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Subject: UNOTIL Daily Media Review 02 December 2005
Daily Media Review Friday, 02 December 2005 National Media Reports Saldanha: Investment law needs to be modified Executive Director of Timor Institute of Development Studies, Joao Mariano Saldanha reportedly said the recent seminar on international investment was positive but the government must look into the infrastructure. Saldanha believes that the investment law does not attract investors to Timor-Leste due to certain things like the lack of infrastructure, the structures of investment legislation, which is not liberal and has a negative impact on the future of Timor-Leste. (TP) President Gusmão: Civil society has four roles President Xanana Gusmão alerted that the role of the civil society in Timor-Leste is divided into four according to the situation of the country. The President named them as the role of development partners, control of state institutions values and principles, intervention and initiative roles. He asked the civil society in Timor-Leste to be aware and contribute positively to democracy, peace, and development. President Gusmao said the civil society does not only mean that NGOs must be aware of the democracy and peace situation in Timor-Leste, which has just come out of a conflict, but foster the value of democracy and peace. Meanwhile Prime Minister Alkatiri said the role of the civil society in the consolidation for democracy and peace its very important but they must know their role, what it is according to the constitution. Speaking to the media following the seminar Alkatiri said civil society debate does not mean to go against each other but rather for everybody to better development. He said the seminar was an initiative from his office as it is important in the development phase of this nation. The Prime Minister added that to consolidate democracy and peace it starts with economy, social and cultural developments. The Prime Minister agrees with the President that if one person completes his/her study it should not end there but should have the capacity to use the knowledge and continue. (TP) Aniceto Guterres: CAVR's Report is not to please certain people Speaking to the media on Thursday in response to the criticism of President Xanana Gusmão saying that the recommendations of CAVR are "grandiose idealism", former Director of CAVR, Aniceto Guterres reportedly stated that it is an individual's right whether to accept it or not, including the President of the Republic, adding that as an independent institution, the work of CAVR was not to please or to please certain people. What concerns him and other former Commissioners the most, Guterres said, is if the President of the Republic or the Government considers that CAVR, when carrying out its work so far, has derailed from what is required by CAVR's mandate. Moreover, Guterres said that CAVR considers the national interest of Timor-Leste, but he himself understands that any Truth Commission in the world should first consider the interest of the victims over any other interests. In addition, Guterres stated that CAVR has no power to conduct the prosecution but it only recommends, and it is the court that has the decision to do so. (TP, STL) President of Republic handed over CAVR's report to the Government It is reported that President of Republic Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão handed over CAVR's report to the Government during the Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday. Speaking to the media after receiving the report, Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri stated that according to the law the President of the Republic should first hand it over to the Parliament, then to the Government, and finally to the UN Secretary General. Commenting on how to follow-up on the recommendations put forwarded by the Commission, Alkatiri said that it would not be the Government alone to deal with them but the Government should coordinate with other sovereign organs of State, particularly the Parliament to look into the matter. Meanwhile, commenting further on the report, President of Parliament Francisco Guterres "Lu-Olo" stated that now that Timor-Leste has achieved independence, and it is important to uphold justice, and there is a need to verify who the victims are, bearing in mind that they were victimized because of defending human rights. MP Lucia Lobato of PSD said that CAVR's report has become a basis for the State of Timor-Leste to consider and follow up its recommendations, [particularly the ones] dealing with those who committed crimes, adding that these are the things that the victims expect to happen. According to MP Alexandre Corte Real of UDT, the recommendations of the Commission will not have a major impact on the relations between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Furthermore, Corte Real argued that many Indonesian people also want the Generals who were involved in crimes to be brought to justice, adding that in so doing, they will be held accountable on what they had done in Timor-Leste in the past. (TP, DN) Youth Observed World Aids Day: World Aids Day was observed in Dili yesterday with various activities from the youth and students in the Democracy Field in Dili. According to the media, the day began with a mass in the capital cathedral organised by Caritas and the rest of the event organized by the NGO Fundasaun Timor Hari'i. Responsible for organising the event, Leticia Alves said the World Aids Day commemoration was to ask the youth to learn more about the risks involved in being infected with this disease. Alves said the mass was to convey to the youths and students on how to be closer with people infected with HIV/AIDS. Timor-Leste Red Cross also participated in the event and distributed information about HIV/AIDS. (TP, DN) Next PNTL Recruits Will All Be Allocated At The Border: Martins PNTL Commandant Paulo de Fatima Martins told the media on Thursday, following his participation the seminar on the Role of Civil Society in the Consolidation for Democracy and Peace, that the new police recruit in January 2006, would all be stationed at the border. He said the border is huge for the number of UPF to control it therefore the new police would all be allocated there. (TP) Two Former Militias on Preventive Detention (TP, STL) Two former militias captured by the Border Patrol Unit of PNTL on November 27 have been sentenced to preventive detention, and one was set free for being underage reported the media on Friday. The three were detained by police while spending time with relatives after picking leaves [to chew with beetle nuts]and sandalwood in Timor-Leste's territory. One of them has confessed that he killed a person in 1999 under the order of the former militia group Halilintar. TV News Monitoring v Civil Society Plays an Important Role in Consolidating Peace and Democracy Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day international seminar entitled "The Role of Civil Society in the Consolidation for Democracy and Peace", President Xanana Gusmão was reported as stating that the citizens of Timor-Leste do not want to go back to a conflict situation. According to him, Timor-Leste needs to mature and strengthen the values of peace and democracy to prevent the recurrence of conflict and civil society must participate in the national development process. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Alkatiri reportedly stated that civil society plays a very important role in consolidating peace and democracy and they can contribute to the development of the nation. PM Alkatiri further stated that he hoped this seminar would encourage civil society to define their roles in the development of the nation, as the consolidation of peace and democracy is also bound to affect social and economic development. v President of the CAVR, Aniceto Guterres, Rejects Comments that the Final Report of the CAVR does not Appear to be Important for the National Interest In response the comments made by some political leaders who believe that the recommendations of the Final Report of the CAVR do not prioritise the national interest, the President of the CAVR, Aniceto Guterres, reportedly stated that as a Commission charged with establishing the truth, the commissioners gave priority to victims, but this does not mean that the Commission does not give importance to the national interest. As evidence of this, three former CAVR commissioners are now members of the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF). Meanwhile, in response to public comments about when the Final Report of the CAVR will be made public, the President of the National Parliament, Francisco Guterres, reportedly stated that the Report will be made public after the organs of sovereignty have received it and read it. v PNTL Facing Shortage of BPU Agents and UIR Threatens People in Baucau The General-Commander of the PNTL, Paulo Fatima Martins, reportedly stated that the PNTL is facing shortages of Border Patrol Unit (BPU) agents to secure the border. There are only 300 BPU agents covering three districts. According to Martins, this number is not enough to secure the entire length of the border, which is vulnerable to the occurrence of incidents. General-Commander Martins reportedly added that in order to solve this problem, the PNTL must request the Ministry of Interior to recruit more BPU agents. In separate news, it is also reported that a member of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR) in the village of Buruma, Baucau district, has threatened people with a pistol. Fretilin's coordinator in Baucau, Francisco Ximenes, was quoted as saying that the said UIR agent was drunk when he hit the side of the road. It is reported that people wanted to assist him at the time of the accident but he refused to accept assistance and threatened to shoot them. National News Sources Timor Post (TP) These Items Do Not Reflect the Position or Views of the United Nations. UNOTIL Public Information Office
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