UNOTIL

Daily Press Review

Compiled by the Public Information Office from national and international sources

Daily Media Review Tuesday, 28 June 2005

PM Will Present the Budget for Fiscal Year 2005/06

President of the National Parliament, Francisco Lu-Olo Guterres said that the Prime Minister will officially present the budget for the fiscal year 2005/06 to the Parliament. Guterres added that the presentation will take place in the beginning of July after he returns from Cape Verde independence celebrations. He also said that presently the commissions are studying the proposed budgets presented by the Government. (TP)

PNTL Provided Assistant in Election Process

PNTL National Investigation Commander Jorge Monteiro told the media on Monday that 322 police officers assisted in the election process in the districts of Same, Ainaro and Aileu. Monteiro said the officers were selected from different units and divided into three groups to join the police officers already stationed in the districts to provide security during the election, which reportedly went smoothly. (TP, STL)

PNTL Still Irresponsible: Lobato

Diário newspaper quoted Minister of Interior Rogério Lobato as saying on Friday in Ermera District that, ”one of the biggest problems with PNTL officers is their lack of responsibility in taking care of cars they use for work. Some members of the police use the vehicles carelessly and damage them until they are totally destroyed”. Lobato added, “if we don’t take care of our own belongings who will? And don’t think that the ministry will purchase more because it does not have money”. The Minister pointed that if the same kind of attitude continues then this country will not progress. He said that during his time as Minister of Interior he had purchased around 30 vehicles for PNTL. He said that nowadays police use horses as a means of transport and soon they will have to do their work on foot due to their lack of responsibility. (Diário)

Commission Established to Address Food Shortages

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has established a commission to look into ways of preventing food shortages in case there are food shortages in one or two years time. The commission is composed of Government officials from various ministries and would be coordinated by the Secretary of State for Employment and Solidarity, Arsenio Bano. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Bano said the commission would carry out more research into the prevention of food shortages and the first step is to discuss the assessment, mobilize support as well as how best distribute food. He said last week, the Government through the Secretary of State for Employment and Solidarity had already sent food to Same for those people with less food but so far the supplies had not been distributed due to the pending assessment of the specific food needs. Diário newspaper reported that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment warned that by the end of this year people in certain parts of Timor-Leste could be affected by food shortages due to variation in the rainy reason. (TP, Diário)

Verification Commission Faces Difficulties: President Gusmão

President Gusmão said the Verification Commission is facing difficulties collecting correct data on former combatants and Falintil veterans as thirty years has passed and many of them have died. However, the President is reportedly confident that these difficulties would be resolved. According to President Gusmão, the meeting took place to look into the differences of the structures of Falintil. He added that some of the veterans have registered with some appearing to have confused their ranks, names and code names, therefore the Verification Commission is double checking all the information collected. (Diário, TP, STL)