[Poster's note: Long repeats of international articles already sent out to the east-timor list have been removed.]

UNMISET Daily Press Review

Compiled by the Public Information Office from national and international sources

Daily Media Review Tuesday, 1 March 2005

Border Police disaffected with Border Control

District Police Commanders and Border Police expressed their disaffection with the actions of Border Control in Dili during a meeting last week with Fretilin's Josefa Alvares Pereira. Pereira told Parliament's plenary session yesterday that the police are frustrated because when they apprehend illegal goods at the border and send them to Border Control in Dili, often they are then released as legal goods. These illegal goods should become part of state revenue, but are instead turning up in the markets. Clementino dos Reis Amaral, Member of Parliament from KOTA party, added that there are many rumours about the work of Border Control, but it is difficult to obtain proof. (Timor Post)

Member of Parliament questions will to fight corruption

A Member of Parliament from the Fretilin party, Adalgiza Ximenes, said that corruption is a social problem that is being felt deeply by the population. Ximenes said last June the Parliament approved the law on Public Administration, which included several articles on corruption. However, she said that the current reality indicates that this law is not being implemented in everyday work matters in the public administration.

The President of the National Parliament Francisco Guterres said that there need to be barriers to corruption and that is why it is important to establish the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice. (Timor Post)

Fretilin does not intend to close down media

President of the Fretilin party, Francisco Guterres, said that his party has no intentions to close down the media. This country has a free press, and for this reason even when there have been mistakes in articles in the newspapers, they refrain from commenting, he told STL on Monday. Guterres said that he does not understand why the government is being accused of being dictatorial.

However, a Member of Parliament of the Social Democrat Party (PSD), Joao Goncalves, told parliament's plenary session yesterday that the Government has closed the door on the Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) newspaper, preventing it from covering stories about government activities. Guterres responded by saying that as far as he is aware, the government is no longer prepared to purchase STL, but that does not mean that they will not allow STL to cover stories. (STL)

Fretilin intimidates independent candidates

Members of Fretilin have been intimidating independent candidates for the Village Chief elections as well as community leaders in Baucau and Lospalos, according to Joao Goncalves from the Social Democrat Party.

Speaking in yesterday's plenary session in Parliament, he said that he obtained this information during visits to several sub-districts in Baucau and Lospalos. According to Joao, national and regional Fretilin leaders have been telling the candidates that they are not allowed to belong to a political party and that they must resign from the party to which they belong. He added that Fretilin has been intimidating the general population also by saying that if they do not choose a Fretilin candidate they will not receive future government assistance.

Fretilin's President Francisco Guterres said that he does not believe the accusations because his party would never treat people in this manner. (STL)

PSD questions 2006 elections

The Social Democrat party (PSD) has questioned the realisation of elections in 2006. The President of PSD's National Council, Zacarias da Costa, has raised doubts about their viability, saying that there are signs that the government is increasingly dictatorial in its behaviour, particularly evident in its recent threats toward some parts of the mass media. Zacarias, speaking to STL on Saturday, questioned whether there really would be elections in 2006, or whether Timor-Leste would soon see a dictatorial presence worse than Soeharto. (STL)

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