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Subject: TIMOR-LESTE NEWS
Local and International - For March 15, 2010 In this edition National News Headings: *Ameerah Haq recognizes UN Police has limitation and failure in responding incident *Ana Pessoa calls for Govt to create condition to guarantee witnesses in trial process *It is possible to the Govt to set up military court section in district court *International lawyers should speak Tetun during trial process *PD MP calls for consideration over concerns of General Ruak *JSMP consider the legal document print in Portuguese has appeared a negative implication *Monsignor Nascimento: “People dead because of violence, it is crime” *Defense law will ban illegal group to over act as Army *Success of municipality system depends of good political will: political analyst *Price of rice remains high, Minister Alves said “No comment” *Parliament support General Ruak calls for the Govt to use Tetun in the court *Church agrees to include sex education in the curriculum *PM Gusmão urges State Secretary for Public Work to repair emergency road soon *General Ruak’s Concerns has awake all people: Hornay and Oliveira *Timor-Leste will not set up international court: Deputy PM Guterres *Govt approved land law *Govt to start demobilization of Falintil *Timor-Leste to strengthen army’s cooperation with CPLP International News’ Headings: *East Timor threatens to scuttle gas development National News: *Ameerah Haq recognizes UN Police has limitation and failure in responding incident *Televizaun Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: Tetun The United Nations Secretary General Representative to Timor-Leste, Ameerah Haq, has recognized that the United Nations Police has limitation and failed to respond to incident happened in the country. Ms. Haq made the comment during a press conference held in the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) office Obrigado Barak in Kaikoli of Dili. Ms. Haq said that the most important thing is how the UN Police can better capacitate the Timorese National Police officers and improve their skills, so that they can carry out their work more professionally in the future. “The most important thing is we have not to look at the failure and limitation of the UN Police in responding incident, but how we can professionalize the national police officers, so that they can undertake their task based on the law and order to ensure security in the country,” Ms. Haq said. Ms. Haq added that the process of transferring the security responsibly from the United Nations Police is going on and therefore she called for the national police officers to carry out their work professionally in order to obtain people’s confidence. *Ana Pesoa calls for Govt to create condition to guarantee witnesses in trial process *Televizaun Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: Tetun The Timorese Prosecutor General, Ana Pessoa Pinto, has called for the Government to create proper conditions that can guarantee witnesses during trial process. Ms. Pessoa made the comment regarding some witnesses had refused to give their testimonies to the court due to security reason. Ms. Pessoa stressed that the Government should create a better condition to secure witnesses in a trial process, although it will take long time process to realize it. *It is possible to the Govt to set up military court section in district court *Televizaun Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: Tetun The Timorese Government will set up military court section in the district court in order to try those National Military officers who breach the law of military. The State Secretary for Defense, Julio Tomas Pinto, has said that although the Timorese constitution has guaranteed to set up military court, but it will spend much money to set it up. “We will spend much money to set up military court, and therefore the Defense Minister has found another alternative to set up military court section in the district court in order to process the cases been involved by the National Army officers,” Mr. Pinto said. Mr. Pinto added that Timor-Leste Government had not produce any penal code for military and therefore the penal code used so far is civil penal code in processing case that involve national military officers. *International lawyers should speak Tetun during trial process *Radio Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: tetun Bishop for Baucau Diocese, Monsignor Basilio do Nascimento, has said that international lawyers should speak Tetun in a trial process. Monsignor Nascimento made the comment regarding the concern of the Timorese Defense Force (F-FDTL) Commander, Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak, had made the call for the international lawyers to use Tetun in the court. Monsignor Nascimento also called for the court to better organize and create a proper condition in the court particularly in the trial process and the process should be in Tetun, so that all people could understand decission made by the court. “It is important to use Tetun in the trial process, so that people can understand decission will be made by the court,” Monsignor Nascimento said. *PD MP calls for consideration over concerns of General Ruak *Radio Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: tetun MP Adriano do Nascimento from Democratic Party (PD) has called for the Parliamentarian to consider the concern of the Timorese Defense Force (F-FDTL) Commander, Major General Taur Matan Ruak, saying that the translator in the court has not made a proper translation and it had implicate the accused. Mr. Nacimento stressed that the court should use a language that could be understood by all people, because Portuguese language that was used so far in the trial process had not understand by the people. Mr. Nascimento said that Portuguese language use had appeared a negative impact on the country’s development process. “Portuguese Language which is used so far has become a main obstacle for development process in the country,” Mr. Nascimento said. Meanwhile, Domingos Sarmento, from Fretilin, has said that it is possible to the court to use the Timorese offcial language or another language in the trial process, but he said that the most important thing is the court should better capacitate the translators so that they can translate well in the future. “It is important to the court to capacitate the translators, so that they can translate well during the trial process,” Mr. Sarmento said. Mr. Sarmento also called for the lawyers to ask the panel for clarification of any document that they do not understand. *JSMP consider the legal document print in Portuguese has appeared a negative implication *Radio Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: tetun Timorese Judicial System and Monitoring Programe (JSMP) Director, Luis Oliveira, has considered that the legal document in the court printed in Portuguese language has appear a negative impact on the accussed and accuser. Mr. Oliveira made the comment following the Timorese Defense Force (F-FDTL) Commander, Major General Taur Matan Ruak has concerned about the use of Portuguese language in trial process as it had no advantage. Mr. Oliveira said that the legal translators had made efforts to do their duty, but sometimes they had not translate some dificult terms in the legal process and that had impacted on the court and the accused. “Using Portuguese in the trial process has no benefit as it would only bear a negative impact on the people who is lookin for the truth during trial process,” Mr. Oliveira said. Mr. Oliveira added that Portuguese language has also an obstacle to the lawyer to defend thier clients. He also called for the court to print legal document in Tetun, so that the lawyers could understand and analyze it before they defend their clients. *Monsignor Nascimento: “People dead because of violence, it is crime” *Radio Timor-Leste, March 13, 2010 language source: tetun Bishop for Baucau Diocese, Monsignor Basilio do Nascimento, has said that when a person dead due to violation, it was crime and the case should be processed legally. Monsignor Nascimento said that the National Police has an obligation to hold investigation into any criminal case and hand it over to the court for furthe legal charge. Monsignor Nascimento made the comment regarding there were 13 people had dead in Baucau from January up to this time because of violence and traffic accident. Monsignor also called for the National Investigation Police to investigate the recent incident the had leaft people dead in Baucau District. *Defense law will ban illegal group to over act as Army *Timor Post, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun The State Secretary for Defense, Julio Tomas Pinto has said that with the approval of the military law by the Parliament there will be no more groups to over act like army in the country. “The defense law, particularly article No 4 bans any group in the country to act as military and prohibits civilians to carry weapon with them,” Mr. Pinto said. Meanwhile, MP Aderito Hugo da Costa from the National Congress for the Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT) has said that it is important to ban illegal group members who use heroes’ names to ask money from the people in the rural areas. MP Arão Noe also said that it is important to create a law that will regulate those illegal groups spread in the 13 districts. *Success of municipality system depends of good political will: political analyst *Timor Post, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun A political analyst at the National University (UNTL, Matias Boavida, has said that the success of the municipality systems to be implemented in the country will depend on the good political will of the government. Mr. Boavida predicted that the Government’s plan for developing the country will not be effectively implement because it may be possible that municipality leaders elected are from opposition. Mr. Boavida said that the success depends on the cooperation of opposition and ruling parties to implement the system in the future. “It is important that all the competent institutions should cooperate well with each other in order to implement this municipality system,” Mr. Boavida said. He suggested that the candidates for the coming municipality election should come from independent instead of political parties. The municipality election might be held this year and the candidates are from political parties. *Price of rice remains high, Minister Alves said “No comment” *Timor Post, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun The Minister for Tourism, Commerce and Industry, Gil da Costa Alves has refused to make comment on the price of rice which remains high in the country. “I do not want to make comment about price of rice,” Minister Alves said. The MTCI Director for Commerce, Manuela Corte-Real recently has said that the Government has no more confident in the community leaders to sell the Government MTCI rice and then decided that Ministry itself will sell the subsidized rice to the population. Meanwhile, MP Francisco Miranda Branco from Fretilin, has said that the Government’s rice with marked MTCI should be sold with low price that poor people and vulnerable can afford to buy it. *Parliament support General Ruak calls for the Govt to use Tetun in the court *Diario Nacionál, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun The Timorese Parliamentary President, Fernando “Lasama” de Araujo has said that he support the call recently made by the Timorese Defense Force (F-FDTL) Commander, Major General Taur Matan Ruak to use Tetun in trial process. Mr. General Ruak made the call following the concerns of many Timorese, including the lawyers and defendants, about their inability to understand the overall trial processes in which Portuguese is the only language used in the court. Mr. Lasama stressed that the county’s judicial side should make efforts to use Tetun. “The judicial sides should make efforts to use Tetun Language in the trial process; otherwise people will not understand the decision will be made,” Mr. Lasama said. Mr. Lasama added that the time has come to the Timorese lawyers to lead trial process, adding that the international lawyers could become advisers only. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee A for Law and Constitution President, Fernanda Borges has said that she also agree with the recent statement made by General Ruak called for the court to use Tetun in the trial process for any case, so that people can comprehend the process. MP Renan Salak from UNDERTIM also said that Tetun is both a national and co-official language and therefore the court should use it. *Church agrees to include sex education in the curriculum *Diario Nacionál, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun Bishop for Baucau Diocese, Monsignor Basilio do Nascimento has said that the church has agreed to include sex curriculum in the national curriculum to be taught in the school. “Church agrees to teach sex education in the school, so that all people could understand about it,” Monsignor Nascimento said. Monsignor Nascimento added that people or the parents were ashamed to explain about sex to their children and therefore it is important to implement and tech sex education in the School. Monsignor also called for the parents to explain about sex to their children despite of its sensitivity so that students have proper understanding of the issue before schools introduce the subject to them. *PM Gusmão urges State Secretary for Public Work to repair emergency road soon *Diario Nacionál, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão has urged the State Secretary for Public Work Domingos Caero to repair those roads which is categorize as the emergency one in order to facilitate public transport and the people to conduct their daily activity well in the future. PM Gusmão made the urge when he held visit to Tibar to see roads that in bad condition on last Friday. PM Gusmão also called to the local resident not to build up hose close to the roads, because the Government will have plan to wider the roads. Meanwhile, the State Secretary for Public Work Domingos Caero has confirmed that the roads and bridge in Tibar are truly in bad condition and that will affect on the public transport and therefore he said that today his department will respond to this case in order to facilitate local resident of Ermera and Tibar. *General Ruak’s Concerns has awake all people: Hornay and Oliveira *Diario Nacionál, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun Public Defender, Sergio Hornay and the Judicial System and Monitoring Program (JSMP) Director, Luis de Oliveira have said that the recent statement made by the Timorese Defense Force (F-FDTL) Commander, Major General Taur Matan Ruak has awake the country’s lawyers to improve and use Tetun in the trial process. Mr. Hornay said that the expression of General Ruak was a suggestion to the Government, Parliamentarians and all the competent part to see this language case as a challenge to the Timorese people who looking for the truth. Mr. Hornay added that Tetun language is the cultural identity ot Timor-Leste and therefore it is needed to valorize it. “We all are proud of the recent statement made by General Ruak as it is a part of valorizing Tetun as our official language as it is guarantee in the Timorese Conastitution Article No 13 that the official language of Timor-Leste are Tetun and Portuguesse.,” Mr. Hornay said. Meanwhile, JSMP’s Director Luis de Oliveira has said that he agreed with the recent call made by General Ruak to the court to use Tetun language in the trial process, so that all people could understand decision will be made by the court to any case been processed. “Using Portuguese in the court during trial process has not reflected on the people condition and it will be difficult to the people to understand it,” Mr. Oliveira said. *Timor-Leste will not set up international court: Deputy PM Guterres *Diario Nacionál, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun The Deputy Prime Minister for Social Issues, Jose Luis Guterres, has said that the Timorese government will not set up international court as it will against impunity and human right, adding that the President Jose Ramos Horta had not also supported the Government to set it up. MR. Guterres made the comment regarding the information mongered that the President recently had met with the United Nations talking with them about the Government’s plan to set up international court toinvestigate serious crime that took place from 1075 up to 1999. “President Horta has say many times that he will not agree to set up international court in the country and therefore the Government set up the Truth and Friendship Commission to see the serious crime happened in the country,” Deputy PM. Guterres said. Mr. Guterres added that Timor-Leste has become a country that against impunity and respect human right and therefore the Government has not planned to set up international court in the country. *Govt approved land law *Suara Timor Lorosa’e, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun Timor-Leste’s Council of Ministers approved the land law proposed by the Ministry of Justice to define ownership of immovable properties and its expropriation. The Secretary of State for Council of Ministers said Wednesday the draft is an important step in regulating distribution of land and properties in the country, including how national citizen should acquire land. MP Fernanda Borges of PUN said that land law is very important and the Parliament is expecting the bill to be debated at the Parliament. *Govt to start demobilization of Falintil *Suara Timor Lorosa’e, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun Timor-Leste’s Secretary of State for Defense Júlio Tomás Pinto said that in the near future the defense ministry will work together with the secretariat of state for veterans to start demobilization process of former guerilla fighters. “We will work together to start identify members of Falintil including their ranks because it has been a complicated issue,” said Mr. Pinto. The bill of defense law is being debated at the national parliament, including how to recruit reservists of the defense force. In 2006, due to shortage of numbers the F-FDTL armed many of former Falintil members to be reservist in order to quell the crises stirred up by regionalism. MP Osório Florindo from Fretilin party said that law should also define status of reservists in order to avoid the situation of 2006. In its 2020 plan of defense force development, F-FDTL should be supported by its reservists when there is an emergency or crisis. *Timor-Leste to strengthen army’s cooperation with CPLP *Suara Timor Lorosa’e, March 15, 2010 language source: Tetun The State Secretary for the Council of Ministries Hermenegildo Pereira has said that the Government has approved a resolution in the meeting of the Council of Ministries in order to better strengthen military cooperation with the Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP). Mr. Pereira added that the objective of approving the resolution was also to promote and facilitate the country to cooperate with the CPLP countries particularly in the defence sector. Mr. Pereira added that the resolution was approved to create platform in order to accumulate military documents, promoting defense sector and strengthening defense sector of CPLP. International News: *East Timor threatens to scuttle gas development *ABC Online, March 13, 2010 East Timor's president Jose Ramos-Horta says his country is serious about making sure its interests are not ignored in the development of the Greater Sunrise Gas field. East Timor's government wants the gas processing plant built in East Timor. The field's developer Woodside says it will soon make a choice between building a floating plant in the Timor Sea or a pipeline to Darwin. Dr Ramos-Horta says it is possible East Timor will not allow the development to go ahead. "If it's an arbitrary decision that we know is pol itically motivated, based on prejudices about a small developing country - if the decision is based on that and seems like it's based on that rather than technical and commercial considerations - then obviously we can not agree," he said. "For Australia, one pipeline more, one pipeline less to Darwin – it wouldn't make a terrible difference. "But to Timor, it would ensure its prosperity into the future.”So this is a political question. It's a moral, ethical question besides the commercial consideration."
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