[Poster's note: Long repeats of international articles have been removed.]

Compiled by the Public Information Office from national and international sources

Daily Media Review

Thursday, 06 October 2005

National Media Reports

Carrascalão: PSD congratulates Fretilin on majority vote

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) via its President Mario Carrascalão has congratulated Fretilin on its majority vote in the recent village elections in Dili and Liquica. Carrascalão told journalists on Wednesday that he accepts the election results, including the fact that PSD lost, and respects the democratic exercise that was the elections. He reminded Fretilin however that the election results showed that they (Fretilin) have lost some of the confidence of the people that originally voted for them in the 2001 elections. The PSD President questioned why Fretilin did not win in the village elections in Bobonaro and Oecussi, but won in Dili and Liquica, reasoning that it seems that the majority party made full use of government facilities for campaigning in this latest round, with successful results. He said that PSD did not campaign for the village elections, preferring to reserve campaigning for the general elections. He also expressed his opinion that in these recent elections the people did not vote according to party, but voted for the candidates that they felt would best serve them. He compared Fretilin’s majority of 72% of the vote in the 2001 general elections with the 47% that they received overall in the recent local elections, saying that the people are less satisfied with Fretilin now than they were then. (STL)

PM Alkatiri: Government considering suspension of tuition fees

Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri has said that his government is considering the suspension of primary school tuition fees, to reduce the burden on parents in educating their children. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony for the new Hera Primary School, Alkatiri said that the government considers education to be very important and a priority for Timor-Leste, as inscribed in the National Development Plan, and on a more global level, the Millennium Development Goals. To this end, the Prime Minister said that the government is focusing its attention very much on education and training, and as such they plan to open another 60 schools in 2006. (TP)

President Gusmão visits F-FDTL Headquarters

Timor-Leste President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Xanana Gusmão yesterday visited the F-FDTL Headquarters in Tasi Tolu. Speaking to journalists after the visit, President Xanana said that in the three and a half years as President this is the first time that he has visited the Headquarters. He said that the objective of his visit to the Headquarters is to study the current issues of concern, in particular related to the work of the Superior Council for Defense and Security. He added that he would ask the National Parliament to approve the armed forces law, and that the government has also been requested to develop a national defense policy. (STL, JND)

MP Branco: Not yet necessary to present border problems to UN

It is not yet necessary to take the border problems that Timor-Leste is experiencing to the United Nations Security Council, according to President of the Fretilin bench in the National Parliament, Francisco Branco. Commenting on the remarks of the Minister of Interior earlier this week that issues of border conflict can be taken to the Security Council for resolution, Branco stated that in his opinion it is still possible for the two countries concerned to resolve the problems themselves, diplomatically. He explained that border conflict is a common occurrence in many countries of the world, and the few cases of conflict that have occurred on the border between Indonesia and Timor-Leste are no different. He said that he thinks it is more effective to resolve the problems via diplomatic channels, and that this will further build on the friendly relationship currently enjoyed by the two neighbours. (STL)

MP Isaac: No Chefe de Suco seats for PSD due to the lack of democracy education

Speaking to the media following the result of Chefe de Suco for Dili district, the independent Member of the National Parliament, Leandro Isaac stated that PSD did not manage to get any seat for Dili district in the recent Chefe de Suco elections due to the lack of democracy education programme by PSD, Diario Nacional reported. He added that when he was still part of PSD, he always talked about democracy education in order for PSD delegates to start explaining or teaching people about democracy, so that people are not scared since his/her/their freedom is guaranteed. (JND)

Minister de Jesus and Lu Olo on the hike in fuel price

Minister of Transport and Telecommunication Ovidio de Jesus said that he would raise the concern over the hike in fuel prices at the meeting of the Council of the Minister during this week. The rapid hike in the fuel prices has caused a two-day strike by the public transport. Meanwhile, the President of the National Parliament, Francisco Guterres or Lu Olo was quoted as clarifying to the media that the strong increase in fuel prices is not due to the import tax but rather it is due to the impact of international fuel prices. (TP)

Orientation and Consensus Required for F-FDTL to Provide Border Security: Ruak

F-FDTL Commander, Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak said orientation and consensus is required for members of the Armed Forces to provide security at the border. Ruak told the media on Wednesday that “in order to send F-FDTL to provide security in the border requires orientation and find greater consensus to turn the border into a development area”. The Head of the Defence Force said there are three important aspects: the relation/interaction with the population living along the border who are constantly travelling in and out to visit their relatives. Second, it is an area where living conditions are poor and through which 80% of the goods consumed in Timor-Leste are transported. He added that these are the aspects that one must take into consideration that the border should be a pacific area. (JND)

Regional Media Reports

Portuguese town councils support school rebuilding

A dozen small Portuguese towns are funding a project to rebuild schools in Timor-Leste and the latest establishment to be rehabilitated was opened this week. The primary school at Cairui, in the district of Manatuto, was inaugurated Tuesday after being rehabilitated and re-equipped in a scheme worth USD 15,000. The nationwide project was the brainchild of a Portuguese teacher, Rosa Menezes, in Timor-Leste since 2003 and currently an adviser to Dili's Education Minister. (Lusa)

Portuguese usage 'generalized' in less than decade ­ Ambassador

The use of Portuguese should be "generalized" throughout Timor-Leste in less than a decade, given the combined efforts of the government and Lisbon, forecasts Dili's Ambassador to Portugal. Noting that Portuguese was being taught in grades one through six, Ambassador Pascoela Barreto told Lusa Monday that "within five, six or seven years, Portuguese will be a generalized reality in Timor-Leste’s daily life". Barreto said the campaign to "reintroduce" Portuguese in the country, one of its two official languages, alongside the local Tetum, had made great strides since Indonesia's withdrawal in 1999. Progress had been achieved, she said, despite "some resistance" from parts of the population that were educated in Bahasa under Jakarta's occupation, a 24-year period in which the use of Portuguese was banned. Speaking on the sidelines of a Lusophone forum in the northern Portuguese city of Bragança, the Ambassador said that Portuguese usage had already risen to about 25% of the Timorese, from only 5% to 10% six years ago. (Lusa)

National News Sources Timor Post (TP) Diario Nacional Seminario Lia Foun (LF) Televisaun Timor-Leste [TVTL] Radio Timor-Leste (RTL) Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) Diario Tempo (D

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