Legal News 27 August 2008

Prosecutor General meets with President Horta - Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 27 August 2008
Prosecutor General Longinhos Monteiro has met with President Jose Ramos Horta today (26/8), to discuss developments in the investigation into the attempted assassination of President Horta and the ambush of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on February 11.

AMP Government afraid of setting up investigative commission - Timor Post , 27 August 2008
Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri ,who is also Fretilin current secretary general, said the Parliamentary Majority Alliance (AMP) Government did not want to set up the proposed international investigative commission because they were afraid of the commission's report findings.

Alkatiri said the international investigative commission was important to investigate the assassination attempt to President Horta on February 11 and said the Parliament had approved the resolution of setting the commission, but was yet to implement. Alkatiri said if the Government would not implement the resolution, people would not believe the result of the ongoing investigation being held by the Prosecutor's Office, therefore the international investigative commission was important to be established to help support. He added the Government did not abide by the approved resolution and that had showed the Government's arrogance.

House construction project for veterans does not continue - Timor Newsline , 27 August 2008
Spokesperson for LUTA-HAMTUK NGO, Jose da Costa, said house construction for Timorese veterans in the eastern district of Vikeke had not been continued for about nine months without any reason fromUnipesoal Company.

Da Costa said the veterans and residents in Vikeke were concerned about condition of the houses constructed, as they were too narrow and were improper for the veterans to live in. LUTA-HAMUTUK called on the Government, mainly the state secretary for veterans to explain about this matter and urged him to consult first the local authorities and the veterans before the construction started. LUTA-HAMTUK also recommended the state secretary to seriously look at this problem and urged him to call on the company.

Residents continue handing over illegal weapons - Timor Post , 27 August 2008
Residents in the Capital Dili’s suburbs, such as Vilaverde and Comoro, continued handing over illegal weapons including ambon arrows, knives and other home-made weapons to the security forces.

Dili district Police Commander, Inspector Pedro Belo, said the residents handed over those illegal weapons to contribute to the peace and stability in the country. The commander said the police team was in coordination with Dili district administrator and village chiefs to contact the residents on the recall of the weapons. He added that police intelligence had identified places where weapons are believed to be hidden and would keep recalling them.

Reinado's father urges the country's authorities to publicise investigative findings Timor Post , 27 August 2008
Former rebel leader Alfredo Reinado Alves’ father has urged the country's authorities to publicize the investigative findings of the attempted assassination to President Jose Ramos Horta and the death of his son on February 11.

Fretilin's peace rally is not power-thirsty, says the party bench leader- Diario Nacional, 27 August
Fretilin's bench leader in the National Parliament, Aniceto Guterres stated the party's peace rally in the near future was not power-thirsty motivated but just to normalise the country's current politicalsituation.

"Fretilin's peace rally is intended to renormalise the situation in the country; not because of ambition nor a thirst for power", Guterres told journalists Tuesday (26/8). He then said the peace rally was a legal and constitutional action and no one else could prohibit it as the country adopted the rule of law. "We don't need to threaten the AMP government. We, Fretilin, from the outset do not recognize the legitimacy of the incumbent government and the AMP has not developed the country but on the contrary had destroyed it", saidGuterres.