, and close coordination with, our government and UNMIT under the leadership of Dr. Atul Khare, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, who is a most compassionate human being, and a dedicated and tireless professional.The professionalism of the International Security Forces is visible to all and the behaviour of the soldiers is irreproachable. The same can be said of the UN police force in my country comprising police from 40 countries with particular reference to Formed Police Units from Portugal. Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh.We are blessed by The Almighty with non-negligible resources and can count on the generosity of our development partners but challenges remain complex and multifaceted. However, with a shared vision and commitment to serve the poorest of our people, I'm confident we will meet the Millennium Development Goals. We cannot fail. We shall not fail.May God the Almighty and the Merciful bless us All.(GlobalVoicesOnline & timorlorosaenacaonewsineng)

Picture; Extract from the Statement by H. E. Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Noble Peace Prize Laureate 1996, to the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Korupsi Mengancam Tujuan Milenium PBB

Kalau tidak dilakukan apa-apa dalam memberantas korupsi, Tujuan Milenium PBB akan terancam. Demikian pesan penting dalam laporan tahunan Transparency International tentang korupsi di dunia, yang diluncurkan Selasa (23/09). Kalau situasi tidak berubah, tujuan pembangunan PBB di bidang air dan prasarana sanitasi akan lebih mahal hingga puluhan milyar euro.

Negara-negara seperti Somalia, Irak, Haïti dan Myanmar berada di peringkat paling bawah daftar Transparancy International. Juga pertumbuhan ekonomi negara-negara ini bisa dikatakan buruk. Bagi Transparancy International, ini menjadi alasan untuk menyelidiki lebih mendalam kaitan antara korupsi dan pembangunan. Di negara-negara miskin, korupsi bisa menjadi penentu hidup atau mati. Christiaan Poortman dari Transparancy International menjelaskan bagaimana korupsi bisa berpengaruh pada tingkat kematian anak.
Christiaan Poortman: "Misalnya karena orangtua tidak mampu membayar obat-obatan, karena obat-obatan itu dibeli dengan harga terlalu mahal. Atau obat-obatan itu berkualitas rendah akibat korupsi. Tapi bisa juga bahwa hanya orang-orang kayalah yang bisa menikmati pelayanan kesehatan, akibat korupsi. Kalau Anda miskin, Anda lebih rentan terhadap korupsi. Kaum miskin tidak mampu menentang pemerintahan. Mereka tidak mampu menuntut hak mereka. Ada kaitan kuat antara korupsi dan kemiskinan."

Tujuan Milenium

Korupsi yang merajalela di negara-negara berkembang, jelas sangat mengganggu pemberantasan kemiskinan internasional. Menurut Transparancy International, kalau masalah korupsi ini tidak diatasi, upaya mencapai tujuan milenium PBB akan membutuhkan biaya sedikitnya puluhan milyaran euro tambahan. Tujuan Milenium ini merupakan upaya besar untuk dalam aspek-aspek penting, mengurangi tingkat kemiskinan, kematian anak, kelaparan dan penyakit-penyakit mematikan.
Hanya untuk air bersih saja serta prasarana sanitasi, dibutuhkan 35 milyar euro tambahan. Menurut Transparancy International, hanya di Afrika saja, sekitar 100 milyar euro per tahun hilang akibat korupsi. Padahal, bantuan pembangunan tahunan kepada benua tersebut mencapai sekitar 72 milyar euro.

Aksi Terkoordinir

Donor Internasional harus memusatkan perhatian pada pengembangan pemerintah yang transparan dan dapat dipercaya, simpul Transparency. Dengan demikian dana bantuan bisa dimanfaatkan dan diawasi lebih baik. Karena pemberantasan korupsi betul-betul berguna, tegas Christiaan Poortman dari Transparency. Terutama di dunia Barat.
Christiaan Poortman: "Ketika Transparency International didirikan, korupsi saat itu tidak lagi diagendakan. Karenanya, korupsi dipertanyakan. Terutama di sejumlah negara Barat, kesediaan untuk memberantas korupsi bertambah. Kalau melihat Jerman, yang belum lama berselang sempat diusik sejumlah skandal, dapat dikatakan, mereka lancar menangani masalah koruspi dan skandal suap."
Akhirnya, demikian simpul laporan itu, untuk melakukan perubahan, rasa urgensi sangat diperlukan baik di pihak perusahaan maupun pemerintah untuk menggunakan dana sesuai tujuan. (ranesi.nl)

Silakan Klik link dibawah ini untuk melihat transparency focus, khususnya rank Timor Leste. Timor Leste berada dalam daftar 145 country rank, dengan total score CPI 2008 sebesar 2,2.

http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2008/cpi2008/cpi_2008_table

Water buffalo justice reigns in East Timor - Feature

Dili - Justice in East Timor has traditionally been measured out in water buffaloes. A goat theft costs one buffalo and a rape of a woman is worth two, although it varies from village to village. While it has never been institutionalized, the traditional way of meting out justice has remained an underpinning of village life on the impoverished half-island, even under 400 years of Portuguese rule.
After Indonesia's 1975 invasion, courts were established but not respected because of a corrupt system and judges. Since 2002 and following two years of United Nations interim rule, East Timor has been independent and eager to abandon the Indonesian system and adopt its own judicial system.
Legal aid groups said the best hope for East Timor is a formal judicial system with trained judges and lawyers. According to the country's constitution, everyone has the right to a fair trial and an attorney, and innocence is presumed until proven otherwise. There is no mention of water buffalo in the constitution.
But even as the National Parliament moves to finalize the nation's first penal code this month, a minor government official is on a crusade to formalize terra bandu - traditional law Timorese have used to preserve natural resources and regulate other matters of daily life.
Secretary of State for the Environment Abilio Lima has already persuaded about a third of the nation's 1 million people that everything from cattle rustling to rape are crimes best resolved outside courtrooms by water buffalo justice.
Last week, Lima was in Tulatakeo, a village a few hours south of the capital, Dili, as the government representative in a ceremony to mark the acceptance of traditional justice. Now, the village chief has the authority to treat serious crimes according to local whim.
"The advantage of terra bandu is that it comes from the community," Lima said. "Because it comes from the community, they have a responsibility to it."
According to Lima, the problem with East Timor's penal code is that it relies on Indonesian laws and was last updated in 1999, three years before the country gained independence.
"People who don't like Indonesia don't respect the laws," Lima said, "so we will use traditional law until we can agree on a national law."
Many judicial authorities in Dili said they were shocked at the moves by Lima, who has no legal authority to impose terra bandu or any system of justice.
"He's very wrong because he is operating outside the constitution and outside the judicial system," said Fernanda Borges, a member of Parliament who sits on its judicial oversight committee.
Borges said she would launch a parliamentary inquiry into the matter. However, some officials in the Justice Ministry seemed unconcerned with Lima's actions.
Although not informed about the environmental secretary's push for terra bandu, the permanent secretary for the minister of justice said he supported parts of the plan.
"Rape is a crime you can't resolve through terra bandu," Crisagno Neto said. "You have to take that to court."
However, Neto said smaller crimes like minor domestic violence could be resolved using traditional justice, a statement that contradicts East Timor's penal code.
"Domestic violence is a crime at whatever level," said Mitch Dufrense, head of the UN Justice Support Unit in East Timor. "The severity of the specified level is something for the court to decide."
Yet Neto said the courts in East Timor are not for everyone.
"Terra bandu is easier and faster in rural areas for people who have no money," Neto said, "but in cities and in areas where people have money, they can't use terra bandu. They need to go to court."
In East Timor, where unemployment hangs around 60 per cent and the average income is about a dollar a day, the majority of the population lives where they can farm and hunt for food. Under Neto's criteria, almost no one should go to court, and, as it stands today, virtually no one does.
The United Nations estimated that about half of all women in East Timor would be the victims this year of gender-based crimes, yet according to the local UN office, 132 of the estimated 250,000 victims have come forward to report such offenses to police. Instead of a courtroom and a judge, these women could visit the thatched hut of a village elder.
One such elder is Florindo Mesquita Lorego, a balding, snowy-bearded village chief in a hamlet hours away from Dili who, along with a dozen other village leaders, decides terra bandu cases.
"(Terra bandu) applies to people who are thieves, horse thieves, cattle rustlers and rapists," Lorego explained. "People who go into someone's garden without permission from the owner, that's a crime."
He said rape is not a big problem in his community, but it happens. "Rape is resolved with two cows, and you close the woman's wound," Lorego said.
Closing the wound means the perpetrator makes the problem better, and the problem with rape is damage to the family name. The two cows, as well as the occasional goat or pig, are given to the victim's family. Often one of the animals is killed, cooked and then the rapist and the men from the victim's family eat and drink palm wine together.
The woman is not involved, except to report what happened. The secretary of state for the environment has put his stamp of approval on such a system for about half the districts in East Timor and said he sees his portfolio as reaching far beyond ecology.
"I think the environment has a relationship with sexuality," Lima said. "When you talk about environment, you talk about the human environment, about the social environment. I focus on the total comprehensive environment." (earthtimes.org)

Timor Leste Defends Cuba at UN

Dili, Sep 25 (Prensa Latina) Timor Leste media highlighted Friday the UN General Assembly request by President Jose Ramos Horta that the United States lift the blockade of Cuba.
Ramos Horta demanded in the session Thursday that the next Washington government stop its embargo against the Caribbean nation and stated that this kind of punitive measure imposed on poor developing countries are morally unjustified.
The statesman appealed to the future US administration and Congress to cease that siege, in an honorable gesture to increase admiration for that northern nation.
He also talked of the support his country is still receiving from Cuba.
Ramos Horta stated that about 700 Timor Leste youth are studying medicine at Cuban universities, another 140 do so in their country with professors from the Caribbean island, and the nation is carrying out a literacy campaign to teach thousands of adults to read and write.
The president, who visited the island before going New York, said that being a witness of the impact those sanctions on a small developing country and the reluctance to feasibly assist it after the devastation caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, makes "my heavy heart bleed and my admiration for the United States decreases considerably." (plenglish.com)

East Timor President Speaks of Recovery After Assassination Attempt

East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta says his young country's optimism and economy have improved greatly since rebels wounded him in a February assassination attempt.
Mr. Ramos-Horta spoke to VOA's Press Conference USA in New York on Friday on wide range of issues.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner said the attempted assassination has left him with painful nerve damage but no serious injury to his internal organs.
He said the attack was a psychological shock for the East Timor people, but the situation has been stable since and economic growth has revived.
He also gave his views on international issues. Mr. Ramos-Horta said that the era of a single superpower is over and that the United States on its own cannot address the many challenges facing humanity.
Mr. Ramos-Horta, who was considered as a possible candidate to succeed former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, says the United Nations must reform to become more representative and effective.
The longtime peace activist said he had wanted the United States to give weapons' inspectors more time before launching its invasion of Iraq in 2003. But he also said it was unacceptable for a mass murderer such as Saddam Hussein to be a head of state.
When asked about the U.S. presidential elections, Mr. Ramos-Horta praised both candidates. He said the election of an African-American as president would be an extraordinary public relations coup for the United States, a reference to Democratic candidate Barack Obama. (voanews.com)