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Subject: UNMIT Daily Media Review 6 February 2007 [Poster's note: Repeats of international articles already sent out to the east-timor list (info@etan.org) have been removed.] Tuesday, 06 February 2007 UNMIT MEDIA MONITORING THE UN INTEGRATED MISSION IN TIMOR-LESTE DOES NOT VOUCH FOR THE ACCURACY OF THESE REPORTS National Media Reports Public Ministry Drops Alkatiri Case Speaking to the media following the letter of notification from the Public Ministry dropping the charges against him, Mari Alkatiri said that on 20 August 2006 President Xanana Gusmao wrote him a letter and attached a copy of a program aired by ABC. In the letter the President stated that there was evident proof in the program that he committed crime hence forced him to step down from his post. The former Prime Minister further said, the President's letter calling for a meeting with the Council of State seemed to him to be more of a court to judge him rather than a meeting. He said the President's message to the nation on 22 June 2006 attacked his party and mainly him. He said his message stained his name and affected his family and his political party. Following Fretilin's Central Committee meeting on 25 June, the party reiterated their trust in him but he decided to resign on June 26 2006. Alkatiri said that a few hours after his resignation the Prosecutor General notified him that he was the accused of criminal acts and therefore he should quickly respond through the legal process. He congratulates the judiciary system for carrying out their work with dignity adding that the conclusion of the justice process is that those who have been accused of wrong-doing are right and those that have not been accused of wrong-doing are wrong. In a separate article, the former Prime Minister said he does not want to be like other people who practices politics by manipulating the justice system. He said he wants to use politics against politics and demands that Mr. President Xanana and Prime Minister Ramos-Horta publicly acknowledge that the allegations against him were not based on strong evidence. He further said he will send the letter from the Prosecutor's Office to President Xanana with a message that great friends publicly acknowledge their mistakes, and doing so will strengthen their friendship. In the meantime, Prime Minister Ramos-Horta has refused to comment on the decision of the Public Ministry, adding that he has not directly heard from Alkatiri. Ramos-Horta stated that since it is the decision of the court he will follow the process and will make a statement when appropriate. MP Cipriana Pereira (Fretilin) said the decision to clear Mari Alkatiri's name is a victory for Fretilin party. (DN, TP) Proposed Amnesty Bill To Protect Leaders: Oliveira Jose Luis Oliveira, Director of Hak Assoiciation, considers the proposed bill by the National Parliament on amnesty for those people indirectly involved in cases backdated from 30 June 2006 to 1975, as protecting the elite and that it puts the burden on the common people. Oliveira said the definition of 'not directly involved' applies to the leaders or the elites as they are the ones involved in drafting the plans and giving orders but are not directly involved in the implementation at the ground level. According to the law, these people bear greater responsibilities than the one implementing the orders. He is also concerned with the victims when the legislation is implemented noting that CVA is focused mainly on the possibility of amnesty to the actors of 1999 violence but does not focus on the victims rights. He said it would be great injustice not to focus on the victims. He wants the Parliament to hold seminars and consultations before advancing with the law. (TP) Major Alfredo Has Gone Missing Timor Post reported today that Major Alfredo and his followers have gone missing since January 31, following the meeting with former Falintil commanders, Mauhunu, L7 and Dudu. A source close to Alfredo said the group is in the surrounding area monitoring the situation, stressing that Alfredo is willing to participate in the justice process. The same source said the population is aware of their movement and the group will soon return to Aifu. (TP) Detention By UNPOL And UIR Not Transparent Floriana Rego, Coordinator of the IDPs at Vila-Verde Cathedra, said the operation of UNPOL and UIR have not been transparent in the detaining of martial arts groups in Bairro PitE, Ailoklaran and Tuanalaran. She said the detention should not be focused mainly on one group, noting that such action can lead to further confrontations. More people keep seeking shelter at the church since January 23, she said. (TP) Malaysia Police Damages Religious Symbols The front page of STL carry the article related to religious symbols being damaged by Malaysia police. MP Tilman would like UNPOL to correctly identify members of Malaysia Police (POLMA) who have entered KOTA headquarters on 23 January early in the morning and damaged the religious symbols. The request was put to the Parliament plenary session on Monday. RTTL News Headlines Monday, February 6, 2007 Alkatiri Demands PM and PR To Publicly Acknowledge Mistake Former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has demanded that Prime Minister Ramos-Horta and President Xanana Gusmao acknowledge their wrongdoing in forcing him to step down from his post. The Public Ministry due to insufficient evidence has dropped Alkatiri's case. He received a letter from the Prosecutor General's office on Monday notifying him of the dropped charges. Provedor For Human Rights And Justice Demands Justification Deputy Provedor for Human Rights and Justice, Silverio Pinto said his office would ask for justification regarding the closure of Alkatiri's case adding that an investigation will be carried out into the decision by the Public Ministry as well as the Office of the Prosecutor. He said in reality, Alkatiri's case should not have been archived as it is connected to current court process like Rogerio Lobato's case. Therefore, he added, PJDH as an independent institution will monitor the situation in relation to the crisis that emerged. Deputy Prosecutor General Did Not Have Knowledge Of Letter Deputy Prosecutor General, Ivo Valente said he learned about the notification letter to Alkatiri only around 2 o'clock in the afternoon on Monday after it was issued. He said the letter will be analyzed and according to the decree law 235/3 the case can be reopened but it would be up to the Prosecutor General to determine. Ivo Valente said expatriates were in charge of the decision. Tilman Received Letter Of Complaints UNPOL MP Manuel Tilman (KOTA) reportedly said he received a letter protesting Malaysian UNPOL actions in detaining youths in KOTA headquarters without authorization. He said the people were asleep in his party headquarters in Fatuhada when UNPOL walked into the building at 4 o'clock in the morning on Monday without specific reason and while inside they asked the residents what religion they belonged to. When the residents replied they were catholic, the police officers destroyed the objects (statues, crosses) in the house. Tilman wants these police officer identified as they violated article 37 of RDTL Constitution. MP Xavier do Amaral said the Parliament will establish a team to verify the accuracy of the information and if it's true the government and the UN must take a decision on the actions. STAE Secretariat Registered Over 200 Voter In Baucau District STAE Secretariat in Baucau has registered over 200 voters mainly youth over 17 years of age. The number of registered voters does not include those from the sub-districts. STAE will conduct registration in the sub-districts starting 15 February. More Than 50 Hectares Of Maize And Rice Damaged By Bugs Around 50 hectares of maize and rice have been destroyed by bugs in the area of Aidabalete, a sub-district of Atabae. The population in that area would like food assistance from the government as their mains source of food is now destroyed. Over 1000 People Sought Refuge In The Cathedral Following Violence Following the last wave of violence, over 1000 people have sought refuge in the cathedral of Vila-Verde and facing difficulties with water and food. One of the IDP's claimed that they have not received food assistance from the government and would like to return to their homes once the situation is settled. RTTL Administrative Council Meets President About Elections RTTL Administrative Council met with President Gusmão on Monday to discuss programs for the elections. According to TVTL, the President stressed that the broadcast should be able to reach the districts as it is crucial for the population to be informed about the elections process. International Media Reports Press NATIONAL NEWS SOURCES: Timor Post (TP) Radio Timor-Leste (RTL) Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) Diario Tempo (DT) Diario Nacional Seminario Lia Foun (LF) Televisaun Timor-Leste [TVTL] UNMIT MEDIA MONITORING www.unmit.org Back to February menu
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