28 February 2011

Parliament should not treat people differently: JSMP and HAK

Diario Nacional, February 16, 2011 language source: Tetun - Civil Society through the country's Human Rights Association (HAK) and Judicial System Monitoring Program (JMP) have called on  the Timorese Parliament not to treat the victims differently, as it has only prioritised the issue of the country's veterans.

Executive Director for HAK Rui Viana said they were concerned about the Parliament's decision on suspending the debate on reparations and a memorial institutions for the victims.

"We are sad, as this decision has indirectly suspended the debate on reparations and memorial institutions for the victims of war," Viana said.

Director for JSMP, Luis Oliveira said the Government needs to pay attention to the victims through the approval of the law for reparations.

"We are calling on the Parliament to debate and approve as soon as possible the referred law, so that the victims could help improve their lives," Oliveira said.

Police will work effectively to respond to all cases

Televizaun Timor-Leste, February 16, 2011 language source: Tetun - The State Secretary for Security, Francisco Guterres, said that the Timorese National Police (PNTL) officers will use all legal means effectively to respond to any violent actions that might happen in the country.

Guterres said that it is important for the young people to collaborate with the police to combat violence between groups.

"We are making efforts to tell martial art clubs not to assault and kill one another as it is crime to kill people.

Police are working effectively to respond to all cases, but the problem is the young people are mot collaborating with us.

For example the recent case in Baucau, some leaders and young people did not want to collaborate with us, but we are making preparations to respond to any cases although we are lacking facilities," Guterres said.

Guterres made the statements in relation to violent incidents that took place in the Capital of Dili and some other districts because such acts of violence are a threat to the people.

UN critical of East Timor's police force

ELIZABETH JACKSON: The United Nations has raised concerns about the credibility of East Timor's police force. The UN this week extended its mission in the fledging nation. But it also questioned why East Timor's government has allowed into its police force more than 50 officers facing charges.

Sarah Hawke reports.

SARAH HAWKE: The United Nations has about 1500 police from 40 countries in East Timor. Their main role is to help build the capacity of the local force known as the National Police of Timor Leste or NPTL. The UN mission spokesman Gyorgy Kakuk says the young force has made significant progress.

GYORGY KAKUK: The country has 13 districts and out of these 13 districts the Timorese police resumed policing responsibilities in 10. And from those districts there are no news, nothing.

SARAH HAWKE: While the UN has highlighted the success of the NPTL in curbing crime, it has raised concerns. The government certified 52 officers who face serious criminal and disciplinary charges.

The UN didn't elaborate on the charges although one UN report discusses a letter sent to the prime minister, Xanana Gusmao, earlier this month in which he'd urged the government to take measures to quickly resolve cases involving suspicions of human rights violations and criminal conduct.

Mission spokesman Gyorgy Kakuk says he's confident the government wants to deal with the issue.

GYORGY KAKUK: We raised this with the Timorese leadership and we got the promises that they are going to deal with this. I don't know, you know, how many of these 50-something cases are serious but we got promises that they will deal with these issues.

SARAH HAWKE: Are you confident that will be achieved?

GYORGY KAKUK: Um, yes. This issue being raised in front of the Security Council and we have to wait you know and see how it is going to work out.

SARAH HAWKE: The UN says that these outstanding charges must be dealt with to ensure the credibility and integrity of the national police force.

The UN mandate is also seeking a stronger commitment from East Timor's government to deal with outstanding cases following the violence that gripped the country in 2006.

GYORGY KAKUK: You know there were crimes committed during the 2006 crisis and those cases have to be you know addressed properly according to the rule of law.

SARAH HAWKE: No timeframe has been set on how much longer the UN will stay in East Timor although this week's mandate will ensure its officers are on the ground to support next year's elections.

ELIZABETH JACKSON: Sarah Hawke with that report.

Sarah Hawke reported this story on Saturday, February 26, 2011 08:04:00

TEMPO SEMANAL: Foreign Aid Revisited: A Case Study of Timor-Leste

TEMPO SEMANAL: Foreign Aid Revisited: A Case Study of Timor-Leste

27 February 2011

Prosecutor General: Absence of Extradition Law Has Made it Difficult to Combat Organized Crime

LUSA – Dili, 20 Feb (Lusa) – In her annual report the Prosecutor General of the Republic alerted that the absence of an Extradition Law has made it difficult for international cooperation between Timor-Leste and other countries in the fight against organized crime and in the compliance with international conventions ratified by it.

In the report document, obtained by Lusa directly from the Prosecutor General, Ana Pessoa, of seven pieces of draft legislation sent to the government by her, only one relating to the structure of the technical services and administrative support units were approved, despite not having staffing and without any amendment to the Law on the Office of the Public Prosecutor.  

In this raft of laws yet to be progressed, Ana Pessoa emphasized the importance of the Extradition Law, which was drafted by the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2009.

“Without this law, it becomes unnecessarily complex for us to move forward with international cooperation, on issues regarding organized crime, whether it be money laundering, human trafficking, terrorism, drug trafficking or corruption, so as to comply with the international obligations we have assumed and that have been ratified by the National Parliament.”   

The Prosecutor General gave as examples the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption, the Convention Against Organized Transnational Crime, especially Women and Children and the Trafficking of Migrants by land, by sea and by air, and even the Hague Convention on International Adoption.

“The failure to enact this law also makes difficult the work of the government itself, which is left without legal means to move ahead with the signing of bilateral judicial agreements, which means, straight away with Indonesia and Australia,” she underscored.

26 February 2011

Prime Minister Gusmao at the UN Security Council February 2011

timor-pm-at-un-security-council-feb-2011                                                            

Many cases are pending due to slow judicial process

Timornewsline, February 24, 2011 - Dili, Timornewsline,- MP Elijario Pereira from Fretilin, said that the public prosecutor Ana Pessoa had promised to reduce numbers of pending cases in the court, but the reality shows that many cases are still pending and have increased due to the slow judicial process.

MP Pereira said that families of the victims had called on the competent institutions, particularly the court, to process the cases that are still pending.

"I am calling on the Public Prosecutor to process immediately those pending cases in the court, because our people need the justice system to be run and implemented well in the country," Pereira said.

MP Domingos Maria Sarmento from Fretilin, urged Public Prosecutor to process quickly those pending cases as soon  as possible.

Identifying illegal groups is the clandestine work of police

Timor Post, February 24, 2011 language source: Tetun - The Timorese Operational Police Commander, Superintendent Eugenio Pereira, said that it is the clandestine activity of the Timorese National  Police (PNTL) to identify illegal groups that are widespread in the national territory.

"I think this is our secret in the process of identifying illegal group," Superintendent Pereira said. He added that they will continue compiling data in order to support them to hold investigations in order to discover the illegal groups who commit crimes to extort money from people in the districts.

Public should stay away from acts of sexual violence

Diario Nacional, February 24, 2011 language source: Tetun - President Jose Ramos Horta has called on all the people to stay away from acts of sexual and domestic violence.

"Women's organizations such as Redi Feto and Fokupers have presented many cases to me and I am sad when hearing those cases, because it shows that our people are facing serious problems if we are talking about sexual and domestic violence," President Horta said.

President Horta stressed that all people, particularly parents, to pay attention to this case and should stay away from violence.

"I have called on the families to pay their attention to this case, particularly the parents should take responsible to see or pay attention to their families condition and they should not commit violence," President Horta said.

F-FDTL and PNTL will cooperate to ensure security

Diario Nacional, February 24, 2011 language source: Tetun - The Timorese Defence Force (F-FDTL) General Commander, Major General Taur Matan Ruak, confirmed that the army will cooperate with the Timorese National Police (PNTL) to ensure security in the country.

General Ruak said that they had meeting with PNTL's General Commander, Commissioner Police Longuinhos Monteiro and the State Secretary for Security, Francisco Guterres and talked about the incidents that have happened so far and how they can take the necessary actions to respond to any incidents that might happen in the future.

"We have held meeting and we will speak with the residents, as they know a lot about the situation and what problems they face. Therefore it is important to involve them in the meetings in order to help us find solutions to resolve the problems," General Ruak said.

General Ruak made the statements yesterday after meeting with President Jose Ramos Horta at the Presidental Palace of Nicolau Lobato in Aitarak-Laran, Dili, adding that most incidents were caused by martial arts problems, land disputes, and problems between gangs and so forth.

Organised illegal group extorting money from people

Suara Timor Lorosa'e, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - Administrator of Fatuberliu sub-district, Tobias Orai, confirmed that some organised groups are extorting money from the local residents in Manufahi.

He said that he is cooperating with the Manufahi District Police to collect ID cards from people who received them from the illegal group, adding that the General Commander of the Timorese National Police, Commissioner Police Longuinhos Monteiro recently came to the area where the illegal groups conduct their activities and the police are investigating this case.

"I have cooperated with the PNTL in the district to collect ID cards that the victims got from the illegal group," Orai said.

Orai said that he has information saying that the illegal group who is extorting money from the people have been identified by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, General Commander of PNTL Commissioner Police Longuinhos Monteiro and President Jose Ramos Horta.

Manufahi District Police Commander, Marcos Sequeira, said that the group who is extorting money from local residents is illegal, adding that they fool old people saying that "If you come to see us then we will give you this ID card. You will be able to replace F-FDTL and PNTL, as the 'Malae" ( Foreigners) will leave the country in 2012."

Paixao: Parliament waiting for notification from courts

Timornewsline, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - Dili, timornesline,- the Second Deputy of the Parliamentary President Maria Paixao said Parliaemnt is currently waiting for an official letter from the courts to suspend Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis from his post before his court trial.

"We need a formal letter from the prime minister, but the process of suspending the deputy prime minister from his post should be based on a notification letter from the courts and we are still waiting for that," Paixao said.

"I am calling for the people not to gossip about the case, as the Parliament is currently waiting for notification from the court. Josmel.
-----
Parliament has not yet removed the political immunity of Guterres Televizaun Timor-Leste, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - Deputy Parliamentary President, Maria Paixao de Jesus, confirmed that the Parliament has not yet removed the political immunity of Deputy Prime Minister for Social Issues, Jose Luis Guterres.

The court has determined that the day for trying Deputy PM Guterres will be on March 2nd, but the Public Prosecution has not sent the official letter asking for the Parliament to remove the political immunity of Guterres in order to allow him to face the court.

"We have not received any letter from the Public Prosecution asking for the Parliament to remove the political immunity of Guterres. The court should send an official letter to the Parliament so that the Parliamentarians can analyse it before deciding to remove the political immunity of Guterres," MP de Jesus said.

Deputy Prime Minister for Social Issues, Jose Luis Guterres, was accused by the Public Prosecutor of engaging in abuse of power and corruption, adding that this case has been filed in the court.

Civil society waits for the final process of the Maternus Bere case

Diario Nacional, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - Timorese civil society continues waiting for the final outcome of the case of ex-militia commander, Meternus Bere, who was released by the Timorese Government on August 31, 2009 from the jail.

The Directors for HAK [Human Rights Association] and the Judicial System Monitoring Program (JSMP) have urged the Public Prosecution to process the case legally, so that people can learn the reason for releasing Bere.

"HAK continues to urge the Public Prosecution to launch an investigation into the case for legal proceedings, so that justice can be righted," HAK Director, Rui Viana said.

Viana called on other state institutions of the country to support this process, as political considerations have impacted this outcome.

The Director of JSMP, Luis Oliveira, said the Public Prosecution should investigate this case as soon as possible, so that the final process of the case could be realised.

"So far the public have yet to learn the reason for releasing Bere from the jail; therefore a profound investigation into the case is needed," Oliveira said.

Bere was freed by the Ministry of Justice on August 31, 2009 based on the order of President Jose Ramos Horta.

Parliament and CNE begin discussing electoral law

Diario Nacional, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - Parliamentary Committee A and the National Electoral Commission (CNE) have begun discussing laws for the presidential and legislative elections.

President of CNE Faustino Cardoso said they were here to discuss electoral laws for presidential and legislative elections.

"Today we are here to discuss the electoral law. This law has two sections; namely the electoral law for presidential and the parliamentary elections," Cardoso said.

MP Fernanda Borges said during the meeting they were also discussing how to amend some articles of the current electoral law to avoid manipulations that might happen.

"We are also here to discuss about how to amend the law for presidential elections," Borges said.

Timor-Leste to criminalise manipulation of the prices of basic needs

Diario Nacional, February 25, 2011 language source: Tetun - The Parliament and the Government have planned to produce a project law soon to regulate the price of basic needs and building materials in the markets to combat the problem of  businessmen who have manipulated their prices.

MP Manuel Tilman from the Parliamentary Committee C for economy and finance said this project will criminalise the manipulation of basic needs prices in the market as it has negatively impacted people's lives.

Tilman explained that this project is necessary, as businessmen use the opportunity of the free market system in the country to manipulate prices. Tilman added that they will also set up a new mechanism, so that the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry (MTCI) can cooperate with the police to control prices in the market.

UNICEF: Timor-Leste launches National Birth Registration Campaign

Child dancers, Ainaro, East Timor
DILI, TIMOR-LESTE, 22 February 2011 – Children in Timor-Leste get a further boost in claiming their rights with the launch of the National Birth Registration Campaign.  Timor-Leste, one of the youngest nations in the world, launched the campaign which runs from 21 to 25 February 2011. It aims to cover over 200,000 children under the age of five who have not yet been registered.

Birth registration is the official recording of the birth of a child by the State. It is a permanent and official record of a child’s existence. To prepare for Timor-Leste’s national campaign, all 442 village (suco) chiefs were trained to fill up the birth notification form.

Records show that in 2003, only 2 out of 10 Timorese children were registered at birth. There has been some improvement since then, with the 2010 Census showing that 5 out of 10 children are now registered at birth. But half of the Timorese children under the age of five are still not being registered.

“The Birth Registration Campaign signifies our Government’s commitment to make each child registered at birth,” said Acting Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres during the launching ceremony. “This is one of way of ensuring the rights of every Timorese child. We are making birth registration easier for parents.”

The campaign is a signal that the system will make it easier for parents to quickly register their children. All they have to do is go to their respective suco chief for the notification. This system will also help ensure that the poorest, who are usually found in the very remote areas and who will not find time to walk several hours to the capital town to register their children, can now register their children with ease. The suco chief along with the other relevant ministers, faith-based organizations, partners and parents are all playing a crucial role in the birth registration.

“I am confident, that with all of us working together, we will achieve our target of registering almost 200,000 children who are under the age of five who have not yet been registered within 5 days,” said Mr. Jun Kukita, Representative of UNICEF Timor-Leste.

Registration is important to provide children with proof of Timorese identity and ensure that children enroll in school at the right age.  It will also help ensure that the Government can plan for basic social services such as schools and health services for every child. With the birth registration, children can also be protected from illegal adoption, child labour, trafficking, unlawful arrests and detention.

To help boost birth registration, five institutions signed a Memorandum of Agreement to help parents on the registration process.   These institutions include Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of State Administration, Health, Education and Religious Sector.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.  The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS.  UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

For more information, please contact:
UNICEF Timor-Leste
Mary Ann Q. Maglipon, Communication Specialist,
Tel + 670-7231103
mmaglipon@unicef.org

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_57713.html

The problem of gender quotas: women's representatives on Timor-Leste's suku councils

Cummins, Deborah (2011) The Problem of Gender Quotas: Women's Representatives on Timor-Leste's Suku Councils; Development in Practice, Volume 21:1, 85-95 Abstract: This article examines the experiences of women occupying reserved seats on the suku councils of Timor-Leste (each of which represents a number of small villages). The limited political participation of these women is often ascribed to patriarchal ideas within rural areas, and the need for capacity development. This article argues, however, that there are further structural issues at play, whereby the interaction between traditional and modern governance makes it difficult for women occupying reserved seats to make their mark. While gender quotas can be a useful tool to encourage women’s political participation, these structural issues need to be recognised and addressed in order to truly empower women.

TLGov: Extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of 19 February 2011

Secretariat of State of Council of Ministers Díli, Government Palace 19th of February of 2011 IV CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT OF STATE OF COUNCIL OF MINISTERS PRESS RELEASE Extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of 19th of February of 2011

The Council of Ministers met extraordinarily this Saturday, 19th of February of 2011, in the Council of Ministers Meeting Room, in the Government Palace, in Díli and approved:

1. Decree-Law that creates the National Development Agency


The National Development Agency has the competencies to rigorously evaluate the development capital projects, based on the analysis of the respective cost-benefit, to monitor the projects’ implementation and execution by means of a system for quality certification, contributing in this way, to the rationalization of the available financial resources and to national development and economic activity, at the national and local level.

It is an service integrated in the State’s direct administration, supplied with a flexible organic structure, one that aims to facilitate, the hiring of development capital projects with, the management and monitoring of projects integrated in programs for district and local development and the control of the respective costs, with consequent earnings in efficiency and security.

This measure is integrated within a set of initiatives that the Timor-Leste IV Constitutional Government has been promoting, aimed at establishing, reforming and reinforcing the Public Administration’s organic structures, with the view of making them more adequate to the national reality and endow them with more capacity to contribute, in a effective and efficient way, to the promotion of the country’s economic and social development, be it at the national, district or local level.

2. Decree-Law that regulates the Infrastructure Fund


This Fund is aimed at financing the implementation of a set of infrastructures that involve large investments in multiannual projects and that respond to the needs of Timor-Leste.

It is a more adequate financial instrument for the multiannual nature of the infrastructure programs and projects to be carried through in the country, allowing for the resources that, once programmed, don’t suffer from restrictions or losses to the point of compromising the project.

In this way, the Infrastructure Fund allows the State to finance multiannual development capital projects in a more secure, transparent and responsible way.

Presidential pardons threaten justice sector development, says fourth SSR Monitor: Timor-Leste.

Political intervention and a lack of accountability for serious crimes are two significant challenges facing the justice system in Timor-Leste. President Ramos-Horta has emphasized political reconciliation over prosecutorial justice, granting pardons in high-profile cases, even those involving crimes against humanity. The fourth edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor: Timor-Leste discusses the negative impact these presidential pardons have had on the development of the justice system, the broader security sector and the country’s future stability.

East Timor's security struggle - Asia-pacific - Al Jazeera English

East Timor's security struggle - Asia-pacific - Al Jazeera English

UN wants East Timor to take harder line

Lindsay Murdoch February 26, 2011 Sydney Morning Herald DARWIN: The United Nations Security Council has urged East Timor to stop granting impunity for serious crimes as it extended the stay of the UN mission in the country.

The council also called on East Timor to strengthen the ''credibility'' of its police force following its collapse amid violence in 2006.

It extended the mandate of the 1440 international police and more than 1200 civilian staff and volunteers to remain in the country for at least another 12 months.
In a unanimous resolution, the council recognised political progress in Dili but said East Timor ''still faces many challenges in areas related to the underlying factors of the 2006 crisis''.

Timorese leaders, including the Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmao, have signalled they want the mission as well as 400 Australian and New Zealand troops serving in an Australian-led stabilisation force to leave the country after scheduled elections next year.

East Timor has recently looked further than Australia to help build its security forces, signing a co-operation agreement with its former colonial ruler, Portugal, and buying two navy patrol boats from China.

During an address to the Security Council before it approved the extension of the $US200-million-a-year mission on Thursday Mr Gusmao acknowledged the concerns about the police force, which has 52 serving officers who face serious disciplinary and criminal charges.

The UN police will provide support and training for the Timorese force, which is scheduled next month to resume responsibility for all districts, including Dili.

But Mr Gusmao and the President, Jose Ramos-Horta, have also made clear they believe preventing a return to instability through impunities is more important than punitive justice in the fledgling country of 1 million people.

East Timor has authorised more than 200 pardons, commutations or prison releases since 2007, including for rebels convicted of attacks on Mr Gusmao and Dr Ramos-Horta in 2008.

Dr Ramos-Horta, who was seriously wounded in the attacks, told journalists in Dili that he was releasing the rebels because they were also victims.

In 2009 Mr Gusmao ordered the release from jail of Maternus Bere, a former pro-Indonesian militia leader accused of being responsible for the massacre of 300 people in a church in 1999, including three priests.

Bere was allowed to return to Indonesian West Timor, where he is a senior local government official.

The head of the UN mission in Dili, Ameerah Haq, told the Security Council she was optimistic the country's progress could be maintained if all political leaders and the broader public acted responsibly.

There had been no significant increase in violence in districts where Timorese police have resumed responsibility, Ms Haq said.

But she expressed concern at high levels of domestic violence and sporadic fighting among youth and martial arts groups.

East Timor was entering a crucial period that would determine whether the country had overcome the political and institutional weaknesses that contributed to the 2006 crisis, Ms Haq said.

The mission was set up amid the 2006 crisis, replacing earlier UN missions that were established after the East Timorese voted to break away from Indonesia in 1999.

Ministers, Directors And Department Heads Accused Of Corruption Related Crimes

Government Chambers, Dili, East Timor
Dili, 20 Feb (Lusa) – Ministers, district administrators, department heads, national directors and other civil servants comprise among the number of persons accused of corruption by Timor-Leste’s Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR), according to the published annual report.

Amongst others accused were Jose Luis Guterres, Deputy Prime Minister for wrongful administration and abuse of power, and in the same proceedings, also Zacarias Albano da Costa, current Minister for Foreign affairs, Joao Freitas da Camara, currently ambassador to Thailand and Rogerio dos Santos, a diplomat stationed in Brasil, although the court is yet to accept some of the accusations.

In separate proceedings, also for wrongful administration, were accused Arcanjo Leite, Minister for State Administration and Territorial Planning, as well as Bernardo Hornay, from the Baucau district administration and president of the  planning and implementation commission of the local development program.

Joanico Goncalves former director of the Institute for Equipment Management and two other civil servants from that Institute were also accused of corruption.

Two heads of department from the Ministry of Finance were also accused by the Prosecutor General of corruption.  The former head of the procurement department in the Ministry of Justice was accused of corruption and falsification of documents.

Even in the Supreme Court of Appeal, the highest judicial organ in Timor-Leste, a justice officer was accused of passive corruption for the purposes of an illegal act and aggravated falsification of documents.

TEMPO SEMANAL: USA's Admiral Visit East Timor's F-FDTL

TEMPO SEMANAL: USA's Admiral Visit East Timor's F-FDTL

UN: Security Council Extends UNMIT Another Year

UNNews New York, Feb 24 2011  2:05PM - The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste for another year so that it can continue to assist the fledgling nation consolidate peace, democracy and the rule of law, as well as support the preparations for the parliamentary and presidential elections planned for 2012.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the Council decided that the mission, known as UNMIT, will continue its work until 26 February 2012 at current authorized levels. There are presently nearly 1,520 uniformed personnel on the ground, including some 1,480 police, as well as over 1,200 civilian staff and volunteers.

The 15-member body also urged all parties in Timor-Leste to continue to work together and engage in political dialogue and to consolidate peace, democracy, rule of law, sustainable social and economic development, protection of human rights and national reconciliation.

It reaffirmed the importance of completing capacity-building and reform of the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL), including its resumption of primary policing responsibility, and requested UNMIT to support the further development of the force.

The PNTL has already resumed responsibilities in 10 out of 13 administrative districts and six units, including the largest district, Viqueque, as well as the Immigration Department, Border Patrol Unit and Interpol Office, and the final handover is scheduled for the end of next month.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Timor-Leste and head of UNMIT, Ameerah Haq, told the Council earlier this week that she is optimistic that the country's progress can be maintained if all political leaders and the broader public continue to act responsibly.

She added that it is promising that so far there has been no significant increase in violence in districts where the PNTL has taken over responsibility, although she voiced concern at the high levels of domestic violence and sporadic fighting among youth and martial arts groups.

In the text adopted today, the Council also reaffirmed the importance of UNMIT support to the Government in further building and reforming the justice sector, coordinating international assistance, reducing poverty, improving education and other areas.

UNMIT was set up in 2006 after an outbreak of deadly violence to replace several earlier missions in the small South-East Asian country that the world body shepherded to independence in 2002 after it broke away from Indonesia.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Timor-Leste

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Timor-Leste                                                            

23 February 2011

East Timor navy base dispute snares Australian engineering company

Mark Dodd  The Australian February 21, 2011 12:33PM - PLANS to build a new patrol boat base for East Timor have stalled over a stand-off between the Gusmao government, its defence force and an Australian engineering firm now suing for damages.

Sydney-based Lifese Engineering whose chairman is former NSW Liberal MP and international jurist John Dowd, is claiming more than $695,000 for damages, saying it has been unable to finish contracted work at the Port Hera naval base, east of Dili.

Political observers in Dili say the dispute is a turf war between civilian bureaucrats and the East Timor Defence Force over control of $7.7 million in funds to build the base, with Lifese caught in the middle.

But the debacle serves as a reminder of the risks for foreign companies wanting to do business in East Timor.

In its demand for damages, contained in a letter dated October 20 last year, Lifese alleges the East Timor Defence Force prevented the company's workers from entering the port.


After spending $3.8 million to get the project finished Lifese said its coffers are now empty and accused the Gusmao government of failing to honour the contract and release further funds for building works to continue.

"Lifese has been confronted by a series of ongoing delays and disruptions, all of which have been beyond our control," the company said.

"Such causes of delay include but are certainly not limited to the delays encountered with the contract being negotiated and signed, delay of funds being released - and the lack of restricted access to the site."

Meanwhile problems have continued to pile up - literally.

Steel piling bought in Australia and shipped to Dili to complete the base construction has been stuck at Dili port, accumulating storage charges of $US7000 per day.

Lifese's commercial manager and legal counsel, Zena Dabboussy-Bardouh, declined to comment when approached by The Australian Online.

But nobody is disputing the urgency of the project given the arrival within months of two new, donated South Korean patrol boats to tackle illegal fishing and people-smuggling.

They will join the Timorese flotilla's two new Chinese patrol boats and two appropriately named Albatross class patrol boats, donated years earlier by Portugal but hardly ever used.

JSMP: Prokuradóra Jerál Repúblika Hato'ó Relatóriu Anuál iha Parlamentu Nasionál

Komunikadu Imprensa Periódu : Fevereiru 2011 Pubikasaun : 23 Fevereiru 2011 Prokuradóra Jerál Repúblika Hato’ó Relatóriu Anuál iha Parlamentu Nasionál - Iha loron 16 Fevereiru 2011, Prokuradóra Jerál Repúblika (PJR), Dra. Ana Pessoa, hato’ó relatóriu anuál tinan 2010 nian iha uma fukun Parlamentu Nasionál. Aprezentasaun relatóriu  ne’e halo parte hanesan obrigasaun PJR nian, tuir Artigu 133 (4) Konstituisaun RDTL.

Iha  aprezentasaun Prokuradóra Jerál nian,  mensiona mós konabá soru-mutu entre Prokuradóra Jerál ho sosiadade sivíl, inklui soru-mutu ne’ebé hala’ó ho JSMP hodi deskuti konabá funsionamentu sistema judisiáriu

Luis de Oliveira Sampaio, Diretór JSMP haktuir katak “JSMP sente haksolok tebes ho  Prokuradóra Jerál nia sentidu rekoñesimentu konabá kooperasaun diak entre Prokuradória Jerál da Repúblika ho sosiadade sivíl inklui JSMP, atu hametin sistema judisiáriu  iha Timór Léste”.

“Sistema Judisiáriu Timór Léste nian sei nurak teb-tebes no infrenta dezafiu ne’ebé multi-komplexu. Tanbá ne’e esforsu koletivu husi setór hot-hotu nu’udar  meus ka xave atu ultra-pasa dezafiu hirak ne’e hotu”.

JSMP kumpriende no konsiente katak iha realidade área judisiáriu nu’udar área ida ne’ebé moris ho nia natureza rasik ne’ebé  komplexu no dala-barak hamosu kontravérsiu nomós sensetivu iha aspeitu balun. Tanbá ne’e, esforsu atu hari’i setór justisa tenki hatuur nu’udar obra koletivu ne’ebé partensia ba entidades hot-hotu nian.

Atu hari’i sistema judisiariu ida ne’ebé forte, kredivél no asesivél ba ema hotu, tenki ejeji ema hotu nian involvimentu. Tanbá ne’e, sinál rekoñesimentu husi Prokuradóra Jerál ba kontribuisaun husi entidade sira seluk, manifesta sentidu no espíritu kolaborativu atu dezemvolve setór justisa sai forte liu iha futuru.

Antes ne’e, iha loron 28 fulan Outubru 2010, JSMP hetan oportunidade atu halo audiénsia ho PJR, hodi deskuti konabá kestoins relevantes iha setór justisa nian inklui asuntu ne’ebé relasiona ho poder prerogativu Prezidénte  Repúblika ba indultu.

Aleinde aprezenta konabá servisu Prokuradória Jerál nian, asuntu korupsaun sai hanesan parte ida husi relatóriu anuál PJR nian ba Parlamentu Nasional. Asuntu ne’e hetan apresiasaun maka’as husi deputadu sira. Maski deputadu sira barak mak rekoñese PJR nia progresu iha tinan 2010, maibé deputadu husi AMP nian mós balun lansa krítika ba relatóriu ne’ebé mak temi governante balun ne’ebé iha indikasaun korupsaun.  Ba kestaun ne’e, deputadu sira husi bloku AMP[1] husu Prokuradóra Jerál atu la bele halo diskriminasaun no harê ba background polítika husi ema ne’ebé mak iha kazu korupsaun sira, maibé prosesa hanesan kazu hotu husi autór sira mesmu husi AMP ou Fretilin.

Hatan ba kestaun ne’e, Prokuradóra Jerál Repúblika Ana Pessoa[2] hateten katak atu hado’ok aan husi intervensaun polítika iha inísiu kedas, asuntu korupsaun entrega ba Adjuntu PJR Dr. Vicente F. E Brito. Tanbá ne’e ba kestaun korupsaun nian, Adjuntu PJR mak resposta iha plenária Parlamentu.  Husi Adjuntu PJR nia intervensaun katak, kazu korupsaun sira ne’e kaer husi Prokuradór ida-idak ne’ebé hetan responsabilidade ba kazu ne’ebé la hanesan.  Adjuntu mós realsa liu tan, aliende Prokuradór no Tribunál nia servisu atu prosesa kazu korupsaun sira, maibé nia mós subliña katak  prevensaun mak importante liu no sosiadade sivíl ka NGO sira nia papél importante atu redus korupsaun iha rai laran.

Aliende asuntu kooperasaun ho sosiadade sivíl no asuntu korupsaun, Prokuradóra Jerál mós aprezenta konabá aktividade seluk husi Prokuradoria nian mak hanesan, asaun sira formasun nian, movimentu prosesuál jestaun konabá prosesu no kondisaun sira servisu nian, proposta lejislativa sira, Konsellu Superiór Ministériu Públiku nian, paresér sira ba Governu, soru-mutu ho Prezidénte Repúblika no Bispu nain tolu, relasaun inter-institusionál sira no vizita ofisiál sira.

[1]  Deputadu husi AMP ne’ebé fó sai statementu ne’emak, Deputadu Rui Menezes husi PD, Deputadu Adriano do Nasimento husi PD no Deputadu Aderito Hugo da Costa husi CNRT. Deputadu AMP sira hasai estatementu ne’e, tanbá hare ba background polítika husi Prokuradora Jerál Ana Pessoa ne’ebé mai husi Partidu Fretilin.

[1] Prokuradóra Ana Pessoa mai husi backgraound polítika Fretilin no sai hanesan Deputada Fretilin antes kaer kargu hanesan Prokuradóra Jerál Repúblika iha tinan 2009.

Atu hetan informasaun kle’an favor kontaktu:z

Luis de Oliveira Sampaio

Direitor Ezekutivu JSMP

Diresaun e-mail: luis@jsmp.minihub.org

Landline: 3323883

Security Council Meeting 22 February 2011 The situation in Timor-Leste

Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (for the period from 21 September 2010 to 7 January 2011) (S/2011/32 )

22 February 2011

Solidarity with the people and nation of New Zealand as horrifying earthquake strikes Christchurch

Scenes of utter destruction confront the people of Christchurch
ETLJB wishes to express strong solidarity and deepest sympathy with the people of New Zealand after a terrible earthquake shattered the city of Christchurch today at 12.50pm local time leaving at least 65 dead and a swathe of destruction across the city with roads destroyed, electricity and communications infrastructures severely damaged.

The people of New Zealand have a long and supportive relationship with East Timor through aid donations and the deployment of peacekeepers.

The Prime Minister John Keys has described the disaster as New Zealand's darkest day. Many remain trapped in collapsed buildings and are in our prayers for a safe rescue and recovery.

20 February 2011

Meeting of the Council of Ministers, 16th of February of 2011

A monument in Baucau
The Council of Ministers met this Wednesday, on the 16th of February of 2011, in the meeting room of the Council of Ministers, in the Government Palace, in Díli and approved:

1. First Alteration to the Decree-Law that approves the Statute of the State General-Inspection

According to the Public Administration Regime for Carriers of Direction and Management Posts, whenever specific designations with powers of direction and management are established in organic units and sub-units, as is the case of the State General-Inspector and the Assistant General-Inspector, they should be predicted as equal to a post of direction and management, namely in terms of salary – an issue that still wasn’t predicted in the Statute of the State General-Inspection.

2. Decree-Law that approves the Statute of Public Sport Utility of sportive federations

The Statute of Public Sport Utility confers competence for the exercise, in exclusivity, and within the respective scope, of regulatory disciplinary powers and others of public nature, to the sportive federations that have received this statute. It also confers the possibility to benefit from subsidies or funds, as well as support of any nature, be it technical, material or human.

With the purpose to homogenizing the situation of the sportive federations in Timor-Leste and to regulate the requirements for the concession of public aid, the current diploma aims to develop the Basic Law for Sport, establishing the legal regime and the conditions for the attribution and also the process of suspension and cancelling of the Statute of Public Sport Utility of the sportive federations that don’t fulfil with the obligations.

It is highlighted that the sportive federations have, among other functions, to regulate and manage the practice of a sport modality or a set of modalities at a national level, as well as the representation of the sportive modality in similar foreign or international organizations.

3. Decree-Law that approves the National Institute of Health (INS Portuguese acronym)


The current diploma transforms the Institute of Social Science (INS Portuguese acronym) into the National Institute of Health, with a vocation for the continuous training of health professionals in exercise. The university training is under the responsibility of the teaching establishments.

This transformation appears from the observation, by the Ministry of Health, of the necessity for continuous training of health professionals, in order to guarantee the improvement of health care, attending to the strategic needs for the development of the health sector in the medium and long term.. The ICS was a personalized service created in 2005 by the Ministry of Health, with the mission of providing continuous training and teach non-university technical higher education for health professionals.

The Council of Ministers also analysed:

1. Preparation of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Restoration of Independence


With the objective of the timely coordination of the celebration of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste’s 10thanniversary of the Restoration of Independence, which is celebrated on the 20th of May of 2012, the Council of Ministers considered the creation of an Organizing Commission for the Celebrations, which will be discusses in a future Council of Ministers meeting. The date for the festivities was settled as starting on the 10th of May and will its highlight on the 20th, finishing on the 30th of May.

2. Memorandum of Understanding with EDP International, S.A.

The Council of Ministers analysed the proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding presented by EDP International, for the establishment of a future cooperation in the area of renewable energies, where three priority areas stand out: human resources training, study for the development of a wind park and hydroelectric resources.

Timor-Leste already has an Electrification Plan based on renewable energies, fact that is taken in account for the proposal’s evaluation.

3. Decree-Law Proposal that Approves the Organic of the Human Rights and Justice Purveyor’s Office

The organic of the Human Rights and Justice Purveyor’s Office has as objective to ensure the effective implementation of its services responsibilities, organizing having in account its particularities in the role of strengthening the State of Rule of Law in Timor-Leste. Its regulation warranties the provision of a strong institution with capacity to instigate the trust of the population and public powers through an efficient organization endowed with technique expertise in the areas of constitutional mandate of the Human Rights and Justice Ombudsman.

The Human Rights and Justice Purveyor’s Office is an independent organ with the function of appreciating and seeking to fulfil the citizens’ complaints against the public powers and verify the conformity of the action with the law. It must also prevent and initiate the whole process of reparation of injustices and also with competence to appreciate concrete cases, without decisive power, directing its recommendation to the competent organs.

Woman's body found in her house in Komoro, Dili

It is believe that Matilda was killed Timor Post, February 16, 2011 language source: Tetun - The Timorese Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) is investigating a case in which a woman, Lalita Matilda, was found dead in her house in Komoro.

Deputy of the Timorese Police Commander, Commissioner Police Afonso de Jesus, said that the dead body is now in the mortuary of the National Hospital of Guido Valadares (HNGV) to be autopsied, adding that it was believed that she was killed by people and then placed in her house.

"I do not have clear information about his case. I only have information saying that a dead body was found in a house in Komoro," Commissioner Police de Jesus said.

De Jesus also called on the people the neighborhood of the victims to cooperate and give information to the police to help the police to discover the assailant or murderer.

Parliamentarians call on PNTL to detain an illegal group named "Xefe Estadu Maior Baze Apoiu 1975"

Timor Post, February 16, 2011 language source: Tetun - MP Natalino dos Santos from the National Congress for the Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), has called on the Timorese National Police (PNTL) to hunt down an illegal group called "Xefe Estadu Maior Baze Apoiu 1975" and detain any member of the group who asks for money illegally from the local residents.

MP dos Santos urged the Manufahi District Police to respond to the case as soon as possible, because the members of  the group are extorting money from people who want a bulletin or ID car.

"On the Bulletin is written "Xefe Estadu Maior Baze Apoiu 1975" and this case is happening in Same," MP dos Santos said. MP dos Santos added that this was a way of destabilizing the security situation in the country, and that there is only one "xefe estadu maior" and that is Brigadier General Lere Anan Timur.

MP Domingos da Costa from ASDT stressed that the police should take the necessary action to respond and solve this case immediately otherwise it will affect the country's security situation. The President of Parliament, Fernando "Lasama" de Araujo has called on the Parliamentary Committee B for Foreign Affairs, Security and Defense to collaborate with the police to resolve the case soon.

18 February 2011

Monsignor Ricardo: Act of throwing away baby against human dignity

Televizaun Timor-Leste, February 12, 2011 language source: Tetun - Bishop for Dili Diocese Monsignor Alberto Ricardo Da Silva said that the act of some people abandoning a baby in Ailok Laran is an immoral act as it is against human dignity.

Monsignor da Silva said he is unhappy with the female suspect who killed her baby and added that it is an act of crime.

"I do hope that people will not repeat such actions, as it against human rights. The Catholic Church is strongly against people who kill their babies and I am hoping that it will not happen again in the future," Monsignor da Silva said.

Dili Diocese is now preparing a maternal house in Fatumeta of Dili in order to treat all the abandoned babies in the country.

Infancticide and baby abandonment in Timor-Leste difficult to prosecute due to lack of witnesses -
Suspended sentence in infanticide case in East Timor no deterrent
Growing numbers of women "throwing away" their babies in Timor-Leste
Corpse of discarded baby in Dili partly eaten by dogs
Monsignor Ricardo: Act of throwing away baby against human dignity
Killing babies is a crime, says Bishop Nacimento
Police have identified female suspected of abandoning baby in Ailok Laran
Baby's body brought home by dog
Dili bishop condemns baby killings

General state budget for 2011 is legal: Court of Appeals

Timornewsline, February 14, 2011 - The Timorese Court of Appeals has officially announced that the general state budget which was approved by the Parliament recently is constitutional and is now waiting for promulgation by the President of the republic.

Last week President Jose Ramos Horta brought the general state budget to the Court of Appeal to ask whether it was constitutional or not.

The state budget for 2011 is large and totals US$1 billion and will be allocated for building the country's infrastructure.

President Horta promulgated the general state budget before holding his official visit to Israel and Palestine (Timor Post, February 14, 2011).

MPs calls on the Government to detain criminals who are extorting money from people

Diario Nacional, February 15, 2011 language source: Tetun - MP Arao Noe de Jesus from the National Congress for the Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), has called on the competent institutions, particularly the Timorese National Police (PNTL) to detain those who are extorting money from the people.

"PNTL should take the necessary actions to respond to this case soon in order to discover and detain actors who are extorting money from the people and they should investigate this case rather than doing nothing to respond this case. People who are living in the rural areas have become victim as there is no people to defend and protect them from immoral acts of certain people who ask for money illegally," MP de Jesus said.

MP de Jesus added that an illegal group named OSNAKO, used to do such activities but at this time illegal groups are starting to demand money from the people in isolated or rural areas.

MPs Domingos da Costa from ASDT and Antonio Cardoso from Fretilin also called on the police to respond to this problem soon in order to free people from such activity which intimidates defenseless people in rural areas.

16 February 2011

Public calls on PNTL to control security situation in suburbs

The fountain at the roundabout on way to airport
Timor Post, February 15, 2011 language source: Tetun - A resident of Komoro village, Humberto Macedo, said he is displeased with the current situation in the capital of Dili, particularly in some suburbs as some people have started to create conflicts that resulted in people dying and this affects the security situation in the country.

"I am feeling displeased when hearing about conflicts taking place in some suburbs which have resulted in deaths and many injured people," Macedo said.

In relation to the conflict created by some people or groups, Macedo called on the Timorese National Police (PNTL) to better control the security situation in the country, particularly in the capital of Dili so that people can remain calm. He added that the police should not only hold patrols with car, but they should also hold patrols on foot as it will be easier for them to know the real situation.

14 February 2011

TOHA: It's party time!

TOHA: It's party time!: "TOHA LAUNCH PARTY AND FUNDRAISER Wednesday, March 2nd, 6-9pm Venture Hotel, Lecidere Join us for a drink, some music, and a PRIZE draw. Ent..."

TOHA: A terrible case of cruelty - A mascot for TOHA

TOHA: A terrible case of cruelty - A mascot for TOHA: "A knock at midnight.... Dr Antonino opens the door to find a friend with a grievously injured dog. She had been cruelly tethered at a 'RW F..."

Justice Seidauk Mai (Justice is yet to come): Rethinking the dynamics of transitional justice in East Timor

Abstract - This thesis analyses the grounds of separation between the official claims made for the UN-sponsored transitional justice process in East Timor and community discontent. It does this by analysing fieldwork findings – including interviews with survivors of East Timor’s conflict – and engaging with critical and ethnographic scholarship on transitional justice, in order to examine the interplay between different narratives of justice circulating in East Timor in the post-referendum period. These narratives emanate from three separate, yet intersecting, spheres: the international, the national and the local.

The thesis begins by examining narratives of retributive and restorative justice promoted in the international sphere, through the UN’s transitional justice ‘tool-kit’. These narratives emphasise the importance of individual accountability, and the therapeutic value of truth-telling, to respond to the violence of the past and foster East Timor’s transition from conflict to peace. It then discusses the contrasting narratives promoted in the national sphere, by East Timor’s political elite, which stress collective and forward-looking ideas of social justice as the best way to move on from the violent past. Finally, it considers narratives generated within the local sphere, promoted by East Timorese survivors. It shows that local narratives, which are informed by survivors’ personal – and often continuing – experiences of injustice, both contest and draw upon national and international narratives and are transforming them in new ways.

By charting the intricate interactions between these narratives, the thesis shows that the UN-sponsored transitional justice process has been unable to provide a definitive ‘justice’ response that marks a rupture between the past and future. Rather, it has contributed to an ongoing, locally grounded, conversation about how best to ‘deal with the past.’ The thesis shows that the official transitional justice process has produced new forms of political engagement and is transforming local justice struggles in unexpected ways. By bringing to the fore the dynamism of these developments in East Timor, the thesis argues that transitional justice might best be understood as a continuing and productive interaction between international, national and local actors.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: Introduction                                                                                                  

1.1 Community Discontent with the Results of Transitional Justice in East Timor                       

1.1.1 The Official Celebration of Official Transitional Justice Discourse and Practice

1.1.2 East Timor: From Colonialism to ‘Transition’

1.2 Interrogating ‘Transition’ and ‘Justice’                                                                                 

1.2.1 Unravelling the Universalist Assumptions of International Law and State-building

1.2.2 Unpacking ‘Transition’

1.2.3 Unpacking ‘Justice’

1.2.4 Justice from Below

1.3 Thesis Overview                                                                                                               

1.3.1 Chapter Overview

Chapter Two: Exploring ‘Official’ and ‘Local’ Narratives of Justice in Transition                           

2.1 Background, Conceptual Framework and Methodological Approach                                    

2.2 Ethical Issues: Power, Representation and Reflexivity                                                           

2.3 Data Collection Sites and Fieldwork Methods                                                                     

2.4  Ethical Issues Arising During Interviews                                                                            

2.5 Participants                                                                                                                       

2.6 Methodological Constraints                                                                                               

2.7 Reliability, Validity and Broader Applicability of Research Findings                                        

2.8 Conclusion                                                                                                                        

Chapter Three:  Stability versus Retributive Justice: Unpacking the UN’s East Timor ‘Success Story’                                                            

3.1 The Externally Devised Transitional Justice Process and the East Timor ‘Success Story’         

3.2 The UNTAET Period and the Emergence of the Stability Narrative                                     

3.3 Post-Independence Tensions                                                                                             

3.4 The ‘Crisis’ of 2006 and the Unravelling of the East Timor Success Story                             

3.5 Conclusion                                                                                                                        

Chapter Four: Justice in the Shadow of the Stability Imperatives                                                        

4.1              The Retributive Justice Possibilities of the Serious Crimes Process                                  

4.2        Justice Beyond the Criminal Law                                                                                 

4.3        The Restorative Justice Possibilities of the Commission for Reception, Truth and

Reconciliation (CAVR)                                                                                                

4.4        Justice Beyond the Truth Commission                                                                         

4.5        Conclusion                                                                                                                

Chapter Five:  National Unity, Collective Struggle and the Future: the East Timorese Leadership’s

Narratives of Justice and Nation-Building                                                                     

5.1        Narratives of National Unity, Sacrifice and Resistance during the Struggle for

Independence                                                                                                            

5.2        National Unity Narratives in Post-referendum approaches to Justice,

Reconciliation and Commemoration                                                                            

5.3        Tensions, Cleavages and Exclusions emerging in the Post-referendum Period                

5.4        Recent Developments: the Leadership’s Responses to Chega!                                         

5.5        Conclusion                                                                                                                 

Chapter Six: Local Narratives of (In)Justice: Recognition, Prosecutions and Material Assistance                                                    

6.1        Customary East Timorese systems of Justice and Conflict Resolution                            

6.2        Truth-telling: Symbolic Recognition and a Stepping Stone to Practical ‘Results’                

6.3        Ambivalence, Hesitancy and the Limits of CAVR recognition                                        

6.4        The Community Reconciliation Process: a Tentative and Conditional Acceptance            

6.5        Justice as Prosecutions, Declarations and Punishment                                                   

6.6        The Serious Crimes Process as a Continuation of Injustice                                              

6.7        Results as Material Assistance                                                                                      

6.8        Conclusion: Elusive Justice                                                                                          



Chapter Seven: Local Memory Practices and the Emerging Politics of Victims’ Rights

7.1        Local Memory Practices: Remaking the World                                                              

7.2        Local Memory Practices: Struggles for Recognition                                                       

7.3        The Dialogue between Victims’ Groups and NGOs                                                      

7.4        The Possibilities and Limits of Victims’ Rights Politics                                                  

7.5        Conclusion                                                                                                                

Chapter Eight: Rethinking Transitional Justice                                                                                      

8.1        Transitional Justice in East Timor: a Dynamic Interaction between International, 

National and Local Actors                                                                                          

8.2        Rethinking Transitional Justice: Implications for Practitioners and Scholars                     

8.3        Rethinking Transitional Justice: Implications for East Timor Justice Activists and            

NGOs

8.4        Rethinking Transitional Justice                                                                                      

References   
                                                                                                                      
Kent, Lia. PhD thesis Submitted August 2010, University of Melbourne For further information about the project please contact lia.kent@anu.edu.au

Lia Kent
Postdoctoral Fellow,State, Society and Governance in Melanesia
School of International, Political and Strategic Studies
ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

East Timor and Indonesia Action Network: US Embassy in Dili admits mistake about worker's rights

East Timor and Indonesia Action Network: US Embassy in Dili admits mistake about worker's rights

13 February 2011

Recent clash in Surik-Mas leaves one injured and one house destroyed

A destroyed house in Surik Mas, Dili
Timor Post , 10 February 2011- A recent incident Sunday night in Surik-Mas has left one house destroyed and one of its owners with an injured right hand.

Viqueque district police have responded to clash in Uatulari

Rice fields in Viqueque. Land is the root of violence in this District
Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 11 February 2011- The Timorese Operational Police Commander Superintendent Eugenio Pereira has confirmed that Viqueque District police have responded to the recent clash among villagers in Uatulari sub district. The clash has left three people injured.

Police identify people who were involved in throwing the baby in Ailok Laran

Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 11 February 2011- The Timorese Operational Police Commander, Superintendent Eugenio Pereira has confirmed that the Criminal Investigation Police (SIC) identified several people who are suspected of abandoning and throwing a baby away in Ailok Laran on January 18, 2011.

12 February 2011

Analysis of the President's referral of the budget law to the Court of Appeal

HortaPromulgasuanTP11Feb2011En                                                            

East Timor government approves creation of National Development Bank

2011-02-11 - Dili, East Timor, 11 Feb – The government of East Timor has approved a plan of action leading to the creation of the country’s National Development Bank, the government said in a statement issued in Dili Thursday.

The plan “follows the work that has been carried out to set up the bank, an aim, outlined from the start in the programme of the 4th Constitutional Government, which says that the National Development Bank will be a financial instrument to support a model of sustained economic development in East Timor, majority-owned by the state," the statement said.

The National Development Bank is expected to be set up using public and private capital and to focus on financing medium-sized and large companies, on supporting business owners and attracting private investment (macauhub)

09 February 2011

Who shot JR Horta?

East Timorese President Jose Ramos Horta
JSMP Launches Report on 11 February 2008 Trial for Third Anniversary of Shootings PRESS RELEASE Period : February Edisis  :  10 February 2011 DILI  - On the third anniversary of the 11 February 2008 shootings, JSMP will publish its report on the trial process, The 11 February 2008 Case: More Questions Than Answers. The launch will take place on, Thursday 10 February, at Hotel Delta Nova.

JSMP Director, Luis de Oliveira Sampaio, congratulates everyone involved in the trial for managing a complex and sensitive case, but notes that there are still important questions about 11 February that have not been answered.

“We still don't know who shot President Horta, or who killed Major Alfredo Reinado and Leopoldino Exposto. The Timorese community may still be confused about what definitely happened that day and what are just rumours or theories, so JSMP's report aims to sort fact from fiction.”

JSMP closely monitored trial proceedings in the Dili District Court, from the case’s commencement on 13 July 2009 through to the delivery of the court’s judgment on 3 March 2010. The 11 February 2008 Case: More Questions Than Answers? will serve as a record of an important legal case in Timor-Leste’s history.

JSMP is launching the report, subtitled Implications for the Justice Sector in Timor-Leste, to explain the context of the case, and to analyse the trial process and its impact on the Timorese justice system. The report shows how the different actors in the judicial system can have an impact on the trial, on the rights of individuals, and on whether justice is done.

JSMP believes justice is a cooperative project. The judicial process involves judges, lawyers, defendants, witnesses, court interpreters, police, security personnel, the media, and others. Significantly, the 11 February case also involved several high-ranking officials and members of the Timorese public in a unique way. With this new report, JSMP hopes to draw attention to the importance and complexity of the role played by all of these actors in the search for truth and justice.

Luis de Oliveira stresses the need for changes to the justice sector. “The 11 February case shows that there are real weaknesses in the Timorese justice system. We must make sure that international human rights standards are met, especially the right to a fair trial.”

The report contains sixteen practical recommendations – drawn from the experiences of the 11 February trial – on how the justice system of Timor-Leste can be improved. It also includes a hearing-by-hearing trial chronology, a table summarising the charges, findings and sentences against each of the defendants, and excerpts from relevant legislation and a selected bibliography for further reading.

JSMP warmly extends an invitation to the justice sector and to all members of the public, to attend the launch and comment on the report.

The 11 February 2008 Case: More Questions Than Answers? will be available from 11 February 2011, exactly three years following the incident in question. JSMP trusts the report will be a useful resource both for the legal professional and for the layperson.

For further information, or a copy of the report, contact: Luis de Oliveira Sampaio Executive Director, JSMP
Email: luis@jsmp.minihub.org Landline: +670 332 3883

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JSMP lansa relatóriu julgamentu kazu 11 de Fevereiru 2008 ba komemorasaun aniversariu dala tolu husi insidente ne'e
             

Konferensia ba Imprensa Periodu  : Fevereiru Edisaun : 08 Fevereiru 2011 JSMP lansa relatóriu julgamentu kazu 11 de Fevereiru 2008 ba komemorasaun aniversariu dala tolu husi insidente ne’e

Ba komerasaun dala tolu aniversariu kazu tiruteo 11 de Fevereiru 2008, JSMP sei publika nia relatóriu temátiku konabá prosesu julgamentu, ho titlu, Kazu 11 de Fevereiu 2008: Pergunta Barak Liu duque Resposta. Lansamentu ne’e sei halao iha, Quinta feira, 10 Fevereiru 2011, iha Salaun Delta Nova.

Diretór JSMP,  Luis de Oliveira Sampaio, kongratula ema hotu ne’ebé involve iha julgamentu hodi maneija kazu konplexu no sensetivu ida ne’e, maibe observa katak nafatin iha pergunta importante konabá kazu 11 de Fevereiru ne’ebé seidauk hetan resposta.  “Ita sei nafatin la hatene se mak tiru Prezidente da Repúblika no se mak oho ka tiru mate Major Alfredo Reinado no Leopoldino Exposto. Povu Timor-Leste dalaruma sei nafatin hela ho konfuzaun konabá saida definitivamente akontese iha memomentu ne’ebá no saida mak hanesan rumores ka teoria,  tanbá ne’e, relatóriu ne’e ho objetivu atu deskobre ka revela faktu hirak ne’e.”

JSMP halo monitorizasaun besik tebes ba prosesu julgamentu iha Tribunal Distrital Dili, husi kazu ne’e hahu prosesu iha dia 13 Jullu 2009 to’o  tribunal hasai nia akordaun iha dia 3 Marsu 2010. Kazu 11 de Fevereiru 2008: Pergunta Barak Liu dugue Resposta, sei serve hanesan relatóriu legál importante ida husi povu Timor Leste nia istória.

JSMP lansa relatóriu ne’e, ho subtitlu  Implikasaun ba Sitór Justisa iha Timor Leste, atu esplika kontestu husi kazu ne’e, no atu analiza prosesu julgamentu no nia impaktu ba sistema justisa Timor nian. Relatóriu ne’e hatudu oinsa autóres diferente sira iha sistema justisa bele fo influensia ne’ebé forte ba julgamentu, konabá direitu individu sira nian, no oinsa justisa bele implementa.

JSMP fiar katak justisa nu’udar projeitu ko-óperativu ida. Prosesu judisiariu involve juizes, prokuradores, advogadu, arguidu sira, testamuña sira, tradutores sira, polisia, pesoal seguransa, media no sel-seluk tan.  Importante liu, kazu 11 de Fevereiru involve autoridade ofisial nivel alto no membru figura publiku Timorenze ho maneira ne’ebé unikú. Ho relatóriu ne’e, JSMP espera katak bele dada atensaun ema hotu ba importânsia no komplexidade papel husi autores sira hotu hodi buka no hari’i lia-los no justisa.

Luis de Oliveira subliña nesesidade atu hadia setór justisa. “Kazu 11 de Fevereiru hatudu iha frakeza real iha sistema justisa Timor nian. Ita hotu tenke asegura katak padraun internasional ba direitus umanuz sira tenke kumpri, liu-liu direitu ba julgamentu ne’ebé justu”

Relatóriu ne’e kompostu husi rekomendasaun prátiku sanulu-resin nen–ne’ebé mai husi rezultadu esperiensia julgamenyu kazu 11 de Fevereiru no oinsa bele mellora sistema justisa Timor–Leste. Relatóriu ne’e mos inklui kronolojia husi kada audênsia-julgamentu, tabela sumariu alegasaun, faktu ne’ebé deskobre, no sentensa hasoru arguidu ida-idak, no sita/kutipan husi lejislasaun relevante no bibligrafia selesionada ba leitura adisionál.

JSMP ho neon kmanek hakarak konvida  setór justisa no ema hotu atu atende lansamentu no fo komentariu ba  relatóriu ne’e.

Kazu 11 de Fevereiru 2008: Pergunta Barak Liu duque Resposta, sei fornese hahu husi dia 11 de Fevereiru 2011, lolos kedas depois de tinan tolu husi insidente ne’ebé sei nafatin iha dúvida. JSMP fiar relatóriu ne’e sei fo fontes vantejem ba ema profisional legal sira no sosiedade bai-bain sira emjeral.

Ba informasaun ka kopia husi relatóriu ne’e favor kontaktu: Luis de Oliveira Sampaio Executive Director, JSMP Email: luis@jsmp.minihub.org Landline: +670 332 3883
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 JSMP  meluncurkan laporan mengenai persidangan kasus 11 Februari 2008 pada perayaan ulang tahun ketiga setelah peristiwa penembakan Siaran Pers Periode : Februari Edisi : 08 Februari 2011

Pada perayaan ketiga penembakan 11 Februari 2008, JSMP menerbitkan laporannya mengenai proses persidangan yang berjudul,  Kasus 11 Februari 2008: Lebih Banyak Pertanyaan daripada Jawban. Penerbitan ini dilakukan pada  hari, Kamis, 10 Februari, di  Hotel Delta Nova.

Direktur  JSMP, Luis de Oliveira Sampaio, memberikan selamat kepada semua pihak yang terlibat dalam persidangan karena atas keberhasilan mereka dalam mengelola kasus  yang sulit dan sensitif, akan tetapi  ia mencatat  bahwa  masih ada pertanyaan penting seputar 11 Februari yang harus dijawab.

“Kita belum tahu siapa yang menembak Presiden  Horta, atau siapa yang menembak Major Alfredo Reinado dan Leopoldino Exposto. Masyarakat Timor Leste  masih binggung  mengenai apa yang sebenarnya terjadi pada hari itu  dan apa yang menjadi rumor dan teori, jadi, laporan JSMP bertujuan untuk membuka fakta tersebut”.

JSMP memantau secara dekat proses persidangan di Pengadilan Distrik Dili, dari dimulainya sidang atas kasus tersebut pada tanggal 13 Juli 2009 sampai pada dijatuhkannya putusan pada tanggal 3 Maret 2010.  Kasus 11 Februari 2008: Lebih Banyak Pertanyaan dari pada Jawaban, akan menjadi sebuah catatan dalam kasus hukum penting dalam sejarah Timor-Leste.

JSMP menerbitkan laporan dengan sub topik “implikasi terhadap Sektor Peradilan di Timor-Leste, untuk menjelaskan  konteks kasus, dan menganalisis proses persidangan serta dampaknya terhadap sistem peradilan Timor-Leste. Laporan tersebut menunjukkan bagaimana berbagai aktor dalam sistem peradilan dapat memberika  pengaruh yang kuat pada persidangan, hak-hak individu, dan apakah keadilan ditegakan.

JSMP yakin bahwa keadilan merupakan sebuah proyek yang sifatnya  kolektif. Proses yudisial melibatkan hakim, jaksa pengacara, terdakwa, saksi, penerjemah pengadilan, polisi, petugas keamanan, media dan lai-lain.   Yang lebih penting, kasus 11 Februari melibatkan penjabat tinggi dan publik dengan cara yang unik. Dengan laporan baru ini, JSMP berharap dapat menarik perhatian  akan kompleksitas dan  pentingnya peranan yang dimainkan oleh semua aktor ini dalam mencari kebenaran dan keadilan..

Luis de Oliveira menekankan perlunya perubahan pada sektor peradilan. “Kasus 11 Februari  menunjukan adanya kelemahan riil dalam sistem peradilan Timor-Leste.  Kita harus menjamin bahwa standar hak asasi manusia internasional harus dipatuhi, khususnya hak atas peradilan yang adil.”

Laporan tersebut berisi enam belas rekomendasi praktis – yang diambil dari pengalaman persidangan 11 Februari – tentang bagaimana memperbaiki sistem peradilan. Hal ini termasuk kronologis  setiap persidangan, sebuah tabel  ringkasan  tuntutan,  temuan-temuan  dan hukuman terhadap masing-masing terdakwa, dan kutipan-kutipan dari  perundang-undangan yang relevan dan seleksi bibliografi untuk bacaan selanjutnya.

JSMP  ingin mengundang  semua aktor di sektor peradilan dan masyarakat untuk  berpartisipasi  dalam penerbitan dan memberikan komentar terhadap laporan tersebut.

Kasus 11 Februari 2008: Banyak Pertanyaan daripada  Jawaban? Akan tersedia pada tanggal 11 Februari 2011, tepatnya tiga tahun setelah kejadian dalam keraguan. JSMP percaya laporan tersebut  akan menjadi sumber yang  bermanfaat baik untuk profesi hukum dan orang awam.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut, atau untuk memperoleh salinan dari laporan ini, silakan hubunggi: Luis de Oliveira Sampaio Executive Director, JSMP Email: luis@jsmp.minihub.org Landline: +670 332 3883

ETLJB Editor Note: Mr Ramos Horta named one of Major Alfredo Reinado's junior rebels, Marcelo Caetano, as the man who shot him twice on the morning of 11 February 2008.