Friday, 4 January 2008

UNMIT – MEDIA MONITORING

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National Media Reports

TVTL news coverage

Road to Bazartete blocked: In Liquica district, the road to Bazartete has been blocked by falling debris at several points, and the road to Fatumasi is effectively cut off.

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ALFREDO: Xanana is the author of the Crisis and investors should not trust him Alfredo stated: "…there is no guarantee from the government to resolve my issue this year. This crisis will get worse because of stupid government leaders who speak without any morals".

Alfredo advised international investors not to invest in Timor-Leste because the crisis remains unresolved. He asked how this crisis could possibly be resolved if those people who should be seeking solutions are the authors of the crisis, and added that if they (the government) are not able to resolve this crisis, they do not have capacity to govern.

Alfredo also strongly condemned PM Gusmão and the work of the Task Force which has achieved no concrete results, and stated that Xanana is a big liar, and has been since 1975.

Alfredo added that he has never been afraid of anyone, and that Xanana will go to prison for longer than anyone else because he is the author of the crisis. Alfredo and Salsinha are ready to act as witnesses. Alfredo also requested for a public audience with PM Gusmão on Television so that all people can see the reality. (TS)

Fighting in Ermera, 1 injured

The United Nations Police (UNPol) Daily Security Briefing said that a fight took place between two groups in Ermera district on Wednesday morning which resulted in a 30-year-old man sustaining injuries to his arm, and several windows of a UN Police vehicle being smashed. Police brought the situation under control, but later the next morning, the same groups gathered and threw stones at the police station. The situation has again been brought under control by the police, but remains tense.

Many bridges and roads throughout the country have been damaged by the heavy rain in the past few days. Ermera district is among the worst affected areas: Hatolia sub-district is virtually inaccessible as the bridge one kilometre east of Hatolia has been damaged by rainfall. The bridge connecting Ermera and Gleno has also been damaged and is unsafe to cross.

In Liquica district, police have managed to clear debris from several roads, and most remain open, if damaged. However, the road to Bazartete has been blocked by falling debris at several points. Police are working to clear this debris, but until they are successful Fatumasi is effectively cut off.

The security situation in Timor-Leste as a whole has been calm, although there was a large police operation in Dili on Wednesday evening.

On Wednesday evening, the UN Police (UNPol) Drug Taskforce, Dili District Police, and the Timorese National Police (PNTL) raided two bars in Dili as part of a successful operation to crackdown on activities related to illegal immigration, the sale of drugs, and possible human trafficking. A total of 21 women and seven men were arrested for identification purposes in connection with investigations into these activities.

Despite the damaged roads, police are able to reach all districts by helicopter in case of emergency. (TP)

Police Conduct Operation against Drugs and the Trafficking of Women in Dili

On the evening of Wednesday 2 January, the UN Police (UNPol) Drug Taskforce, Dili District Police, and the Timorese National Police (PNTL) raided two bars in Dili as part of a successful operation to crackdown on activities related to illegal immigration, the sale of drugs, and possible human trafficking.

At the Mona Lisa Bar, police found evidence of drug usage and identified eight females who were suspected of involvement in prostitution. All eight were arrested for identification purposes, in connection with investigations into illegal immigration and possible human trafficking.

At the Moon Bar, 13 women and seven men, all foreign nationals, were arrested for identification purposes related to investigations into the trafficking of women. The managers of both bars were among the arrested.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Timor-Leste, Dr. Atul Khare, congratulated UNPol and the PNTL for the operation:

"A crucial part of UNMIT's mandate is to ensure public security and support the Government in the consolidation of stability and the enhancement of a culture of democratic governance," SRSG Khare said. "Accordingly, we will not allow such activities to flourish."

Many of the arrested women are thought to have entered the country illegally and police recovered evidence of forged or altered identification documents. Police teams are working in close collaboration with the Immigration Service to process the detainees through the criminal justice system. (TP and STL)

Fretilin to give back Christmas envelope to the National Parliament (NP)

Ana Pessoa, a member of the National Parliament (NP) from Fretilin, said that Fretilin will give back all the envelopes containing US$120.00 as Christmas subsidy that were given to the members and staff of the NP.

Ms. Pessoa said that the money belongs to the people, who are suffering. (STL)

Police have not released two women accused of selling illegal drugs

The Interim General Commander of the PNTL, Afonso de Jesus, said that two women from Indonesia who were captured at the border as they brought illegal drugs into Timor-Leste are still in detention.

Commander Afonso de Jesus said that the two detained women will be investigated.

Mr. de Jesus said that the investigation will seek to identify the exact nature of the drugs, which will be taken to Australia for this purpose. (DN)

Veterans are asking the government to give an immediate response to the IDPs

Faustino dos Santos, a member of the NP from UNDERTIM, said that the government should view the IDPs' problems as the most urgent of all the problems in the country.

"Right now IDPs are living under tents in heavy rain. But the US$15 million that has been approved by NP could be used to accelerate the process of helping the IDPs to get home," said Mr. dos Santos on Thursday (3/1) in the NP, Dili. (DN)

Bishop Basilio: the family should educate their members Bishop Basilio do Nascimento of Baucau Diocese said that family is key in educating people about finances and life; the family is a community where people receive a moral education, when to be angry and when to be at peace. (DN)

Dr. João Mariano Saldanha: "Economic development in 2007 has been positive" An economic analyst of Timor-Leste, João Mariano Saldanha, said that Timor-Leste has undergone positive economic development in 2007.

According to Mr. Saldanha, the state budget of 2008 marks a 10 to 20% increase.

"This shows that that political stability is good even though there were examples of political activitism during the elections, and violence in the eastern part of the country after the formation of the new government,� said Mr. Saldanha on Friday (28/12) in Hotel Timor, Dili. (DN)

International Media Reports

Timor-Leste: UN police assist in crackdown on drugs, human trafficking UN News Center

3 January 2008 – United Nations police are not onlyy helping to restore security in Timor-Leste, where 37 people were killed and 155,000 others, 15 per cent of the population, displaced nearly two years ago, they are also cracking down on illegal immigration, the sale of drugs and possible human trafficking.

Last night the drug police component of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT ), together with local police, raided two bars in Dili, the capital. At the Mona Lisa Bar, they found evidence of drug usage and identified eight females suspected of involvement in prostitution. All eight were arrested for identification purposes, in connection with investigations into illegal immigration and possible human trafficking.

At the Moon Bar, 13 women and seven men, all foreign nationals, were arrested for identification purposes related to investigations into the trafficking of women. The managers of both bars were among the arrested. "A crucial part of UNMIT's mandate is to ensure public security and support the Government in the consolidation of stability and the enhancement of a culture of democratic governance," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative Atul Khare said in a statement today, congratulating UN and national police. "Accordingly, we will not allow such activities to flourish."

Many of the arrested women are thought to have entered the country illegally and police recovered evidence of forged or altered identification documents. Police teams are working in close collaboration with the Immigration Service to process the detainees through the criminal justice system.

The UN enhanced its peacekeeping and policing roles in the small South-East Asian country that it helped to shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002 after violence attributed to differences between eastern and western regions broke out in April and May 2006.

IOC, OIL buys into Timor block 3 January, 2008 10:29:10 AM GMT Filed from Singapore Offshore News

EAST TIMOR/AUSTRALIA: Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) and Oil India Ltd. (OIL) will acquire a combined 12.5 per cent stake in Reliance Industries' East Timor Block K located on the North West Shelf in a joint petroleum development area between East Timor and Australia, according to media reports.

In November last year, Reliance signed a production sharing contract with the East Timor government for the 2,384-square kilometer (920-sq mile) block. The offshore block is among the 11 shallow water and deepwater exploration blocks offered in a bidding round in May last year.

NATIONAL NEWS SOURCES: Timor Post (TP) Radio Timor-Leste (RTL) Suara Timor Lorosae (STL) Diario Tempo (DT) Diario Nacional (DN) Semanario Nacional (SN) Televisaun Timor-Leste (TVTL) Tempo Semanal (TS)

UNMIT MEDIA MONITORING