Alkatiri: Soldiers petition still to be considered

“Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has said that even though F-FDTL Commander Taur Matan Ruak has taken the decision to expel the 591 soldiers from the F-FDTL, it does not mean that the matter is finished. He stated that the petition presented by the soldiers, and therefore the problem within the institution, is still an issue. Speaking outside the Government-Private Sector National Congress on Thursday, Alkatiri said that the government maintains its position in supporting Ruak’s decision to expel the soldiers, while the State will contain to maintain its position that the decision was wrong and unjust. He clarified that even though the two positions are contradictory, efforts will be made to resolve the issues within the F-FDTL institution as presented in the petition. However the expelled soldiers will not have the opportunity again to be soldiers, as “we do not want the military institution to be treated lightly”, emphasized Alkatiri. According to Alkatiri, in other countries the petitioners would not only be expelled from the Force, but would be taken to a military court to be tried.”

Source: Timor Post & Suara Timor Lorosae (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Shopping for DVDs

Today when I walked in to our local DVD shop, I discovered to my delight that a new shipment from Indonesia was in the process of being unpacked. Eyes literally green with envy spied the new titles for new finds. Quickly I noticed the second season of Desperate Housewives, the first season of Little Britain and a host of academy nominated feature films. Despite still being without a functioning computer, I decided to spend some serious dosh. As I poured over the new titles, more and more people entered the shop and I began to slightly panic. What if they bought them all up before I had a chance to get to them myself? I immediately began removing coveted titles and took them to the DVD player to test the quality (they are after all, pirated). It took me nearly an hour to test the ones I was interested in and by the time I went up to the counter to pay, my little stash had grown substantially. When the sales assistant told me that I could have two DVDs for nothing if I spent $40, it didn’t take me long to venture back to the shelves for my free copies.

I walked out of the store satisfied. I felt like I had participated in a bargain sales day at a larger department store in Melbourne. Unfortunately, the satisfaction in utilising my new purchases remains delayed to some future date and until such time as my computer is fixed. Until then, the new DVDs joined the growing collection in a cupboard at home where the unwatched titles amount to two dozen odd.

Shopping for DVDs and imported food at the supermarkets of Dili is my only form of retail therapy in the world’s newest nation.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Minister angry at irresponsible, alarmist and downright deceitful reports

Media Release

“Timor-Leste’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Nobel Peace Laureate, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, has reacted angrily to continuing “irresponsible, alarmist and downright deceitful” media reports about the situation in Timor-Leste.

“Reports by Agence France Press, Lusa - Portuguese news agency - and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation I have seen in the last few days are irresponsible, alarmist and downright deceitful,” Dr Ramos-Horta said. “It is journalism at its worst – dishonest and unethical reporting that makes a mockery of freedom of the press,” Dr Ramos-Horta, a former journalist himself, said.

“I’m completely at a loss to understand how Agence France Press can report that Dili, Timor-Leste’s capital, was “in lockdown after weekend riot” and the ABC (Australia) that “disturbances and looting throughout the capital over the weekend”, when they do not have resident correspondents. “They may claim that they spoke by phone with some locals – the ABC based its report on a conversation with an employee of non-profit media organization Internews in Dili - but it does not mean that the information was correct. Their reports were unbalanced, unfair, untrue and alarmist,” the Minister added.

“Internews is funded by the US Embassy and is supposed to be training Timorese journalists. They even announced a demonstration but when it did not happen, Internews embarrassingly made a second announcement that it had been postponed.” The Minister was particularly critical of a report distributed by Portuguese news agency Lusa claiming “a spiral of violence in some Dili suburbs”(‘a espiral de violencia nalguns bairros de Dili’). “The Lusa reporter is supposed to live here but as far as the majority of the population is concerned he may well be living in Mars,” Dr Ramos-Horta said. “What he described is absolutely unreal, pure irresponsibility.”

The Minister said that reports like those cited above has led a resident of Dili, an independent observer, to send an email “Dili has NO riots or lockdown” to ‘friends overseas”.

“The damage to Timor-Leste by these irresponsible reports is significant. I appeal to journalists to write the truth. That’s all I ask. Fair, ethical, balance reporting,” the Minister concluded.

Dr Ramos-Horta said that according to the Police Commissioner not one single person has been killed, and not one single house or shop torched. “The incidents took place in the outskirts of Dili and caused minor damage particularly to doors and windows through stone throwing by youth groups,” the Minister added. “In all, no more than 50 youths were involved in those incidents and no more than 20 houses or shops in the outskirts of Dili suffered damage. “A Police officer was critically wounded by stabbing in an incident not directly related to the tension with some members of the Armed Forces. “Of almost 600 army elements sacked only two were involved in some incidents,” the Minister concluded.”

Source: Press Release – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

East Timor tense as soldiers desert barracks

By Lindsay Murdoch Herald Correspondent in Dili, March 30, 2006

“GASTAO SALSINHA thought he would be a hero of East Timor's independence. "I fought the Indonesians in the bush but instead of being a hero I'm now being treated like a dog," he says. Mr Salsinha became a lieutenant in the Australian-backed army that was formed after East Timor became the world's newest nation in 2002. But yesterday he was in hiding, fearing arrest, in a house in an outer suburb of Dili after sporadic rioting and looting in the East Timorese capital since last weekend. "It's too late to solve the crisis … the Government had two months to solve it but did nothing," he told the Herald. Mr Salsinha and 590 other soldiers - more than one-third of East Timor's army - were recently dismissed for deserting their barracks. Their grievances and treatment have been linked to the unrest in Dili that has panicked some residents. But East Timor's Foreign Minister, Jose Ramos Horta, signalled late yesterday that the Government would consider setting up a special commission of inquiry to look into the grievances of the soldiers, which include claims they were discriminated against because most of them are from towns and villages in western parts of Timor. Mr Ramos Horta described the situation around the country yesterday as "largely very calm".

"I'm not saying there is not tension or a climate of fear among people in Dili," he said. "So far most of the 600 military men who were dismissed have behaved reasonably well - they have not been involved in any acts of violence or vandalism." Mr Ramos Horta blamed the violence on "opportunistic" criminals who were spreading rumours to fuel panic among civilians. He said only two of the dismissed soldiers had been arrested for alleged crimes that related to a domestic dispute in which a policeman had been stabbed.

"Rumours spread fast - more than official news," Mr Ramos Horta said. "And people who remain traumatised by past events, every time they hear rumours they panic. There has not been one single death - maybe altogether some 20 or so houses on Dili's outskirts have been attacked." Mr Ramos Horta said he would discuss setting up the commission of inquiry when he meets the Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri, and President Xanana Gusmao today. "We, the leadership, have to acknowledge that 600 former soldiers did not leave their barracks out of the blue," Mr Ramos Horta said. "There has been mismanagement of the situation for a long time. "As leaders we have to take collective responsibility and take collective leadership in addressing this issue." Mr Ramos Horta said he supported the dismissed soldiers being allowed to rejoin the army pending the outcome of any new investigation.

Surrounded by 13 of the dismissed soldiers, Mr Salsinha, 32, said that East Timor would not have gained its independence without the fight put up by the men who are now out of jobs. He said that people from the eastern parts of the country, including top military officers, had often accused the dismissed men of being more closely aligned to the pro-Indonesian militia that rampaged through the country, killing an estimated 1200 people, after the East Timorese voted for independence in 1999. "Why do they think like that?" he said. "Like them we are heroes of the struggle." Asked whether he thought the recent unrest would continue in Dili, Mr Salsinha said: "Of course it will - nobody has listened to us until now and I can't see that changing." Mr Salsinha said that some of the people from eastern parts of the country who had made accusations against his men had been given rifles. "What are they for? We are worried about this," he said.

Michael Gallagher, the Northern Territories government representative in Dili, said last night that businesses were still operating as normal in Dili and that so far there had not been any indication that foreigners had been targeted in any of the unrest. "The problem is with local staff being able to get to and from work - they are worried because they hear all the gossip and rumours," he said.

PAINFUL BIRTH
1999 Nearly 99 per cent turn-out in vote for East Timor's independence from Indonesia; militia violence and intimidation follow vote; more than 200,000 East Timorese flee to West Timor.

2000 United Nations evacuates staff following murder of three UN refugee agency workers by pro-Indonesian militia gangs.

May 2002 East Timor becomes fully independent; the former rebel leader Xanana Gusmao wins first presidential elections.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Manu-aman

We experienced a power blackout in the early hours of the morning and at 5am when power was restored, the outside (security) lights on a number of houses in our neighbourhood came back on which set off the “manu-aman” (roosters). I think they thought it was dawn but little did they know that it wasn’t for another two hours! Still, it’s never stopped them before; they “kokoreek” (crow) at all hours of the day and night. I stuffed ear plugs into my ears which muffled the sounds of the damned animals somewhat although I could still hear their racket through the plastic material.

When I awoke soon after 7am, I made my way to the kitchen to make my morning ritual of ginger and sugar tea made from sachets imported from Singapore. As I looked out the window, I saw Senyor Raphael hurling stones with much force at a “manu-rade” (duck). I wondered what the poor little creature had done to deserve such abusive treatment, and noticed the small pile of food next to Senyor’s precious “manu-aman”. Ah hah I thought, the “manu-rade” was trying to steel the food from the animal which we had unknowingly procured (see The dollar sign on my forehead)! Still, the “manu-rade” could easily have been chased away but no, Timorese just love throwing stones at defenceless animals. It made my blood boil.

In a staff meeting this morning, the faint “kokoreek” of the “manu-aman” interrupted a colleague’s report. From where was the noise emanating I wondered as it sounded so close? It persisted, and finally one of my colleagues’ picked up her bag and extricated her mobile phone. As if the real life sounds of the bloody animals aren’t enough, she had actually chosen the ring tone of a “manu-aman” “kokoreek”!

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

The lessons of East Timor

OPINION

“Chega, the 2,500-page, recently completed final report of East Timor's Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation, will probably attract little notice in the United States, and it's not clear whether it's the Timorese or the Americans who will be the worse off for that.

If Americans were to take the document seriously, the benefit for East Timor would be obvious: The tiny, half-island nation off the north coast of Australia might hope to receive justice for what it has suffered, rather than just the charity of wealthier nations on which it now depends. Less obvious is what Americans stand to gain from the report: an understanding of just how far off the mark mainstream political discussion really is when it comes to the legitimate role of the world's only remaining superpower.

A single sentence from Chega (which means enough in Portuguese) says it all: "In response to the massive violations that occurred in Timor-Leste [East Timor's official name] in September 1999, President Clinton threw the considerable influence of the United States behind efforts to press the Indonesian Government to accept the deployment of an international force in the territory, demonstrating the considerable leverage that it could have exerted earlier had the will been there."

The "massive violations" referred to were the killings of more than 1,000 Timorese and the burning down of virtually every structure in the emerging country following its vote for independence from Indonesia. The United States' "considerable influence" stemmed from the fact that it supplied the bulk of Indonesia's weapons, as it had done throughout the entire occupation of the former Portuguese colony. The prompt effectiveness of a US government that was actually motivated to end the carnage after the 1999 plebiscite demonstrated what some had argued all along: As a junior military partner, Indonesia could never have invaded East Timor in 1975 without tacit US approval.

Five presidents occupied the White House during the Indonesian occupation: Republicans Ford, Reagan, and Bush; and Democrats Carter and Clinton. For 24 years, none of them opted to utilize America's "considerable leverage," despite repeated United Nations condemnations of the invasion and occupation.

The history is very relevant: In this case we find a dramatic reminder of the continuity of American foreign policy — from the cold war to the war on terrorism — in the person of Paul Wolfowitz. The neoconservative Wolfowitz, now president of the World Bank, served as undersecretary of defense at the start of the Iraq War, and a lot of people who might have known better took him at face value when he argued that the war was all about democratizing the Middle East.

Wolfowitz, however, displayed no such overriding concern for democracy in East Timor when he served as ambassador to Indonesia from 1986 to 1988, nor as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 1982 to 1986. In 1997 he told a congressional committee that talk of East Timor's independence was "destructive," a view he maintained until 1999. Chega demonstrates the truth of the exact opposite point of view. In 1999 the US government acted effectively to end the suffering of East Timor because it finally lived up to a principle that ought to be the cornerstone of our foreign policy: It required that one of our allies live up to the ideals we demand of our enemies.

Tom Gallagher was a United Nations election officer in Lospalos, East Timor, during the 1999 plebiscite.”

Source: San Francisco Bay Guardian (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

No moral high road in East Timor conflict

“JAMES S. KALLMAN: A number of recent articles in this newspaper have referred to the establishment of a Special Crimes Unit (SCU) of the United Nations to investigate and prosecute possible war crimes in connection with East Timor. According to an article in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 22, "The SCU has legally processed 83 cases and could decide to indict high-ranking Indonesian military officials."

The prosecution of war criminals, whoever and wherever they may be, is a laudable and necessary endeavor for those of us who value human rights and purport to uphold the values of a civilized society. However, it should not be forgotten that the long-running civil war in East Timor was, as are all guerrilla conflicts, a dirty little war that pulled participants on both sides into a vicious circle of escalating violence. In other words, there were crimes on both sides of the fence.

In fact, in a Jan. 29, 2002, interview, then interim East Timor foreign minister Jose Ramos-Horta told the Associated Press that he was "shocked by the number of Fretilin human rights abuses". At the same time, AP reported that Ramos-Horta told human rights activists and diplomats that "in the Fretilin-held areas of the mountains, there were gross human rights abuses as serious as any committed by Indonesian troops or their proxy militias".

This may be one of the underlying reasons why both Ramos-Horta and Xanana Gusmau have been less than enthusiastic in supporting the SCU's action in singling out only Indonesian Military figures for prosecution. Both leaders have been adamant in their championing of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to sort out the black deeds of the past rather than pursuing prosecutions. These men both know better than anyone else that guerrilla warfare by its very nature promotes atrocities and neither side in this kind of conflict ever has any moral high road to claim. In all fairness, whatever process is used to sort out this particularly sordid bit of history, it should be one that looks at both sides with equal scrutiny.”

Source: The Jakarta Post (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Police arrest two F-FDTL petitioners

“Police have arrested two F-FDTL petitioners due to their involvement in an assault in which two people were gravely injured. PNTL General Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins told reporters that the petitioners were arrested in relation to an assault in the Matadouro (Dili) area on Sunday evening. Police have made several other arrests also related to a number of assaults that occurred over the weekend. Martins said that the general situation in Dili is still tense, and he requested the people of Dili to remain calm, particularly appealing to Dili youth to refrain from violence. He said that all people should be viewed as members of the general population, and not differentiated on a racial basis.”

Source: Suara Timor Lorosae (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Gusmão urges ‘calm and unity’ against regional tensions

“President Xanana Gusmão, responding to requests from opposition party leaders, appealed Tuesday to the East Timorese for "calm and unity" in the face of ethnic violence triggered by dissention within the army.

Gusmão, in his second speech on the subject in less than a week, urged all sides to remain "non-violent" and "not to carry the problems of one institution (the military) outside of that institution". He reaffirmed that he disagreed with the decision earlier this month to sack nearly 600 soldiers from Timor's small army as "unjust" and an "error", but stressed he would not press the government to fire the armed forces chief, Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak.

Following the president's first criticism Thursday of the army's move, rumours of impending ethnic violence spread through Dili, leading an undetermined number of people to flee the capital. At the weekend, a rash of vandalism and assaults in Dili targeted people originating from eastern parts of the country.

The controversy within the army arose last month, when hundreds of soldiers from western parts of East Timor went AWOL to protest what they alleged was discrimination against them in the military. Nearly 600 protesters - roughly one-third of the army - were sacked after they refused an ultimatum to return to barracks by March 1 and to participate in an inquiry into their allegations of discrimination. After taping his speech Tuesday, Gusmão told Lusa and Portugal's RTP television that he decided to address the issue again at the urging of leaders of several opposition parties with whom he met earlier.”

Source: Lusa (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Xanana’s conciliatory speech

Tonight the President of Timor gave a follow up speech concerning the sacking of more than 500 soldiers of the F-FDTL. Credit to him, he actually apologised for the speech he made last Thursday night (see Xanana’s speech), as his words were all it took for those intent on making trouble in the name of east versus west, to do so.

Due to a number of violent incidences in the capital, including in the suburb next door to us, people are scared to leave their homes and as a result small shop owners, “mikrolete” and taxi drivers are all suffering financially.

Perhaps now Xanana’s conciliatory speech will quell the tensions.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

The Embassy advises

Late this afternoon we received the following text message from the Australian Embassy in Dili:

With recent heightened tensions in Dili, Embassy suggests avoiding large gatherings, demonstrations and also minor disputes or incidents which may escalate.

Better late than never I said to Daniel! The disturbances in the capital had begun last Friday and yet it took the Embassy four days to warn its citizens! Even AVI were on the ball before the Embassy; we received two emails from them, the first late Friday afternoon (see Xanana’s speech).

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Seven arrested, 16 houses attacked on Saturday night

“Police have arrested seven people accused of creating instability on Saturday evening in the Dili suburbs of Tasi Tolu, Bairopite and Taibessi, including attacks on 16 houses in the Manleuana area. Speaking to journalists on Sunday, the PNTL General Commander Paulo de Fatima Martins confirmed that the problems occurred due to the East/West issue related to the expulsion of the 591 soldiers from the F-FDTL. He stated that it was not the concerned soldiers themselves who were involved in the disturbances, but rather groups who are taking advantage of the issue to provoke a situation of instability. The Commander explained that some members of the population are spreading rumours about disturbances, with the result that many people did not leave their houses as they normally would over the weekend. It is reported that some business owners also closed their businesses early, and market vendors packed up their goods early on Saturday morning, worried about purported attacks that evening.

Coordinator of the petitioners Gastao Salsinha said that if the population feel that there is currently a tense situation, they should question the F-FDTL General Commander Taur Matan Ruak, as he is the one who took the decision to expel the soldiers.”

Source: Timor Post & Diario Nacional (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

PM Alkatiri: Decision of F-FDTL commander is correct and just

“Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has expressed his support for the decision taken by the F-FDTL Commander to expel the 591 soldiers, stating that he believes the decision is correct and just. He said that it was not possible to let the situation remain as it was, with such a large number of soldiers absent from their jobs for nearly two months now. Speaking on Sunday upon return from his visit to Japan, Alkatiri stated that the expulsion of the soldiers is not an attempt to forget the problems within the F-FDTL.

Human rights lawyer Aderito de Jesus Soares when contacted by TP reaffirmed his earlier opinion that the state institutions of the Presidency, the Government and the National Parliament as well as the F-FDTL itself do not yet possess the political maturity to resolve the problem, with the result that the problem is beginning to concern the population.

The Prime Minister meanwhile congratulated the 591 soldiers who continue to maintain the discipline expected of them by not causing any problems, and asked them to continue to display such discipline. He said that any problems caused recently are the work of other groups, because the “petitioners” group has maintained its discipline to date. He reiterated that Timor-Leste is one country, and asked people not to dwell on the East/West divide. He also appealed to the people to remain calm and to place their trust in the state institutions so the 4 December 2002 incident will not be repeated.”

Source: Timor Post & Diario Nacional (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Alkatiri forsees rapid pacification of ethnic tensions

“Dili, March 27 - Authorities expect to pacify tensions pitting East Timor's ethnic groups that led to rioting in Dili at the weekend within days, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri said Monday. Authorities "will continue to manage the situation with calm", Alkatiri told Lusa, saying the government was encouraging people from the east who fled the capital to return home.

The country's top police officer, Superintendent Paulo Martins, said seven people, including two soldiers recently expelled from the army, had been arrested in the wake of rioting in Dili overnight Saturday. The violence directed at the capital's "lorosae" community, or easterners, had resulted in damage to 16 houses, stonings and assaults, Martins said.

Tensions between the "lorosae" and Dili's predominantly "loromonou" population, or westerners, began building last week after President Xanana Gusmão publicly criticized on Thursday the decision by Defense Minister Roque Rodrigues and army chief Brig. Gen. Taur Matan Ruak to sack nearly 600 mostly "loromonou" soldiers - about one- third of the country's fledgling Self-Defense Force. Since mid-week, many easterners abandoned the capital fearing ethnic violence and bus links from Dili eastwards have been largely paralyzed. East-west ethnic and linguistic tensions have simmered since several hundred mostly "loromonou" soldiers held demonstrations around the presidential palace early last month to protest what they alleged was discrimination within the military. The 591 soldiers who were recently sacked had refused to report to barracks as ordered.”

Source: Lusa (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

A baby girl is born

In the midst of brewing hostilities in this tiny South East Asian island nation, new human life emerges. The Director of my NGO went into labour Saturday evening and gave birth to a baby girl the following morning at 1:10am in the Dili National Hospital. What’s interesting is that my other colleague who gave birth last Monday (see An induced birth), herself was born five days after the Director and their final fourth and third children respectively were born five days, seven hours apart! A colleague said that perhaps the two new babies will grow up to fall in love with one another. I thought to myself but did not say out loud, assuming of course that both are heterosexual.

My Director’s third pregnancy was an accident as at the age of 38, she had already birthed the two children she wanted: a daughter (10) and a son (8). Now she has a second daughter who will grow up in a loving home and be given a good education. She will be raised to be strong and independent and an example of what is possible for the future generation of women and girls of Timor.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Bibi-oan

One morning last week I was woken by the soft baas of an unidentified animal. I wondered what this new creature in our midst could be and soon discovered, to my utter delight, two “bibi-oan” (baby goats or kids)! Their mother, a black “bibi-inan” (nanny goat) with white speckled ears had been resident in our garden for a couple of weeks and we assumed that she was another item for the “barlake” (bride price) in exchange for Argentina. I had noticed that this female “bibi-inan” was rather large but she was also lame as one of her back legs was immobile; it appears that something is wrong with her hoof. My attention therefore was on her limited ability to walk very far and her largeness was in my mind, a consequence of her lack of exercise not her impending motherhood!

The “bibi-oan” are adorable. They are completely black except for their ears and noses which are speckled white. They are real cuties and look exactly like their mother.

It struck me again how the Timorese attitude to animals is so utterly utilitarian. I have been cooing and ahhing over the little “bibi-oan” trying to entice them to me (successfully I might add), but none of “our” family does likewise. In fact, when they see me doing so, they giggle, and probably think “that Samantha, what a character!”

We went out this evening and again found it difficult to get home. However, as on Saturday evening (see Loromonu and Lorosa’e), our hearts raced a little faster than usual but there were no problems in Rai Kotu.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Karau-timur hariis

Today we helped a newly arrived AVI find a place to live. She then came back to our house for a walk along the beach. Upon disembarking from the taxi, I noticed an enormous bird high above the hill opposite our road. It was a “manu-hi’it” (bird of prey such as an eagle or hawk) and was carrying a small mammal (possibly a rat?) or reptile (lizard?) in its claws. It was flying lower and lower towards the sparsely growing eucalyptus trees that dot the hillside but due to a strong gale, spent considerable time just cruising on a wind current. I assumed that it had a “manu-knuuk” (nest) containing a chick or two somewhere on the hill. It was a sight to behold as “manu-fuik” (wild birds) are few and far between in Timor.

In the afternoon we went for a walk along the beach to Dili Rock and across to Tasi Tolu Peace Park. On the outskirts of the first lake we noticed a “manu-lubun” (flock of birds) of very small “manu-fuik” (finches perhaps) with beautiful orange “manu-ibun” (beaks) and heads and speckled orange, white and black “manu-fulun” (plumage). Every time we tried to get close however, the flock flew further away from us.

Once we passed the first lake and were approaching the second and third lakes which are now conjoined, we came across the most delightful sight: a herd of “karau-timur hariis” (buffalo bathing) in the lake. They were all submerged up to their necks while their proud regal faces rested on the water’s surface. I couldn’t resist taking lots of photos of my favourite Timorese animal.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Loromonu and Lorosa’e

Trouble is brewing in Timor. Tensions between those from the western part of Timor (the “loromonu” which also means sunset) and those from the east (the “lorosa’e” which also means sunrise) are coming to the fore due to the decision to stand down nearly 600 soldiers, all of whom are “loromonu”. The soldiers claim that there is systematic discrimination and nepotism in the new nation’s army in favour of the “lorosa’e” and they demand that their claims be investigated by an independent panel. After a month since the allegations were publicly aired, the soldiers were fired from the F-FDTL without any resolution of the issues.

The “lorosa’e” claims that the “loromonu” did little to stop the Indonesian invasion in 1975 and allowed them to pillage and rampage for the next 24 years. The “lorosa’e” say that they were the strong fighters who resisted the Indonesians while their brothers in the west were “weak”. However, in defence of the people in the west of the country, they endured the onslaught of the invasion because they live near the border with Indonesian West Timor while those in the east tended to escape the worst excesses of the military.

It’s interesting how definitions of what’s masculine, brave and strong are utilised by Timorese men in their claims that some are more “manly” than others (in this case the “lorosa’e”). Furthermore, that women are left out of the picture entirely, which is understandable really, war is overwhelmingly a male occurrence and women’s bodies are simply used and abused as a means to further “emasculate” the “enemy”.

It would appear that these tensions between the east and west date back some time. How far back in Timor’s history I do not know. During the Indonesian occupation, the people of Timor were united against a common external enemy but now that enemy has gone, the old tensions resurface. With the slightest provocation (a la Xanana’s speech), people resume fighting each other, and violence is their first recourse, not dialogue. This situation is not unusual in pre-modern and post conflict societies but still, it’s sad.

Early this evening we found it difficult to find a taxi to take us from the main street in our neighbourhood to a restaurant closer into town. It was only 7pm and yet no taxis were in sight. While we were waiting by the side of the road, a couple of carloads of PNTL (police) officers passed us by heading west towards Tasi Tolu. Trouble was brewing in our neighbouring village. We gave up waiting for a taxi and caught a “mikrolet” to the Leader supermarket and there, caught a taxi to the restaurant. Daniel asked the driver if there was a problem and he confirmed our suspicions, indeed trouble was brewing in Tasi Tolu.

We left the restaurant at around 10pm and again, found it difficult to get home. The small number of taxi drivers we flagged down refused to drive us to Tasi Tolu. We finally convinced a driver to take us but for a price. He wanted $10 when we would normally pay $2 or $3 so we negotiated $4 which he accepted. Upon arrival to Rai Kotu, the street was deserted. A little apprehensively, we walked down our small dirt road but all around us was deathly silence. We arrived home safe and sound, although our hearts were beating just a little faster than usual.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

President Xanana: Expulsion decision erroneous & unjust

“President Xanana Gusmao has declared that as President of the Republic he believes that F-FDTL Commander Taur Matan Ruak’s decision to expel almost 600 F-FDTL soldiers is erroneous and unjust. He stated that the matter is being treated as a matter of indiscipline without considering the root of the problem within the F-FDTL institution. However, he said that as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces he would respect the FDTL Commander’s decision, as it is within his competency to make such a decision.

Responding to the President’s declaration, human rights lawyer Aderito de Jesus Soares said that it is too late for such a statement. He stated that if the National Parliament and the Government were serious in resolving the matter, then the issue would not have become such a big problem. He criticized the attitude of prioritizing foreign visits over and above issues of domestic concern, and stated that the President should have made a statement on the F-FDTL case before leaving for his overseas visit, only to now return and regret the decision of the F-FDTL Commander.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the 591 expelled soldiers Gastao Salsinha has expressed his disappointment with President Xanana’s decision not to intervene in the expulsion decision taken by F-FDTL Headquarters. He stated that this shows that the petition presented by the soldiers has no value, which reinforces the impression that the general population continues to be oppressed, while the leaders make efforts to help each other.”

Source: Timor Post, Suara Timor Lorosae & Diario

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Xanana’s speech

Last night on RTTL, the President of Timor Xanana Gusmão gave a speech about the situation of the F-FDTL (Fretilin-Defence Force of Timor-Leste) soldiers who had been stood down from the nation’s nascent army. Daniel translated bits he could understand but by the end, we were just a little confused. Had Gusmão said he supported the head of the army’s decision or not?

Today Daniel talked to a colleague who was very upset about Xanana’s speech. Xanana said that he did not agree with F-FDTL Commander Taur Matan Ruak’s decision but he respected it. He then thanked those soldiers who were stood down for their service to the country and asked them to quietly get on with their lives. Far from being a unifying speech, it was divisive. How can the supreme commander of the military and President of the country say he disagrees with the decision but respects it? Moreover, that he will not pursue an acceptable resolution to the claims by the soldiers that there is systematic discrimination in the army?

Unfortunately for Xanana and the rest of Timor, his speech has ignited the long standing simmering tensions between those from the east and west of the country with threats of violence over the weekend. AVI sent us an email advising to stay away from trouble areas and to keep a low profile; not to mention that it would be advisable to stock up on essential items such as water, candles, tinned food etc.

I don’t like the sound of this.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

East Timorese refugees

“Approximately 100,000 East Timorese refugees (10% of the current population) are still living in refugee camps in Indonesian West Timor concentrated in Belu district and Atambua. They live in temporary barracks, with no access to education and adequate health facilities. The fate of these people is still unknown and remains a neglected agenda of the post conflict era.

The Indonesian government offered to transmigrate the refugees to other parts of Indonesia but most refused as they prefer to stay on the island of Timor. They want to stay close to their birthplace so they can easily visit their families in Timor-Leste whenever they want.

The Indonesian government’s attempts to transmigrate the refugees hasn’t been easy as the decision to stay or not is a group decision. Adherence to traditional customs means that the East Timorese live within the same location as other families of the same bloodline which can amount to tens of people.

The major problem that prevents repatriation is the fear of retaliation. Although individuals may not be directly connected to acts of violence committed in 1999, they are afraid they might be connected with members of families involved with the pro-integration militias. Thus they are still unsure whether to go home, stay, or return at a later date.

The problem is that West Timor does not have the natural resources to accommodate the thousands of people hungry for land. Forests are destroyed as wood is felled for firewood and building material and land is used for farming.

If not thoroughly resolved, the refugee problem may not only mitigate efforts to develop peaceful and friendly relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, but also may become a source of conflict in the future. Currently, several community groups in West Timor have initiated actions to ask refugees to leave land they are occupying. Informal jobs in the district are supposedly taken by the refugees. The burden for West Timor is enormous as it is categorized as one of the poorest provinces of Indonesia.”

Source: Captivates [sic] of Peace in Timor Island by P. Bambang Wisudo in Kompas, 21 March 2006 (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Aussie blokes

We had dinner tonight at the Dili Club as they serve the best pizza in town, for a price. The place use to be located on the waterfront but the government wanted the land back so the club had to move.

We arrived very early but still found a bunch of blokes at the bar at least one of whom was an Aussie. We went upstairs and ate on the balcony with a lovely view of the Toyota dealership and the Leader supermarket while Timorese passers-by gawked at us eating something that has never passed their lips. Moreover, the amount we paid for one pizza would take the average Timorese two weeks to earn.

The Dili Club is owned by an Aussie bloke and his Asian wife (she may be Thai). We were amused to watch the various heavy trucks roll up with unmistakably Aussie men, a number of whom had Asian partners, and only one of whom had a Timorese partner who was dressed in mourning clothes.

One bloke rocked up on his motorcycle and screamed out, “who do I have to shag to get a beer around here?”

Daniel and I yet again, speculated as to why these Aussie blokes come to Timor (see Sam checks in after nearly checking out). We rarely come across them in our work and generally our paths only cross at the Dili Club. They’re not the humanitarian aid worker types or highly paid AusAID advisers or the military advisers but blue collar blokes with broad Aussie accents and bad haircuts (one even had a mullet!) I still believe it’s to make a quick buck (a la some of the AusAID advisers) and hook up with an Asian but generally not a Timorese woman.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

My morning from hell

This morning, I was rudely awoken by the new “manu aman” (rooster) tied by one foot to a pole not far from our bedroom window. We had only noticed (heard) him the past couple of mornings and wondered the reason for his sudden appearance. He’s quite a handsome creature but goddess how I despise his and his brethren’s constant racket and at all hours of the day and night at that!

Upon leaving for work, I had an opportunity to ask Senyora Domingas about the “manu aman” in my very disjointed Tetum. It turns out that Senyor Raphael purchased the animal a couple of days ago and that he enjoys cockfighting. I was so mad that I relayed to Senyora that in Australia, there are far fewer “manu aman” and cockfighting is illegal, punishable by thousands of dollars fine to the government. I couldn’t quite explain in Tetum that the reasons were to do with animal cruelty and welfare, which even if I could explain, the concept of which wouldn’t be understood anyway.

When our newest neighbours moved in next door, they brought a “manu aman” with them that immediately began to disturb our sleep. Now we’ve got one on our property and the two of them compete with one another (while we feel like the piggies in the middle) not to mention all the other bloody “manu aman” in Rai Kotu, of which there must be tens if not hundreds.

Fuming about the “manu aman” we now are forced to live with (purchased with part of the loan we gave our family in order that they could continue building their new house!), I walked down our very dusty road and Mr “bibi malae” noticed me coming to untangle him. But as I was bending over to do just that, he tried to mount me! This is the second time that he’s tried this on and I’m finding it most upsetting! I do not like being thought of as a female sheep! This may sound a little extreme but I feel violated by him and as a result have been unsettled by the experiences. I’m beginning to distance myself from him which is sad because I was very fond of him as he had become a surrogate animal companion. If anyone out there knows anything about sheep behaviour, please leave me a comment!

Upon walking down the dirt road to the main road, I was accosted by a middle aged Timorese man. He stuck his hand out to shake mine and began talking in Tetum. I thought, uh oh, what does he want? Although I could not understand everything he said, I got the gist of it. Someone had died in Viqueque and he needed money to catch the bus there. I said that I could not give him the money now and would need to talk to my "husband" about it first and may I drop in on him later after work? He said he needed the money now and so I apologized and said that I could not help him.

I walked towards the "mikrolet" stop angry, wishing that I could wash away the tattoo of the $ sign on my forehead.

I caught a “mikrolet” to work and was discussed by a bunch of men including one dressed partially in a police uniform. I was so miffed that I tried to stare daggers at him through my sunglasses but he probably didn’t get the full effect!

When I arrived at work I was pleased to find a parcel waiting for me. It was sent by a friend in Canada and contained a book about Afghanistan, which was quite fortuitous given I had just read The Bookseller of Kabul (see previous post). It was wonderful to receive such a thoughtful gift.

Attached to the package was a notice from the post office (PO) advising me (in Portuguese which neither I nor any of my Timorese colleagues could read!) that I needed to go and talk to customs about a box that had also arrived for me (that much I could figure out). I assumed it was the box my Aunt had sent me which was full of vitamin supplements and a couple of books, none of which are available for purchase in Timor.

Upon arriving at the PO a customs man ushered me into a room and opened the box in front of me. Australia Post had put a sticker on the box advising that because a customs declaration hadn't been attached, they couldn't guarantee that the contents weren't dangerous. The customs officer asked what everything was and I did my best to explain in Tetum that it was all for personal consumption and mostly “vitamina” (vitamins). He opened the calcium and evening primrose oil (EPO) containers, stuck his nose in the bottles and probably thought, hmmmmm, drugs? I surmised that this was the first time in his life that he had laid eyes on calcium tablets and EPO!

He asked for an invoice and I explained that there wasn't one because it was just for my consumption and that the order had been placed with my Aunt in Melbourne. In the end he wouldn't give me the box and said that the Director of Customs would have to make the decision. I was instructed to write a letter to the Director and personally take it to him. I was fuming as I knew it might take months to get the box out and I might have to pay customs duties.

I told Daniel my problems and he rang a lovely man who lives in our neighbourhood and works in the Customs head office and also drives taxis in the evenings because he enjoys meeting people (that's how Daniel met him). He immediately came and picked Daniel up and off they rode to the PO to see the customs officer. Felix was further up the hierarchy than the man I spoke with and after explaining that the contents were for personal use only and that I needed to take the vitamins for my good health, the officer reluctantly let them take the box. In the meantime, I had spent an hour typing a letter (in English with a few translations into Tetum of the important words, certainly not in Portuguese!) to the Director of Customs. Daniel then turned up with the box. What a relief and what a morning!

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

When I was Puerto Rican

Last night I completed reading a delightful autobiography called When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago, which was another one of Daniel’s finds in a second hand bookshop in Bali back in early January.

Santiago’s retelling of her childhood is beautifully and evocatively written and she herself is clearly a feisty character, something I admire. I also couldn’t help drawing comparisons between the tiny island nations of Puerto Rico and Timor-Leste, particularly as they are both Latin countries. Nevertheless, even in 1950s Puerto Rico, modernity had made itself known, unlike Timor, which was still living a traditional existence.

I hope that one day a Timorese woman is sufficiently literate (more than 50% of women are illiterate) to write about her childhood and experiences here.

However, the last part of the book was a bit of a let down. I felt Esmeralda hurried through events and at the end I felt most bereft at not knowing the fate of her and her family of origin. Daniel had remarked on a similar feeling of anti-climax. Later, I searched for Santiago’s name on amazon.com and discovered to my delight, that she has since written two more autobiographical books, the third one only recently published in September 2005. We’ve decided to purchase them both as we thoroughly enjoyed her first instalment and feel that we’ve been prematurely cut off from her life.

I’ll have to purchase them from amazon.com as they certainly aren’t available here, and Australia’s book market is small with (presumably for geographical reasons) little interest in Latin American studies (although the third instalment is available in Australia).

I highly commend When I was Puerto Rican.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

An induced birth

Yesterday lunchtime I saw my heavily pregnant colleague and her baby still to enter this world. She was upwards of one week overdue (she wasn’t entirely sure of the due date and neither was her doctor which I found a little odd because she utilises the natural family planning method which clearly in this instance failed!)

When I arrived at work today, I discovered that my colleague had been induced yesterday morning at 11am (I had seen her just as she had returned from the hospital to work) and at 6pm she gave birth to her fourth child and third son. Unfortunately, she suffered severe loss of blood and by 11pm she was being operated on, finishing around 2am the following morning. She is now resting in ICU.

My colleague will be 39 this year and this pregnancy was unplanned. Her first three pregnancies had all run late so I am a little concerned as to why she was induced with this pregnancy, as in most inductions, the ‘cascade of intervention’ soon kicked in with her needing surgery to stop the heavy blood loss. I hope that she will be okay. I have great respect for and like this colleague immensely.

The director of my NGO who also will be 39 this year, is also heavily pregnant and her baby is due this Thursday. Like all the women with paid jobs in Timor (which isn’t many) they work right up until they go into labour. It’s something I greatly admire.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

A “manduku” in my bedroom

Last night after Daniel had gone to bed I noticed a little creature on the white tiled floor. With just a small bedside lamp for light, I couldn’t make out what it was so went a little closer and the creature hopped straight past me to hide underneath the heavy power stabiliser box. It was a wee “manduku” (frog) and a cutie at that. I tried to coax it out with some sweet talk about its proper place being outside where it could eat bugs and drink water but s/he was having none of it and stayed put.

As we do with the cockroaches, I trundled off to find a suitable container to catch the “manduku” in to take it to where it belonged, outside. It was easy enough to catch but just as I stepped over the threshold of our front door, the little “manduku” jumped out of the flimsy plastic cup and landed straight back on the white tiles and tried to hop back into the house. For a split second I thought s/he must like it in there with us (after all, we’re an incredibly animal friendly household) but I managed to change the direction of its hopping along the wall of the veranda and down the steps into the garden where s/he belonged.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

I’m living in a zoo

I was woken this morning not by the usual sounds of the bloody “manu aman” (roosters), but to the sounds of a squealing “bibi” (goat). Have you ever heard a goat squeal? It seriously sounds like a child and initially that’s what I thought it was. Upon peering through the venetian blinds of one of the windows in our bedroom, I saw the following scene: Senyor Raphael on his motorbike and Joel his 16 year old son standing over a “bibi” with its legs tied together. Joel was trying to pick the “bibi” up and place it on the motorcycle! No wonder the poor creature was screaming like a child. Eventually, Joel was successful, and he and Senyor rode off with the “bibi’ upside down between them, legs tied stuck in the air. Where were they going with the “bibi” I wondered?

I may be living in the capital of a small South East Asian island nation, but with a mere population of 160,000 and a predominantly traditional, subsistence farming life, even the city can feel like a small village or, a zoo.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Homesick

To my utter amazement, RTTL, which broadcasts the only television station in the country, is relaying the Commonwealth Games from my home city of Melbourne! Not so long ago this media company (or the government, we are not sure) banned all English language (and Indonesian) programming in favour of limited Tetum programming with the rest in Portuguese.

We are blessed with five and a half hours a day of the Games and yesterday I watched sports such as the women’s weightlifting (Wales gold, Canada silver and bronze). It was so good to watch women in a traditionally male sport. I thanked goddess that I am a privileged Western woman and amazed again at how many more opportunities in life I have compared with my Timorese sisters who remain shackled by strong patriarchal traditions. Daniel and I wondered what the Timorese who were watching thought about women lifting weights twice their body size.

This morning I watched the 20km women’s walk (Australia gold, silver and bronze – boring) and my small television screen was graced with the beautiful sights of harbour side Melbourne: tall modern buildings of glass and steel, palm trees sans the deadly coconuts, the iconic Yarra River. My eyes started to water as I longed for some of that clean air, water, paved roads and modernity.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

East Timor fires 500 soldiers

From correspondents in Dili

16 March 2006

"EAST Timor's military commander today said he had fired about 500 soldiers, or about a third of the country's regular armed forces, for deserting last month.

"As of March 1, the soldiers have been declared civilians. The door has been closed for them," Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak said.

About 500 East Timorese soldiers deserted last month in protest against alleged discrimination and over-zealous surveillance.

The fledgling East Timorese army has about 1500 regular soldiers and 1500 reservists.

"We don't mind being fired as long as our complaints are being addressed. But our dismissal is not the best way to solve the problems," one of the officers, Lieutenant Gastao Salvinha, told reporters.

The soldiers took their grievances to President Xanana Gusmao, a former guerrilla leader. Afterwards they returned to their barracks, but then deserted again shortly afterwards.

Many of the deserters were former resistance fighters unused to the discipline of a regular military force.

East Timorese guerrilla forces fought against Indonesian troops during their almost 24 years of occupation of the former Portuguese colony. The country became the world's youngest nation in May 2002."

Source: The Strait Times (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

If I were the rector I would dismiss: Alkatiri

"Prime Minister Alkatiri is of the opinion that a certain economic lecturer who said that birth rate does not influence the economic growth is silly. Alkatiri added that if he were the Rector of the university he would dismiss such a teacher. Referring to recent comments from various political parties, economists and civil society, the Prime Minister said that in order to have progressive economic growth the birth rate must decrease."

Source: Timor Post (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Food poisoning #2

Today I experienced my second bout of food poisoning (or traveller’s diarrhoea). It was so severe I decided to take some antibiotics and a gastro-stopper. My bowels continued to ache like hell but at least I didn’t have to keep running to the toilet. The culprit was my favourite Indian place. Last time it was an upmarket Timorese/Indonesian restaurant. Both establishments cater almost exclusively to “malae”. I guess two bouts of food poisoning in the space of nine months ain’t so bad.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

President of Timor-Leste meets with UN rights chief

"Far from encouraging impunity with a policy of forgiveness for past crimes, Timor-Leste is trying to establish conditions for its people to build their future, the young country’s President Xanana Gusmão, said today in Geneva after meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Human rights Louis Arbour.

At a press conference at UN Headquarters there, President Gusmão said that he had met with Ms. Arbour to request aid in the consolidation of democratic values in his country, to help with issues of gender and domestic violence, and to help civil society disseminate human rights values.

He acknowledged that National Commission of Truth and Reconciliation of Timor-Leste did not satisfy everybody, adding that the Commission of Truth and Friendship has been established together with Indonesia to strengthen efforts to heal the wounds of the past.

He said an office of Ombudsman had also been established and while in Geneva he had asked UN agencies to help provide it with training programmes and financial assistance.

Last year, the UN created an independent Commission of Experts to review the prosecution of serious human rights violations committed in 1999 in Timor-Leste, then known as East Timor, after the former Portuguese colony occupied by Indonesia in 1974 voted for independence."

Source: UN News (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

FM 'saddened' by Jakarta's upholding of jail term on militia boss

"East Timor's foreign minister says that he is "very saddened" at the decision by Indonesia's top court this week to reinstate a 10-year jail term on former pro-Jakarta militia chief Eurico Guterres.

"I am very sad because again it is a Timorese who is paying for all the others", José Ramos Horta told an audience of students and teachers at Portugal's prestigious Coimbra University on Tuesday.

Guterres, ethnically East Timorese and ex-leader of the notorious Aitarak militia, was given a 10-year prison term by an ad hoc Jakarta court for war crimes committed in Timor around the time of Dili`s 1999 independence vote.

His jail term was halved on appeal in 2003, but reinstated Monday by the Indonesian Supreme Court.

He has remained at liberty in West Timor since his original sentencing and is reported as having being elected as a regional leader of one of Indonesia's main political forces.

The ex-Aitarak boss is one of only two among 18 people, both East Timorese, indicted by the Jakarta ad hoc court to have had their convictions upheld.

"I run the risk of being criticized in Timor by NGOs and by Amnesty International, but this is my sincere and genuine opinion", said Ramos Horta on his unease at the prison term handed down to Guterres.

Ramos Horta, who observers say could either enter the race to become the UN's new secretary general or stand for election as his country's president next year, also called for the Dili Parliament to consider an amnesty for convicted and imprisoned Timorese militiamen.

"If it is not possible to punish the true culprits - the Indonesian military - why should Timorese militiamen be tried and sentenced?" asked Ramos Horta."

Source: Lusa (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

The dollar sign on my forehead

On Tuesday evening, I received a telephone call from a colleague. She has never rung me before and I wondered what was up. As I suspected, she was calling to borrow money. This time she needed it for the “barlake” (bride price) for her husband’s brother so he could buy his wife. Her brother-in-law had asked her and her husband to contribute $200, which is more than her monthly salary. Just imagine spending your monthly salary on a wedding gift (the only thing remotely equivalent to this request in the West).

It’s utterly crazy! No wonder the Timorese can never get ahead with all the huge outlays on traditional customs and ceremonies (see A culture of dependence). Daniel was pissed off and said I should say no. However if I declined, it wasn’t going to stop her from contributing to the purchase of her new sister-in-law. But how I hate being an accomplice in a practice I completely abhor!

Last night Senyor Raphael asked us for two months rent five weeks in advance of when we are due to pay it. “Our family” have yet again run out of money and they cannot pay the builders who are busying themselves on the family’s new house, nor can they purchase building materials or food to feed the builders who are living in the semi built house until it is finished. Senyor currently has a job rebuilding the road outside one of the four major supermarket’s in Dili but his employer (the Prime Minister’s brother who has been awarded many government contracts – do I smell nepotism?) says that because there is no legislation stating a minimum wage in Timor, he can pay them what he likes (ie not much).

Still, “our family” is so wealthy compared to the average Timorese (they bring in more monthly income than the per capita GDP) and it fills me with despair that they cannot manage their finances!

I’m beginning to imagine I must have a very large dollar sign painted on my forehead. Daniel joked the other day that perhaps we should install an ATM machine on our front porch.

Unfortunately, my endeavour to make friends with my Timorese colleagues is not getting anywhere because the dollar sign looms large in our relationships. Most make absolutely no effort to get to know me which includes the mere simple act of saying good morning, how are you? I constantly have to make the effort for the simplest communication and I’m tired of it.

Daniel has the same problem but he unwaveringly visits every one of the offices at his work and says good morning to everybody. When he leaves in the evening, he does the same again. He hasn’t quite got there with all his colleagues, and even in his own team, one colleague accepts the greeting but won’t offer anything in return, but he’s starting to buckle. However, his colleagues are more receptive to me than my own colleagues are. I feel more at home at his workplace than I do at my own.

Verbal communication, particularly where confrontation or conflict is present, for the Timorese is a huge problem; they are just not very good at it. Understandably, after twenty-four years of brutal occupation by the Indonesians, there is a lot of mistrust and fear within their own families and communities let alone with us “malae”.

Furthermore, the four centuries of Portuguese colonialism created a very submissive populace; people are accustomed to being told what to do, rather than taking the initiative. There is moreover a general lack of confidence. Daniel and I have also speculated it might also have something to do with the communitarian nature of the society: when you are in each other’s faces day in day out, there is no need for verbal communication; everyone knows what everyone else is doing and thus little needs to be explained.

Timorese society is also incredibly hierarchical and as a result, they tend to do whatever the leader says (father, husband, older brother, male boss, male teacher) no questions asked. Their education system reinforces this (rote learning or bank education). Years of Portuguese colonisation and Indonesian occupation have exacerbated this further. Regardless, for me, it is tiring having to always make the effort; I constantly have to be pro-active with no expectation of being met half way.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

East Timor supports Indonesia's efforts towards democracy

"East Timorese President Xanana Gusmão says he sees little point in pressing Indonesia to try military and other officials accused of atrocities in East Timor before it gained independence in 1999.

Mr Gusmão says he is more interested in helping the development of democracy in Indonesia.

During a visit to Geneva, Switzerland for talks with United Nations humanitarian agencies, the president said as an independent country, East Timor must help consolidate the democratic process.

"We have to live with Indonesia," he said. "We share a border. "They are in a difficult democratic process, but they are doing well."

Following 24 years of Indonesian rule, East Timorese chose to become independent in a 1999 referendum.

Before and after the vote, militia gangs, allegedly directed by Indonesian army officers, killed about 1,400 people.

An independent truth and reconciliation commission has urged the president to push for international trials of Indonesian army chiefs or for reparations.

However, Mr Gusmao says he wants to focus on social justice for his people.

"We live in peace if we forgive." "The other people [Indonesia] live in peace if they acknowledge they made mistakes."

"The better justice we can give the people is good, clean governance, human rights, freedom of speech, and a chance to build a better life."

Critics of Mr Gusmao's approach say Indonesia has still not formally recognised responsibility for crimes committed there during its 1975-99 occupation."

Source: Unknown (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Remaking the mistakes of East Timor

"Denying the aspirations of West Papuans ignores the grim history of Timor.

Those disheartened by the immensity of the struggle for freedom in West Papua have a new reason for thinking that East Timor provides a blueprint for the future, notwithstanding the obvious differences between the former European colonies.

Australian Government ministers and diplomats, including the infamous Jakarta lobby, seem determined to stand on the wrong side of history again. Their spectacular moral and political failures that contributed so much to East Timor's 24-year immiseration are today being repeated in policy towards Indonesia's eastern province. They have clearly learnt nothing from the tumultuous events of 1999.

Recall their earlier modus operandi. Australians who campaigned for independence and against human rights abuses in East Timor were defamed as "racist" and "anti-Indonesian" for supporting "a lost cause which raises false hopes, prolongs conflict and costs lives" (Richard Woolcott). Civilian massacres that reached genocidal proportions were only "aberrant acts", Indonesia's takeover of East Timor was "irreversible" and it was "quixotic to think otherwise" (Gareth Evans). The policy was clear: "we're not going to hock the entire Indonesian relationship on Timor" (Paul Keating).

Fast-forward to a recent US-Indonesia Society lunch in Washington, addressed by former ASIO head and now Australian ambassador to the United States Dennis Richardson. Canberra's man in Washington began his short and patronising speech by outing himself as an unapologetic member of the Jakarta lobby.

Richardson claimed the Jakarta lobby comprised "government officials, academics and some in business (who allegedly) conspire together to pervert Australia's true national interests for those of Indonesia". It is an imaginary and disingenuous charge but a convenient straw man for those who have much to be ashamed about.

There is no need for any concept of conspiracy when the interests of two parties are mistakenly thought to be coterminous. The Jakarta lobby has argued for good relations with the regime in Jakarta - especially its vicious and unaccountable military - regardless of the appalling crimes it was committing in Aceh, East Timor or West Papua. For Richardson and his ilk, however, terrorism is only ever perpetrated by Islamists and never the state, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

After claiming in his speech that Indonesia "is working hard to address issues in Papua", without supporting such an assertion, Richardson made some even more extraordinary remarks in response to questions.

First, he argued that "Papua is part of the sovereign territory of Indonesia and always has been", a claim that would have made his audience - including Indonesia's ambassador to Washington Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat - blush with embarrassment, to say nothing of any Dutch observers or Australian World War II servicemen who might recall a different history.

Next, Richardson attacked those supporting freedom in West Papua in strikingly similar tones to those used to demonise Australians for assisting the East Timorese in their struggle.

He said it was "possible to ask the question whether those whose raison d'etre was (the independence of) East Timor has now become Papua and perhaps those critics cling to an Indonesia that no longer exists. For them to accept the Indonesia of today and to actually reinforce the positive developments in Indonesia is to deny them their raison d'etre."

It is an interesting line of attack. Criticise people because their concern for human rights violations extends beyond the boundaries of one territory (East Timor) and into others (Aceh, West Papua, etc) - who could be ashamed of such a raison d'etre? - and then argue that because Indonesia is now a procedural democracy, no further claims of widespread abuses are valid.

These remarks display an ignorance of how far Indonesia still must travel before it can claim to have developed a democratic political culture. Civilian control of the military is but one of several prerequisites yet to be seriously addressed. And as Richardson well knows, it was activists who campaigned for freedom in East Timor and across the archipelago who led the call for democratic change in Indonesia while he and his diplomatic class held hands with the dictator Soeharto, thwarting the very changes he now wants to champion.

Even more concerning is Richardson's failure to either notice or care about the deterioration in conditions for the indigenous inhabitants of West Papua since Indonesia's alleged democratic transition. Where are the "positive developments" for them?

Finally, in words borrowed from a former Labor prime minister who found East Timor to be an irritant in his personal odyssey with General Soeharto, Richardson is equally adamant about the insignificance of atrocities committed against the republic's Melanesian people: "I certainly don't believe that policy approaches to Indonesia should be held hostage by the issue of Papua."

There is little chance of this happening under a Coalition government. As the 43 asylum seekers on Christmas Island have clearly demonstrated, John Howard and Alexander Downer are more committed to West Papua's retention within the Republic of Indonesia that those unfortunate enough to live in the territory seem to be.

Dr Scott Burchill is senior lecturer in international relations at the School of International and Political Studies, Deakin University."

Source: The Age (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

East Timor militia chief to be jailed

"THE militia leader who incited his followers to kill East Timorese independence supporters in 1999 will be the first person punished over the violence after Indonesia's Supreme Court upheld his conviction for crimes against humanity yesterday.

In a surprise decision that may indicate a change of thinking at the highest levels in Indonesia, the court found Eurico Guterres guilty and increased his sentence to 10 years in jail.

Having been free pending his appeal, Guterres, 34, who led the feared Aitarak (Thorn) militia, could be jailed within weeks, officials said.

Informed of the decision, Guterres admitted yesterday he was involved in crushing the independence movement in East Timor. "But I am not the one who created the situation," he said. "Everyone who was there, the police, the military, everyone was charged. But in the process everyone was freed. It only left me."

Guterres and his supporters had been confident the judiciary would continue its earlier trend of overturning convictions and upholding acquittals.

Yet a 2500-page UN-sanctioned report on East Timor released earlier this year, which found the Indonesian invasion responsible for as many as 180,000 East Timorese deaths, has again focused international attention on Indonesia's lacklustre approach to crimes against humanity in East Timor.

Indonesia and East Timor have also launched a Truth and Friendship Commission to investigate the atrocities of 1999, but it will have no power to punish the guilty.

Convicted by the ad hoc East Timor war crimes tribunal that Indonesia was forced to establish following intense international pressure, Guterres was first sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2002. On appeal to the High Court, the sentence was reduced to five years, but the Supreme Court yesterday re-instated the original sentence.

The native East Timorese has also been indicted for crimes against humanity by the UN-backed Serious Crimes Unit in East Timor.

As the chief militia leader in East Timor's capital, Dili, in 1999, Guterres's orders were followed with gusto. Immediately after his vicious speech at a pro-autonomy rally, he led his gang to attack the house of pro-independence leader Manuel Carrascalao. Twelve people were killed, including Carrascalao's 17-year-old son.

At the Supreme Court yesterday, Mansyur Effendi, one of the five judges on the Guterres case, said he had dissented because he believed the militia leader should be found innocent.

"In front of the Carrascalao house there were also soldiers and police," he said. "And there were also people who said Guterres' speech wasn't as harsh as it has been quoted."

Professor Effendi said the state bore some responsibility, and the judges should have taken into account the fact that all the others accused of crimes against humanity in East Timor had been acquitted.

As the chief of one of the most savage militias in East Timor, Guterres was directly involved in the carnage in the months before and after the independence ballot.

Lauded as a nationalist hero by some prominent Indonesians, and elected last month as regional chairman of one Indonesia's larger political parties, Guterres has in the past said his conviction for war crimes was "no problem".

More than 1500 East Timorese died in the violence. East Timorese towns were razed and as many as 250,000 people were forcibly transported to Indonesia. None of the militia leaders have been punished for the crimes of 1999.

In 2001, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Indonesia should move "quickly and decisively against Guterres".

The Supreme Court also upheld the acquittal of General Noer Muis, the former military chief in East Timor in 1999."

Source: The Australian (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

A tale of Bali

I have just completed reading a most wonderfully entertaining book called Andrew and Joey: A tale of Bali by Jamie James. Daniel purchased it while we were in Bali and it was a very good choice. It tells the story of two American men (a couple) in their mid 30s, one of whom is an Anglo-American rising star in the modern dance world and his long term partner, a gorgeous Chinese-American. The dancer is awarded a fellowship to study dance in Bali and it is here that events unfold that change their lives forever.

Many contemporary themes are explored in the book, one of which is the dangers of romanticizing other cultures and the unintended impact this can have. The book was published by an Indonesian publisher called Lontar but also published in New York although a search on amazon.com resulted in no such book. I highly commend this book and would love to see an adaptation of it for screen in the future.

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)

Tourism a tough sell in Afghanistan, East Timor and Rwanda

By AFP

"Afghanistan, Rwanda or East Timor may not top most holiday destination lists, but the war-scarred countries are now trying to appeal to adventure tourists keen to spy gorillas in the wild, or take a tour led by a former guerrilla.

Marketing executives at the International Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin admitted that they faced a challenge selling former conflict zones as vacation spots but said that even marginal success could mark a new beginning for the countries.

"The past is the past and the future is now" reads the slogan on a glossy travel brochure about Rwanda, displayed at a colorful stand staffed by men in flowing African robes.

Although Rwanda is synonymous for most Europeans with the 1994 massacre in which 800,000 people were killed in the span of 100 days, the country sees tourism, primarily driven by gorilla photo safaris, as a path toward economic redevelopment.

Meanwhile East Timor, which has a bloody legacy of Indonesian occupation in which more than 100,000 Timorese are believed to have died, is also undergoing a campaign to revamp its image.

It takes pride in being "the newest country in the world" since voting for independence in 1999 and guerrillas who once fought Indonesian forces are now offering treks into the country's verdant interior complete with vivid combat stories, said Eduardo Massa, director of the country's only tour company, Timor Megatours.

Massa is a tireless salesman of the country's charms: its coastline "where you are all alone, the beach is all yours", its organic coffee plantations and especially its rich underwater life, perfect for divers.

About 1,000 tourists per month come looking for a bit of paradise off the beaten track, with Australians, Japanese and French travelers leading the pack.

According to Massa, they are not put off by the lack of infrastructure and the "very basic" accommodations.

Afghanistan, however, may be an even tougher sell, plagued as it is by ongoing strife.

Ulf Amann, a German consultant working on a concept to develop tourism in the central Asian nation, acknowledges "there are very unique conditions" in a country ravaged by 20 years of war, the brutality of the extremist Taliban regime and continued bombing attacks.

Amann said that there is a select target audience ready to consider a trip to Afghanistan, comprised largely of educated people over 40 who have higher than average incomes but are ready to sacrifice a bit of comfort to discover a fascinating country.

"Yes, I'm who he is talking about," interjected Dieter Krause, a German software engineer visiting the ITB stand.

Krause said that he had visited the country in the 1970s and had fond memories of traveling by camel through ruggedly dramatic landscapes and staying with hospitable locals.

Amann admits that it will take some time before Afghanistan revives the tourism heyday that it enjoyed three decades ago.

Many of its cultural treasures have been obliterated, including the ancient Buddha statues of Bamiyan northwest of Kabul that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, although there are a few restoration initiatives.

A tentative start in organizing tours with foreign travelers has involved two-day excursions from Uzbekistan and in 2005, some 2,200 tourists went to Afghanistan.

Amann said that as soon as an adventurous vanguard paved the way, others would follow.

Although it will probably take decades before broad-based tours take hold, he said that the plan now was to develop two or three safe and attractive destinations in cooperation with clan chiefs who can help guarantee security.

Tourism could then become a viable source of income for part of a new generation of Afghans.

"For the moment, there are few real sources of income other than from drugs," he said, referring to the booming poppy industry used to produce heroin.

"There is investment in education but it is the next generation that will benefit from that."

Source: Middle East Times (from UNOTIL Public Information Office, Daily Media Review)

Category: Timor-Leste (East Timor)