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)