08 January 2013

Defence Force Chief says those creating instability will be beaten until they bleed, dunked in water and starved in prison

ETLJB 08 January 2013 In an extraordinary outburst, the Chief of the East Timor Defence Forces, Major General Lere Anan Timor, is reported to have said that those who create instability in Timor-Leste in 2013 will be arrested, beaten until they bleed, dunked in water and starved in prison.

According to an English translation of a report in the daily newspaper Timor Post on 3 January 2013 originally published in the Tetum language, the Major General made the remarks after meeting with the President, Taur Matan Ruak (Lere's predecessor as armed forces chief).

"As Major General I agree that in 2013 we do not want to tolerate young people who make problems.  When the UN was here, we confused each other with human rights, not now.  I tell you that with Timorese, we have to slap them until they bleed before they run away, so the delinquent youth should be careful because this is the year when we will truly govern ourselves as a nation," Lere told journalists  at the Presidential Palace, Bairro Pite, Wednesday 2 January last.

The report also states that the Major General stressed that those youth wanting to create problems will be arrested, dunked in water and beaten before being jailed, but said that it would not the type of jailing where they are fed, nor where they will be able to demand bread and milk. 

In addition, unruly youth will be put into forced labour. The Timor Post report continues: "the youth of the nation should be careful not to make problems for the country, because the State will not tolerate anybody creating instability, and those doing so will end up being sent to jail in Natarbora or Betano where they will be forced to cultivate the rice paddies."

See also Xanana Threatens to Starve Youth Engaging in Criminal Conduct

Source: Timor Post. Edited by Warren L. Wright







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