[Poster's note: Repeats of international articles already sent out to the east-timor list (info@etan.org) have been removed.]

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

UNMIT – MEDIA MONITORING

"UNMIT assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of the articles or for the accuracy of their translations. The selection of the articles and their content do not indicate support or endorsement by UNMIT express or implied whatsoever. UNMIT shall not be responsible for any consequence resulting from the publication of, or from the reliance on, such articles and translations."

National Media Reports

TVTL Summary News

NP resolution for the President to visit Portugal: The National Parliament has passed a resolution for President José Ramos-Horta to visit Portugal on November 12. According to the Constitution, the visit of the President abroad needs to be approved by the National Parliament.

Subsidy to public servants: Arsenio Bano, the Fretilin parliamentary member said that the rive subsidy from the Government to the public servants is a waste. According to Mr. Bano the subsidy should go to the public as public servants already have their monthly salaries.

Anthrax attacks eastern part of Indonesia: The Secretary of Health has appealed to all people in Timor-leste to avoid consuming beef, due to the recent outbreak of anthrax in eastern Indonesia.

Alfredo Reinado: leaders who involved in the crisis should face trial Alfredo Reinado is calling upon the political leaders at the time of last year’s political and military crisis to be tried in a court of law.

“The law is for all people. Leaders who were involved in the last year’s crisis should pay for their responsibility in the court,” said Reinado on Friday (2/11) in Same.

Reinado explained that there should be further clarification about the political and military aspects of last year’s crisis.

President Ramos-Horta: rejects Boavida represents Timor-Leste in Taiwan President José Ramos-Horta has rejected a newspaper report, that states the attendance of the Vice President of Democratic Party (PD), João Boavida at a conference in Taiwan this week, was arranged by the President.

A dispatch of The Central News Agency of Taiwan published in Taipei on October 29, 2007 said that the vice president of PD, Mr. Boavida was their in collaboration with President Ramos-Horta.

The dispatch said that Mr. Boavida will share his experiences of Timor-Leste in struggling for its independence. However, the President’s Office says it has no knowledge about the conference. (STL)

A tragedy for ADF: an ISF soldier died in Dili DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE: An Australian soldier has died while serving on operations as part of the International Stabilisation Force in East Timor.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the soldier was found deceased yesterday afternoon in Dili.

"The soldier has died of a gun shot wound while in a barracks area. The circumstances of the incident are still uncertain and will be formally investigated.

"A full investigation will be conducted by staff of the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service. Additionally, a formal CDF Commission of Inquiry will be completed, consistent with new military justice arrangements," Air Chief Marshall Houston said.

"Any death of an ADF member is a tragic and sad loss for the entire ADF community. The soldier's next of kin have been informed and our priority is to ensure the family is receiving the support and care they need.

"I ask the media to please respect the family's need for privacy during this difficult time as they mourn the loss of their loved one."

Repatriation arrangements are currently being considered. The soldier's body will be brought home by ADF or permanently chartered ADF aircraft, and will be under constant escort by ADF personnel.

Defence will not be releasing any of the soldier's personal details or any further information surrounding the circumstances of his death at this time. (STL and TP)

Fretilin: questioning the visit of NP to Indonesia Fretilin has strongly questioned the visit of National Parliament (NP) led by the President of the Parliament Fernando Lasama de Arauj to Indonesia on Sunday (4/11).

According to Fretilin, the visit was not approved by the heads of all political parties in the National Parliament.

The Vice President of the National Parliament, Vicente Guterres clarified that there was no announcement to the member of the parliament for the limit of time. (TP and DN)

PNTL-UNPol to provide patrols to schools The Acting Commander of PNTL, Afonso de Jesus said that the National Police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) and United Nations Police (UNPol) has coordinated to provide patrols at schools under threat in the Dili suburb of Comoro.

“The police observe that the security situation across the country remains normal and controlled. However, there still some sporadic incidents however the are not serious incidents,” said Mr. de Jesus. (TP)

IDPs threat to intimidate Australian citizen The Fretilin Member of Parliament Arsenio Bano said intimidating Australian citizens is not a solution to problems.

The IDPs at the Comoro Airport have threatened to intimidated Australian civilians as retribution for shooting deaths and injuries at the camp by the International Security Forces (ISF)

“The parliament has to review and evaluate the trilateral agreement and stop the military operation in the refugees’ camps,” said Mr. Bano. (DN)

More police to deploy at the IDP camp of Airport More PNTL and UNPol will deploy at the IDP of Comoro Airport, following the statement by IDPs to intimidate Australian citizens in the area.

Mr. de Jesus said that PNTL and UNPol together with ISF and F-FDTL would react similarly to any other security issue. (DN)

UNPol, PNTL and government held a weekly meeting The State Secretary for Security, Francisco Guterres, UN Police Commissioner Rodolfo Tor and DSRSG Eric Tan held a weekly meeting with the Acting Commander of PNTL, Afonso de Jesus on Tuesday (6/11) in Vila Verde, Dili.

The meeting is conducted weekly to raise any important points of the week and to revise the incidents taking place around the country.

PNTL and UNPol are agreeing to be pro-active to provide security in unsecured places. (DN)

International Media Reports

UN Security Council team to visit East Timor late November 11/06/2007 11:32:28 Source: Agence France-Presse English Wire Date: November 06, 2007

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 6, 2007 (AFP) - The UN Security Council said Tuesday it would send a team on a week-long mission to East Timor later this month, to underscore its commitment to the tiny Pacific nation's sovereignty and long-term stability.

In a letter sent to UN chief Ban Ki-moon and released Tuesday, the council said it had agreed to send a seven-member delegation to be led by South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo to east Timor from November 24 to 30.

The team is also to include representatives from China, the United States, Russia, Indonesia, Slovakia and Congo.

The 15-member council said its team would be tasked with reaffirming the council's "commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Timor-Leste (East Timor) and the promotion of long-term stability in the country."

The delegation is also to encourage the Timorese government, parliament, political parties and people to continue to engage in political dialogue and consolidate peace, democracy, the rule of law and security sector reform.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was separated from Jakarta following a 1999 independence vote marred by deadly violence inflicted by the Indonesian military and its militia allies.

Indonesia had invaded East Timor, which is formally known as Timor-Leste, in 1975. The two countries now share a land border more than 300 kilometers (190 miles) long.

Aussie soldier dies in East Timor November 7, 2007 ABC News

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) says an Australian soldier has died in East Timor.

The soldier was found dead yesterday afternoon with a gunshot wound while in a barracks area in Dili.

The soldier was serving as part of the International Stabilisation Force in East Timor.

In a statement, the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, says the circumstances of the soldier's death are still uncertain and will be formally investigated by the ADF.

He says a formal commission of inquiry will also be carried out.

The soldier's name, sex and rank have not been released at this time and the ADF is requesting privacy for the soldier's family.

The Socialist Alliance and East Timor 6 November 2007 Nick Beams on YouTube

The World Socialist Web Site is today publishing the third YouTube video address by Nick Beams, Socialist Equality Party national secretary and senate candidate in New South Wales. Beams, a leading authority on Marxist political economy and member of the WSWS International Editorial Board, is heading a national slate of 13 SEP candidates advancing a socialist and internationalist alternative to war and militarism, social inequality and the escalating attack on democratic rights.

In this three-minute video presentation, Beams points out that the Socialist Equality Party is the only party contesting the upcoming federal election to consistently oppose Australia’s military-police interventions in East Timor, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and other South Pacific countries. He explains the reasons behind these filthy neo-colonial operations, and indicts all the parliamentary parties, and their apologists in the radical protest milieu, that have not only remained silent, but endorsed­and even insisted upon­the Howard government’s continuing aggression in the region.

Beams focuses in particular on the role of the misnamed Socialist Alliance, and its principal component, the Democratic Socialist Perspective (DSP)­publishers of the Green Left Weekly. In 1999, the DSP led demonstrations demanding “troops in”, a function applauded by the ruling elite in its leading financial organ, the Australian Financial Review. An editorial in the AFR at the time drew out that the DSP’s demand ended the “taboo” that had operated since the Vietnam War on the deployment of Australian troops overseas.

Beams concludes by noting that the positions of the Socialist Alliance and the DSP arise out of opportunist and nationalist politics, which represent “an accommodation to the deepest interests of the government and Australian imperialism as a whole.”

Authorised by N. Beams, 100B Sydenham Rd, Marrickville, NSW

NATIONAL NEWS SOURCES: Timor Post (TP) Radio Timor-Leste (RTL) Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) Diario Tempo (DT) Diario Nacional (DN) Semanario Televisaun Timor-Leste (TVTL)

UNMIT MEDIA MONITORING www.unmit.org