Subject: East Timor Press Review Dili, 09 December 2002

East Timor Press Review Dili, 09 December 2002

Tribunal orders temporary detention of 10 detainees

Dili Tribunal ordered on the weekend 30 days temporary detention for 10 people detained in connection to last Wednesday’s riots which caused the death of 2 people and 25 people injured, said a police source. The same source told Lusa that members of the tribunal visited the suspects in a police compound and ordered their temporary detention in Becora prison in Dili. The prison is also detaining 2 captives involved in a homicide whose detention led to last week’s’ confrontations. (Lusa)

PSD President Rejects Accusations MP and President of PSD party, Mario Carrascalăo rejects accusations that his party was involved in last Wednesday’s riots. Carrascalăo stressed that his party is against violence and dialogue is the solution reported STL newspaper. (STL)

Students Protest Infiltrated STL reported that the students protest last Wednesday was infiltrated by a group of people, which led to the riot. According to the director of 28 November secondary school in Dili, the students’ plan was to protest in front of the National Parliament against TLPS attitude. But he said the protest was infiltrated by another group of people who interrupted their program said the newspaper. (STL)

‘Hello Mr.’ Re-opens Suara Timor Lorosae reported that according to their observations the Australian owned supermarket, ‘Hello Mr.’ Employees were back at work on Sunday fixing the shelves, in preparation to re-open the shop after it was burned during last Wednesday’s riot. (STL)

27th Commemoration of Indonesian Invasion On Saturday President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri presided a ceremony to mark the 27th anniversary of the Indonesian invasion. SRSG Kamalesh Sharma attended the ceremony. LUSA reported that although Prime Minister Alkatiri had invited the population to follow the ceremony, only members of the Government, some MPs and representatives of the diplomatic corps were present. In a separate event on Saturday morning, around150 local and international organizations commemorated this date with prayers conducted by NGO Forum coordinator Filomeno Barros dos Reis before flowers were dropped at the ocean in memory of those that died during the invasion reported Suara Timor Lorosae. (Lusa, STL)

Donor meeting begins in Dili Today The Timor-Leste Government and the World Bank will host two-day donors’conference starting this Monday in a Dili, which continues to remain calm after last Wednesday’s violence. The “Timor-Leste and Development Partners Meeting”, as it is formally called, will be held 09 to 10 December at the Hotel Timor and will be chaired by Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri.

Welcoming remarks at the Monday afternoon opening session of the conference will be made by President Xanana Gusmao and by the Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) Kamalesh Sharma.

Some 200 representatives of the international donor community and of missions and agencies based in Timor-Leste are expected to attend, including World Bank Vice-

President Jemal-ud-din Kassum who, along with Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, will deliver opening statements on Monday morning.

This is the first “Timor-Leste and Development Partners Meeting” to be organised since the country gained independence on 20 May of this year. According to Lusa newsagency, the Timorese government managed to accomplish 52 per cent of its proposed objectives for the country’s development having concluded 40 per of the task. (UNMISET, Lusa)

Muslim Residents in Dili celebrated End of Ramadan Muslim residents in Kampung Alor, Dili celebrated this year Idul Fitri in a tense situation reported STL. The head of East Timor United Islamic Center (UNICEF), Zainul Husni said “this year Idul Fitri was celebrated in a tense situation because of the condition faced by mosque. We could not perform our prayers very well because of last week’s attack to the mosque said Husni. (STL)

France to Open Embassy in Timor-Leste President Xanana Gusmăo last Friday received the credentials for France’s Ambassador to Timor-Leste, Haver Ladsous. Speaking to journalist Ladsous said France will soon open an embassy in Dili which will enable the two countries to coordinate work in various sectors of the country. (STL)

Prime Minister Met Bishop Belo at Mosque Prime Minister Alkatiri joined Belo at the Al Munawaroh Mosque in Dili last Friday to take part in prayer services celebrating Eid al-Fir, the holiday ending the holy month of Ramadan. Bishop Belo apologized in general for the violence against Muslims last Wednesday reported Timor Post. (TP)

FRETILIN Criticizes UN FRETILIN, which holds the majority in Timor-Leste’s Parliament, on Saturday condemned the “manipulation” behind the recent riots in Dili, criticized “the delay” the UN reacted and reaffirmed its “total support” to the Government. A three-page statement issued by the party’s Central Committee was read to the media on Saturday by Francisco Guterres. The document says that UNMISET delayed “in the reposition of law and order” and in regaining “control of the situation”. The Timorese police forces, says the document, still under the command of international police, “should see in it an example of competence and professionalism, which are required in such situations, and not an example of inefficiency and incapability”. (LUSA)

Riots Allowed a Reevaluation of UN-Portugal Relations: A news analysis distributed on Saturday by the Portuguese news agency LUSA states that several diplomatic and Government sources affirm that last week’s Timorese crisis allowed the UN and Portugal to begin a “long-time waited” revision of their relations. The central point in this reevaluation process was brought to public attention when the Portuguese authorities decided to call to their direct command the Portuguese troops integrated into the UN PKF, “in defense of Portuguese nationals and interests, and maintaining a visible presence in the capital”, said the news agency. LUSA argues that Portugal did the same thing as Australia, which, last September ­ without previous consultation with UN and Timorese authorities ­ put Dili under “state of siege, based in information received about terrorist threats”. The current situation allowed Portugal to tell the UN “if you do not do it, we’ll do, and whatever is not done multilaterally can de performed in a bilateral way”, a diplomat told the news agency. Lusa recalled that Foreign Minister Ramos Horta had said that the intervention of the Portuguese soldiers “had saved the situation”. The news agency goes on to say that question like difficulties to the placement of Portuguese consultants in the UN mission, the role of the Portuguese language “and the obstacles frequently raised by the UN” are among the issues raised by the present situation. (LUSA)

Vieira de Mello commented incidents In Oporto (Portugal), where he has been attending a conference of the European Security and Cooperation Organization, the former UN administrator for Timor-Leste told the media on Saturday that he was convinced that groups of organized agitators were responsible for the recent riots in Dili. Mello said, “We know who they are”. He recognized that the Timorese anti-riot forces had been prepared “in haste” and that the UN should keep committed in their training. (LUSA)

GNR are Not Anti-Riots Specialists The majority of the 12 members of Portuguese GNR expected in Dili before the end of December have no anti-riot preparation, for they were trained to be simple “observers”, reported LUSA on Saturday. According to the news agency, both Portuguese authorities and the Timorese Government had stated that the arrival of the GNR soldiers would represent a “positive contribution” for the organization of an anti-riot force in Timor-Leste. The arrival of the group will not solve any problem, reported the news agency, citing a source of the “international police” in Dili. (LUSA)

Ramos Horta Does Not Intend to Become Prime Minister Interviewed by LUSA, Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said that he wants to leave his Ministry and that he is “not interested” in being appointed Prime Minister. His statement was made following a story carried by Lisbon’s weekly Expresso on Saturday. According to Expresso, Ramos Horta would replace Alkatiri as Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister. Ramos Horta said that it is understandable “and normal” that Mari Alkatiri would not follow President Gusmao’s suggestion for replacing Ministers. He added “it is essential to find a solution which contemplates the authority of the Government, of the President and also of the member of the Government”. (LUSA)

Indonesia: Increase of Illegal Entrants from Timor-Leste The Indonesian news agency ANTARA reported on Saturday that the administration chief of Belu district, which directly borders on Timor-Leste, said the number of illegal entrants into Indonesian territory from the newly independent State had increased lately. “There has been an increase in the number of illegal border crossers from East Timor. Some of them are now undergoing the necessary legal processes”, the administrator told ANTARA. He said he had given full authority to local security agencies to take determined measures against the illegal border crossers. (ANTARA)


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