LATEST DEVELOPMENT FORCE COMMANDER'S CORNER SECTOR NEWS KOBE NEWS FLIGHT SCHEDULE FAREWELL SCHEDULE ADMIN ANNOUNCEMENT SOCIAL ACTIVITIES VIP VISITS UN MEDAL CEREMONY HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS RELATED NEWS Wednesday, April 13, 2008 WELCOME! THIS IS THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN EAST TIMOR. THANKS FOR THE VISIT. WE CANNOT BE SAVED WITHOUT WISDOM. FOR KNOWLEDGE IS POWER BUT ONLY WISDOM IS LIBERTY. ANONYMOUS. PICTURES FEEDBACK HOME PKF FC OFFICE Quote of the Day Historical Landmark Joke of the Day I can click your day! What's on your mind? Send us your thoughts! The G-Spot! Find Out and know why Your Daily Inspiration Chief of the Australian Defence Force Admiral C.A. Barrie Chief of the Australian Army Lieutenant General P.J. Cosgrove USGET Picture Archive UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration In East Timor This links you to PDI Interactive USGET Humanitarian Efforts JORBATT's Role In ET PHILBATT in action ROKBATTat the scene UNTAET VIP Visits Upcoming Holidays in East Timor Click on the Story of the MMU- find out more! What's on your mind? Putting one's life on the line so that others may live! By Snake There are 24 nations committing their forces under the United Nations Peacekeeping mission in this part of the world. As proud members of this global concern, we are helping in whatever we can to improve life through our pure resolve in the vast reconstruction of this once troubled nation. As we keep on maintaining a secure environment, the Peacekeeping Force continues to live up with the ideals of the United Nations for peace and security, so that the children of today may benefit the future. We don't see it as an added responsibility but purely of human conviction to lend a helping hand to those in need. We are making it a moral responsibility to preserve life and humanity as we continue to display our courage and dedication towards that end. We fervently hope that for all our sincerest intentions, we are doing the right thing for the people of East Timor. We wish everyone the best things to come now and in the future! Happy New Year to the world! The Global Village by Snake The planet earth is shrinking not its size but the way people live and deal with each other. Races, varied are they; nationalities, ethnicities, divergent opinions, experiences, economic status and many more. There are too plenty to think and say which make us people of the world different from one another. But then, it appears paradoxically that all signs point to a new form of world's fashion in terms of authority, way of life and ideology. What do I exactly mean of this? Someway or another, people of the world would eventually form into one cluster form of government against not within the threat of disunity but more on an external concern which would martial all minds and intellect to save what is left for humanity.... Contact: The Web Master at 09207070070 or e-mail to [email protected] for any comments/suggestions/publication The Editor-in-Chief IRS (Snake) View Page Stats See who's visiting this page. It was on the 24th day of October 55 years ago when the World Body - the United Nations formally came to existence! We reaafirm our commitment to the time-honored principles and vivid sacrifices of peoples of the world for a lasting peace and security and for a better world now and for the children. NEWS BRIEF (Scroll down for news update) Internet is not boundless after all (See related story) Australian doctor claims proof that mobiles are bad for health UN Security Council Resolution 1338 re: UNTAET Mandate What We Know of Taps Mirror Mirror on the Wall....Whose Behind of it All(New) Game Simulations for the Military....anyone?(New) Latest News Advisory (Please Click) CIVIL MILITARY AFFAIRS DAILY BRIEF Very Important Announcement MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE WORLD 2004 Farewell! I'm leaving the mission. My one year tour of duty as a peacekeeper is completed. I just wanna wish especially the people of East Timor the best of things to come. You may continue viewing this site but it will not be updated. It remains on the web as part of history which can still be accessible on www.geocities.com/snake1ph/peacekeeper.html. The new URL to view for almost the same page with updates is www.geocities.com/snake3ph/peacekeeper.html Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. Capt. Isabelito "Snake" Sanchez, Jr, Philippines Philippines Open your mind by clicking below: The Book: The Hodgepodge of peacekeeping- my one year sojourn(******) Scanning the Media Environment in East Timor(New) Father and Son at the Forefront Re-unite (New) Test of Friendship Peacekeepers make life easier in East Timor Different ways...it leaves others to experiment What people can do but take for granted� Bedrock of East Timor...the fundamentals of politics Flying The Banner in the Sandalwood Isle Where the oil should be...where friction rubs UN makes feeble Timor midwife Portuguese Battalion behind Manufahi's Peacekeeping The Perspective of Rain in Alas When Davos Meets Porto Alegre: A Memoir Truth Serum-Nothing to loss, everything to gain! I'm just a mother Timorization: Quo Vadis? Marriage of the true minds... What kind of education is adequate? It depends It's a ticklish issue! Peacekeeping at its best - in restrospect The "Pinoy X-factor" in East Timor The Rising Expection Syndrome-a conflict situation Socio-Cultural praxis of an emerging nation-state "East Timor- Whose Future Is It Anyway?" Public Information: a simulacrum perspective Mind Twister: Can you handle? Add to your Favorites: www.geocities.com/snake1ph/peacekeeper.html Just for glimpse! General Powell Leadership Primer ATTENTION: PKF CODE OF CONDUCT Major General Tim Ford inaugurates a Bailey Bridge constructed by Pakistan Engineers in Suai. Full story below. Pakistan Engineers take a break by giving gift packs to children in Suai. Brigadier General Alfredo Assuncao, Chief of Staff PKF, is heard over Radio UNTAET Wednesday 3 p.m.( 25 July) during a live interview anchored by Ceu Brites, aired in Portuguese language. The Chief of Staff was speaking about the stable security of East Timor and the capability of the peacekeeping force to maintain that especially the period lead-up to the elections and after. �SS Bobonaro� rests pretty well and in good shape after a year of repair by Australian Engineers(L). Australian peacekeepers take a pose on board �SS Bobonaro� after pushing it into the water back (R). Full story below. Brigadier Richard G. Wilson, Commander Sector West (front left) withCapt. Tom Craig, his PI Officer talks to reporters at SW Headquarters yesterday (Jul 19). Full story below. Taking a look at the other side of the border from East Timor in Junction Point Foxtrot, Cova Lima District. NEWS RELEASE 23 August 2001 East Timor Defense Force Deploys alongside with Peacekeepers The East Timor Defense Force (FDTL) takes one big step initially by deploying its troops into the three major sectors in the security structure of the Peace Keeping Force (PKF) around East Timor, just in time for the first democratic exercise of the new nation on August 30th , a year ago since it opted to become independent. Initially, there are 66 FDTL members who were tapped to assist the PKF in the election period. This consists the first phase of deployment which started three weeks ago with each sector receiving two FDTL officers as Liaison officers with 20 strong FDTL men. The people of East Timor can be assured that FDTL which is their own armed forces, is slowly getting into the picture supporting the PKF and other UN agencies to achieve the most desirable security environment which would ensure a peaceful, orderly and successful elections in the forthcoming. The head of the transitional government Sergio Vieira de Mello, who is also the FDTL Commander-in-Chief wanted to assure the people that the �East Timorization� process is well underway when he directed FDTL troops to put themselves in areas where their level of training at least would allow them. A second deployment phase of the same strength will take place early September to maintain the momentum of the Timorization process especially in the countryside. Brigadier General Taur Matan Ruak, FDTL Chief of Staff has been visiting his troops. On August 21 (Tuesday), TMR visited Maubisse, Same, Gleno and Liquicia where his troops are deployed alongside Portuguese and Kenyan peacekeepers. TMR did not fail to notice his troops to have been doing a great job by closely cooperating with the UN peacekeepers. Gradually assimilating them into the security structure is a welcomed move that demonstrates an inevitable end state to achieve which is a capable and professional armed forces of East Timor, especially when most of the peacekeeping troops have been reduced to a minimum. 6 August 2001 Investigation on Border Incident Finds that Peacekeepers Acted within Reasonable Grounds An Independent Investigation has reported its findings into an incident on the 28 July at the border between East and West Timor. The incident involved an exchange of fire by UN Peacekeeping Force (PKF) with a suspected militia, who subsequently transpired to be a TNI soldier. The Investigation Team consisting of United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) concluded that the UN peacekeepers had acted within reasonable grounds, in engaging a man who they believed had fired on them from over the border from West Timor. The investigation established that the exchange of fire took place across the border (TCL) but that the UN Peacekeeping Force (PKF) patrol remained at all times on the East Timor side of the border. The PKF had earlier established an observation post following reports of activity by suspicious armed persons in the vicinity of the subsequent fatal incident. The investigation established that the deceased man was a TNI SGT who was out of uniform, carrying a service rifle close to the TCL contrary to orders from his superiors. It was further confirmed that two rounds were missing from the magazine of the weapon that was recovered at the scene. A spent shell casing was also recovered at the scene. The PKF has been involved in a number of confrontations with armed elements close to the border with West Timor since the peacekeeping mission was established in East Timor. The PKF wishes to note that the deceased had placed himself in great danger by walking armed and in civilian clothing in the vicinity of the TCL. The PKF Commander Lieutenant General Boonsrang Niumpradit has expressed his regret over the incident and has extended his condolences on the death of Sgt. Lirman Hadimu. BRIEFING NOTES PRESSCON 11 A.M. 1 AUGUST 2001 Update on the 28th July Incident An impartial investigation is being conducted by the United Nations Military Observer Group (UNMOG) as earlier agreed upon between the PKF and TNI officials in one of their recent meetings after the 28th July incident at the border. The UNMOG has requested the TNI officials for an autopsy report of the TNI soldier who was killed to determine the projectile that hit him. The investigation team has been inspecting the area at NTT side. They will also interview the peacekeeping troops who were involved in the exchange of fire at the border. This investigation being conducted by the UNMOs was the mutual agreement between TNI and PKF because of their authorized access to both sides of the border. They were given a timeframe as soon as possible to complete the investigation to establish fully the circumstances behind the incident. 30 Jul 2001 PKF Commander expresses regret over death of a TNI soldier Lieutenant General Boonsrang Niumpradit, Force Commander of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force (PKF) in East Timor has expressed regret over the death of a TNI soldier First Sgt. Lirman Hadimu during an incident at the border on Saturday 28 July 2001. The Force Commander contacted Major General William Da Costa, TNI Area Commander over the phone to extend his condolences, and that the PKF will work toward establishing the fact of the incident. 28 Jul 01 Peacekeeping Troops Along the Border Being Fired Upon Peacekeeping troops on forward patrol along the border 4k southwest of Tilomar took cover positions after one shot was fired at them by still unidentified number of armed men but suspected to be militias from West Timor across the border at 1 p.m. today. The patrol team belonging to the New Zealand Battalion (NZBATT) returned fire and immediately moved to a secure position. A helicopter was immediately deployed in the area to augment the team effort to identify the exact location where the shot came from. A man across the border was observed to be running for cover dressed in blue shirt and sporting a white hat with a weapon. Earlier at 8:30 a.m. yesterday, an Australian Aviation patrol noticed in the same vicinity the presence of about 12 persons carrying at least one weapon. Another person was seen 2km up north, carrying a spear or weapon and was noticed to be brandishing it aggressively at the direction of the aircraft. Earlier at 11 a.m., another sighting was reported 4 km southeast of Tilomar where 5 persons were seen moving on the eastern bank of the river Mota Tafara heading in a northwest direction. They were observed to be in civilian clothes, with back packs but no weapons visible. A forward patrol heard one shot. Sector West is being secured by peacekeepers from Australia and New Zealand Battalions under the leadership of Brigadier Richard Wilson. The Peace Keeping Force has always been vigilant against a militia threat from West Timor, and elements of the militia who may have infiltrated into East Timor. 27 Jul 24 Peacekeepers Launch another Bailey Bridge The Peace Keeping Force (PKF) launched another Bailey Bridge at Mota Lalik Nallah, along Junction Point-Foxtrot (JP-F) Road 4k northwest of Suai in East Timor. This is the only road link between Suai and JP-F. The Pakistan Engineers who are vital part of the peacekeeping efforts constructed the 100-foot bridge in just 4 hours Wednesday replacing an old one which was washed off by heavy rains recently. Major General Tim Ford, Military Adviser to the United Secretary General who is presently on a 5-day visit in East Timor inaugurated the bridge. He was accompanied by Major General Roger Powell, Deputy Force Commander PKF, and other high-ranking military officers of the PKF. The bridge rated to carry a maximum weight of 30 tons would benefit the people especially the refugees who cross from West Timor and also make it accessible to other agencies to reach the people in that area. The local community attended the inauguration who later received gift packs. The Military Adviser to the Secretary General and entourage later visited a building being constructed by the Pakistan Engineers to accommodate the Forward Surgical Team Facility which will be managed by members of Slovakia Medical Team. The new medical facility would respond to the health needs of the troops as well as the people of Suai. The Pakistan Army Engineers received a pat in the back from Major Gen. Ford for their commitment to the peacekeeping efforts. 24 Jul 01 Peacekeepers in Sector West Hand-over a Fishing Boat to East Timorese A dilapidated boat has finally been put to usable and perfect condition by peacekeepers belonging to the Australian Battalion (AUSBATT) for the people of Bicau, a small community at the northern coastline 10k northeast of Batugade. The fishing boat will be formally turned-over to the Bicau Fishing community later today during a ceremony to be attended by the local community and staffs from Sector West. Early last year, AUSBATT Engineers had identified the boat �SS Bobonaro� which started a long process of repair spanning across three AUSBATT contingents. It has received a motor donated by the Victoria Fisheries Department in Australia as well as several thousand dollars of equipment donated by the Mosman RSL in Sydney. The motor was recently installed by Curtin Bros in Port Hera and now it has been put in good shape and use. The turned-over is a fairly momentous occasion not only for the people of Bicau but especially those who put effort and initiative to bring back life in the boat. As part of peacekeeping operations, PKF�s humanitarian projects is a vital partner in getting things and people back to their normal lives. 20 Jul 01 Security Situation at the Border Stable �Security at Sector West is stable but militia threat remains significant at the moment,� Brigadier Richard G. Wilson, Sector West Commander said yesterday. �The level of threat is still the same because there are still rogue elements as it was before,� he said. The militias have dwindled in number and are now having a hard time for lack of access to resources nor support from the people. �But security is much stable at the moment.� �Sector West provides security against external threats from the border but also internal threats.� The good work done by the Australian Battalion (AUSBATT) and New Zealand Battalion (NZBATT), and other nations at Sector West, particularly in maintaining a good relationship with the people of East Timor contributed immensely in achieving a stable security environment. He said, they are prepared to support the election process to achieve a �free and fair elections that is successful.� Although security is still their main concern, they are prepared to support the election process if there need be at the last resort like transportation, saying �a �successful election is a very important to reach.� Meanwhile, at approximately 9 pm last night, an element of the Australian Battalion reacted to a report of 10 personnel armed with knives in the vicinity of Marko in the Bobonaro District. The Australian Battalion secured the area by establishing a cordon and maintaining observation onto the personnel who had occupied a house. Negotiators were used at approximately midnight, to urge the personnel to exit the house without their knives and talk to the soldiers. The personnel left the building peacefully and AUSBATT are conducting a routine investigation into the operation today. The operation was conducted in close consultation with the United Nations Military Observer Group and the Civilian Police. No United Nations or civilian personnel were injured during the security operation. 20 Jul 01 Slovaks Medical Team Arrives in East Timor Colonel Peter Daxner Commander of Slovakia Medical Team, together with 34 others from Slovakia are in East Timor as part of the medical component of the Peace Keeping Force (PKF) in East Timor. Arriving in two separate groups two weeks ago, the Slovak Medical Team is composed of doctors and other medical specialists. They will replace the New Zealand Field Surgeon Team who has been taking care of the medical and other emergency health needs of the peacekeeping troops and the people of Suai for more than a year. Capt. Stefan Ivanecky, a Slovak surgeon said, they will formally take over the medical functions from the Kiwis on August 1, this year after a new field medical facility will be in placed 50 meters away from Sector West Headquarters in Suai. Slovakia is a small country in Central Europe with a population of about 5 million people. She became an independent republic in 1989 from the former Czechoslovakia. Media Monitoring The painful birth of East Timor (NZ Herald) East Timor will soon have a president and a parliament. It is, writes GREG ANSLEY, a nation rising from the ashes. Two years after their first jubilant attempt at democracy exploded into a nightmare of murder, rape and destruction, the people of East Timor will return to the polls on Thursday to forge a new nation. This time the guns of 8000 troops and 1400 police will be turned outwards, protecting a people still struggling to emerge from the trauma of the carnage that followed their 1999 independence referendum and the legacies of 24 years of often brutal occupation by Indonesia and 400 years of Portuguese colonialism. But behind the vote, that will almost certainly deliver real political power to the Falintil revolutionary movement that led the fight for independence, are the harsher realities of freedom. East Timor is among the most desperately poor nations on earth and will remain so for many years, dependent on the goodwill of a world whose attention is too easily diverted by a surfeit of crises and pain. Poverty and inequality are endemic and acute shortages of capital, skills and resources are part of life. While hope remains alive, the slow cancer of disillusionment is stirring the first flickers of resentment and anger. The first battalion of their own army has been raised, equipped with modern infantry weapons from the United States and Belgium and training with soldiers from Australia and Portugal. But the border is still protected by New Zealanders and Australians, and troops from a multitude of nations led by a Thai general will remain beyond independence, winding down their numbers as the threat from militias in the west recedes. East Timor is a nation literally rising from the ashes. With remarkable resilience its people have shaken off the numbing trauma of the killing of their families and the sacking of their homes to rebuild from less than nothing, and to focus on a future they will shape for themselves. They will have oil and gas to provide income and food to feed themselves. In Xanana Gusmao and Jose Ramos Horta they have leaders of real international stature. They will soon have a President and a Parliament, and a place in the world. But Thursday's vote will be just the first step on a long, hard road. Two years ago, when the UN Interfet troops arrived, Dili was a smoking ruin - every shop, office, warehouse, depot and home systematically looted then destroyed, records burned, computers smashed, furniture broken, roofs ripped off. Every other major town, and most villages, suffered equally. The roads linking them were marked by squares of ash where houses had been torched. The countryside was denuded of people and livestock. Crops had been abandoned. The only food came from aid sacks. Where there was water, it was dangerously polluted or diseased. A year later most people were under cover, either in repaired or rebuilt homes, or living beneath blue UN tarpaulins. Primitive commerce had returned to the streets and to the rebuilt Dili market. Now children are back at school, the university and teachers' college re-built, re-equipped and well into a new curriculum, and power has been largely restored in the main towns - candles and kerosene will endure in rural areas for years. There is a legal system, judges, courts and police, a nascent bureaucracy aided by the return by Indonesia of photocopies of perhaps two-thirds of the records destroyed by the militia, and a vibrant trade in fruit, vegetables and other small consumer goods on roadside and market stalls. Local businessmen have returned with capital and ambition, second-hand cars from Singapore crowd Dili streets, and a wave of entrepreneurs - some good, others adventurers, profiteers, or fringe dwellers - have come from abroad, mainly Australia. The building blocks of a democratic society are being laid. Telephones barely exist outside Dili, apart from mobile coverage provided by Australia's state-owned Telstra group - and TV largely means videos distributed through the UN. But there is a new official language: Portuguese, to the distaste of many, especially the young, who would have preferred the far more widely spoken native Tetum. Bahasa Indonesian, while the language of the former oppressor, also remains in wide usage. There is also an official currency. The US dollar has displaced its major rivals, the Indonesian rupiah and Australian dollar, but not without controversy and no small profiteering at the changeover, when many traders simply rewrote prices from $A to $US, effectively doubling them at a stroke. The UN and Catholic Church have national radio networks. Falintil and a student station broadcast in Dili, and there are community radio stations in Maliana, near the western border, and Los Palos, on the eastern tip of the island. Dili has two daily and one weekly newspapers, although production remains based on the uncertain operations of a UN printing press and backup photocopiers. Journalists complain that the role of a free press remains a low priority for UN administrators and key Timorese politicians. Political ranks have swollen with the return of UN-guaranteed freedoms. The proliferation of political parties - 16 will contest the election - have presented Timorese with a confusion of choice: UN education programmes in many areas started too late for people who have never known democracy apart from a single, violent, vote for independence. This is why Fretilin is expected to win more than 50 per cent of the votes, and the largest bloc in the new 88-seat assembly that will replace the present UN/Timorese transitional administration, draw up a constitution, hold a presidential election and oversee independence. It was Fretilin's founding president, Xavier do Amaral, who first declared independence in 1975, shortly before the Indonesians swept in through Balibo and claimed East Timor. And it was the military arm, Falintil, led by Gusmao, which fought for 24 years in the jungle. Although Gusmao has not aligned himself politically with the new post-Indonesian Fretilin and will stand independently for President, the association of the two is an almost invincible brand. But there are divisions within Fretilin, some of which have splintered into rival parties and even into shadowy, semi-mystical groups that have attached themselves to former enemies still advocating rule from Jakarta. The odd blend of strict Catholicism and local animism that believed, for example, in Gusmao's ability to change into a tree at will, gave form to a small group of Falintil dissidents as the Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), who last year took their weapons and slipped away from the guerrilla army. They later became associated with Republica Democratic Timor Leste (RDTL), a pro-Jakarta party believed in turn to be linked to Partai National Timor (PNT), formed by turncoat Falintil fighter Abilio Araujo with Indonesian funds to promote autonomy rather than independence in the 1999 referendum. Although both links and involvement have been denied, UN investigators believe Sagrada Familia and RDTL may have been involved in at least some of the relatively few incidents of political violence that have occurred in the runup to the election. The absence of violence is one of the great achievements of Timor's infant democracy, formalised in a pact brokered by Gusmao between the 16 contesting parties, eschewing conflict and pledging unconditional acceptance of Thursday's outcome. With the chasms between parties ranging from hard-left activists to pro-Jakarta diehards, there is no shortage of controversy. Among Fretilin's strongest rivals is the centre-Left Social Democratic Party (PSD) led by Mario Carrascalao, a former East Timor Governor under Indonesian rule, whose wealthy family is distrusted by many and whose brother Jaoa has returned from Australia, where charges of fraud were withdrawn after a change of heart by witnesses. The PSD is a splinter from the Timorese Democratic Union (UDT), a centre-right party formed as a rival to Fretilin in the brief interlude between Portuguese and Indonesian rule. Other likely major players are the youth- and social issues-oriented Democratic Party, Associacao Social Democratica Timorese and the Socialist Party of Timor. Whoever governs East Timor beyond independence will have their work cut out. The economy grew by 15 per cent last year and continues to expand, but this is from an almost zero base and fuelled mainly by reconstruction, development and humanitarian aid, supplemented by the local coffee industry and its prospects in a recovering world market. Timor's real economic future lies in the wealth of oil and gas in the Timor Sea, which under the 90-10 split wrestled out of Australia will provide $A7 billion ($8.48 billion) over 20 years. This has hit a hitch with the decision by US-owned Phillips Petroleum and its partners to indefinitely defer exploitation of the biggest field because of Timor's decision to raise an extra $A1 billion in royalties, but most analysts have no doubts the wealth will be extracted. But even this will not be enough, with UN estimates suggesting projected annual revenues from all sources of $US65 million ($147.6 million) a year will fall far short of the $US100 million required to remain viable. Local wage rates run to about $US5 ($11.30) a day, and GDP per capita is $US503, well below even the $US712 of the impoverished Solomon Islands. This means East Timor will have to keep the rest of the world involved. It will also need to continue with a large infrastructure programme, urgent health and medical projects and comprehensive education and training initiatives for a population of which only half can read and write. With Aids an added threat, East Timor is struggling with infant mortality of 135 in 1000 births, far higher than rates in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and life expectancy of just 47 years for men, 49 years for women. A nation's birth could scarcely be more painful. Watchdog vents anger at Fretilin poll tactics By Mark Dodd (SMH) With six days before East Timor goes to the polls, a United Nations-supported electoral monitoring body has accused the biggest political party, Fretilin, of intimidating voters. The Independent Election Media Mediation Panel said Fretilin had been using threatening language to coerce voters. Various incidents of "verbal intimidation" involving Fretilin had occurred in the districts of Maliana, Bobonaro and Sames, the panel said. In a statement on Wednesday it accused Fretilin of breaching a July 8 Pact of National Unity, a non-violence accord signed by 14 of the 16 parties contesting next Thursday's elections for a Constituent Assembly. "Numerous witnesses including members of the MMP have heard senior Fretilin leaders use the words dasa rai, a Tetum term meaning sweep the ground, during campaign appearances over the past two weeks," the panel said. "This term has a very disturbing meaning for the people of East Timor because it recalls intimidation that occurred during the Indonesian occupation, when the military used the same term to describe military operations being conducted against the resistance." Representatives of the Independent Election Commission, the UN-appointed body running the ballot, declined to comment.. The Fretilin campaign manager, Mr Francisco Kalbuadi, did not deny the charges, but warned that any party official who breached the non-violence accord would be disciplined. Mr Kalbuadi said Fretilinhad received no formal complaint from the commission or the UN police. Fretilin had broadcast statements on UN radio and television publicly rejecting all forms of voter intimidation. If the allegations were true the actions were those of a small minority of militants and did not represent party policy, he said. "We [Fretilin] are against violence. People are free to talk to whoever they want. If this really happened we apologise and we appeal to any militants for peace and stability. That's what is important for this country."' Fretilin, founded as a radical pro-independence party in 1974, is the veteran of the resistance movement, with a huge support base among poor rural communities of East Timor. More recently it has renounced much of its 1970s-era socialist ideology in favour of free-market economic policies. A coalition of five East Timorese election monitoring organisations said yesterday that the political campaign had been peaceful and safe in almost every district. The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, said in a video message that the eyes of the world were on the East Timorese once again. "A spirit of peace and tolerance has marked the election campaign. You have clearly embraced the democratic process with great integrity and zeal." East Timor to welcome Japanese Self-Defence force personnel (ABC) Senior East Timorese political figure Jose Ramos-Horta says he welcomes participation of a Japanese Self-Defense Forces logistical unit in a U.N. peacekeeping operation, after the country gains full independence next year. Mr Ramos-Horta, who is in charge of foreign policy in East Timor's transitional government, made the remarks in a meeting with Japanese journalists in Dili. The Japanese government has already indicated that it is keen to dispatch SDF personnel to East Timor after its independence. But it was the first time for a major East Timorese figure to voice approval of the contemplated move. The SDF is limited to noncombat duties due to legal restrictions and current interpretation of Japan's war-renouncing Constitution. E. Timor Leader Prefers Photography By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer (AP) DILI, East Timor (news - web sites) (AP) - East Timor's independence leader Xanana Gusmao does not want to be the territory's first president. He would rather be a photographer. When the fledgling nation signed a landmark multibillion dollar oil and natural gas deal with Australia recently, he was not participating with other dignitaries. He was poking a camera in their faces. When about 5,000 people gathered earlier this month to witness the signing of a nonviolence pact between rival parties in historic parliamentary elections being held on August 30, he worked the crowd with his Minolta SLR. Flanked by a team of bodyguards, Gusmao climbed atop a platform and elbowed his way into the middle of a mob of other cameramen and photographers, vying for the winning shot. Having achieved his highest goal - leading his ravaged homeland to independence after 24 years of repressive Indonesian occupation and four centuries of Portuguese colonialism - Gusmao says he's had enough of politics. ``I would rather be a photographer than a politician,'' he told The Associated Press. His people may not allow Gusmao to slip out of public life so easily. Ask anyone on the streets of East Timor's capital, Dili, who they want as their first president and the answer will be a resounding: ``Xanana!'' ``He does not want the job. But his responsibility to the East Timorese people is to be the first elected president of this country. He realizes that,'' said his longtime friend and colleague, acting Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta. ``And he would starve as a photographer. He is very bad,'' added Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Gusmao is not a candidate on the upcoming ballot. However, he could still be elected to office in presidential elections early next year. Gusmao was born June 20, 1946, the second of eight children. At age 13, his schoolteacher father packed him off to a Jesuit seminary in the hills above Dili. In 1968, he got his first taste of life as a soldier when he was recruited by the Portuguese into their colonial army to serve three years of national service. Although Portugal was a neo-fascist state at the time, its army in East Timor was a hotbed of leftist activity. Most junior officers were reservists fed up with the bloody wars in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea Bissau. They indoctrinated their East Timorese soldiers, including Gusmao, with a healthy dose of social-democratic ideals that remain with him to this day. Portugal withdrew from the territory in 1975, following an army-led coup in Lisbon. Indonesia invaded in December, and Gusmao joined the resistance army known as Falintil, consisting mostly of former colonial troops. By 1982 he had assumed command of the war-weary guerrillas, who lived off the land and generosity of the people. This support helped them survive massive offensives by Indonesia's savage, U.S.-trained and equipped military. But a third of the population perished - the highest per capita death toll of any modern war. Gusmao and his men killed about 10,000 of the invaders, terrifying and demoralizing the occupiers. In 1992, the Indonesians captured Gusmao during a clandestine visit to Dili and jailed him in Jakarta. He remained incarcerated until 1999, when the fall of Indonesia's brutal dictator Suharto (news - web sites) granted the tiny territory the right to hold a referendum on self-determination. That August, the overwhelming majority of East Timorese opted for independence in a U.N.-supervised plebiscite, sparking a bloody retaliatory rampage by Indonesia's army and its militia proxies. Gusmao was released and returned to East Timor in October, after Australian-led peacekeepers had restored order and expelled the Indonesians. Hailed as a hero, he immediately set about promoting reconciliation between those who had been for and against independence. The half-island territory of 700,000 people is being governed by the United Nations (news - web sites) during its transition to full independence, expected sometime next year. With the impending elections, which will choose a new 88-member assembly that will steer the nascent nation to independence, Gusmao has stepped up his calls for national unity amid fears of political unrest. ``No more fighting,'' he told the crowd which had gathered to witness the signing of the nonviolence pact. ``During the past 24 years we have suffered enough. It is time for democracy.'' Despite the pressure to become president, Gusmao is acutely aware of the mess other new nations have found themselves in when former freedom fighters took over the government. He addressed the issue in his autobiography, ``To Resist is to Win.'' ``The history of the Third World is repeating itself,'' he wrote. ``The leader of the resistance will end up as president, even if he is not up to the task. Guerrilla commanders will be generals ... all because we were the heroes.'' Howard flies in for Megawati meeting August 12, 2001 Posted: 12:29 PM HKT (0429 GMT) CNN By staff and wires SYDNEY, Australia -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard is en route to Jakarta, where he will become the first head of state to visit newly installed Indonesian Prime Minister Megawati Sukarnoputri. Howard is hoping to make a positive start with Megawati's government, building on the sometimes-strained relationship he had with her predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid. Indonesia is Australia's closest neighbor, but the two nations have endured a rocky history. The most recent tensions arose when Jakarta expressed anger over what it saw as Australia's support for East Timor's independence movement and its subsequent leadership of a peacekeeping force deployed in the former Indonesian province in 1999. But Wahid, who was impeached by Indonesia's parliament last month, bolstered relations in June when he made the first visit to Australia by an Indonesian head of state in 26 years. 'Fundamental importance' "We shouldn't exaggerate the potential of the relationship, nor should we ignore its fundamental importance," Howard said prior to departing on a commercial flight from Sydney Airport. "Our relationship has had difficulties in the past, and we don't in any way pull back from anything Australia has done in the past, but we do look to the future." Howard is scheduled to pay a brief visit to Megawati, the 54-year-old daughter of Indonesia's founding president Sukarno, at Jakarta's presidential palace after he arrives in Jakarta late Sunday. A one-hour bilateral meeting is planned for Monday morning, followed by talks with Indonesia's parliamentary leaders Amien Rais and Akbar Tandjung. Howards visit comes ahead of a planned visit by Megawati to Washington for talks with President George W. Bush. New turmoil U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, the most senior foreign official to visit Jakarta since Megawati won office, said Saturday that Megawati had accepted Bush's invitation to visit Washington on September 19. But Howard also arrives at a time of fresh turmoil in Jakarta, with the U.S. responding at the weekend to anonymous threats of violence against its citizens in the troubled archipelago. Extremists have issued anonymous warnings that attacks against American interests in Indonesia were being planned, prompting the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to warn tourists to take precautions. In a statement, the U.S. consul said extremist elements could target U.S. government facilities, but said the threat also extended to tourists and hotel guests. "Americans in Indonesia should maintain a low profile, vary routes and times for all required travel and treat mail and packages from unfamiliar sources with suspicion," the statement said. Travel warning The travel warning updates an earlier call that advised American citizens to defer all nonessential travel to Indonesia because of separatist and religious violence in outlying provinces. A series of unexplained bombings have also hit the country. The Indonesian government has already restricted travel by U.S. and other international officials into Aceh, Papua and areas within Maluku and North Maluku knows as the Moluccas. The State Department is advising private Americans to observe those same restrictions. The travel warning notes that bombings of religious, political and business targets have occurred throughout the country. Also, some international travelers have been subject to arbitrary arrest and, in at least one case, false accusations of espionage. Most of Indonesia's 210 million people are Muslims, making it the world's largest Islamic nation. Muslim groups sometimes demonstrate outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta protesting Washington's alleged support for Israel in the Middle East. E TIMORESE YOUTH FIRES AT INDON TROOPS ACROSS BORDER Saturday, August 11, 2001 1:45:42 AM Atambua, E Nusa Tenggara, Aug 10 (ANTARA) - An armed East Timorese youth in Timor Lorosae fired at a group of Indonesian troops across the border last Tuesday in an attempt to provoke a clash between them and UN peacekeepers, a military officer said. However, there were no casualties in the incident, commander of the 131st Infantry Unit/Braja Sakti Task Force, Lt.Col.Agung Risdhianto, said here Friday. The shooting incident occurred across the Malibaka river, the tactical coordination line (TCL) inside the East Timor town of Bobonaro, which directly borders on Kewar village in the Lamaknen subdistrict of Belu, a town in East Nusa Tenggara (West Timor). Agung quoted several witnesses as saying Armindo, a bandit from Sassa and Atos villages in the East Timor town of Bobonaro, fired at the Indonesian troops with a pistol four times before fleeing. Armindo might have done the random shooting in the hope that the Indonesian soldiers would fire back and thus create new tension with the UNKPF following the recent killing of an Indonesian soldier by New Zealand members of the UNKPF, he said. When the incident occurred, the border area was crowded with people involved in illegal trading. Thus, had the Indonesian soldiers reacted emotionally and answered Armindo`s fire, they might have hit civilians on East Timor territory, he said. But none of the Indonesian troops opened fire at the crowd across the border although Armindo was standing in their midst when he pulled the trigger of his pistol. The TNI troops only fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd and thus get a clear view of who had shot at them . `Shortly after the shooting incident, we conducted an investigation and found a number of people who saw Armindo shoot (at the TNI),` he said. By coordinating with the UN peacekeepers from the Australian unit, he said the incident had been reported to a UN military liaison in Turiscain post, East Timor. Soon thereafter, a group of UN acekeepers, backed by a helicopter, swept the area to search for weapons and the suspect. `We are going to know the result of the UNPKF investigation on August 13 ...,` he added. An Indonesian soldier in plain clothes was gunned down by the UN peacekeepers recently, drawing a strong protest from the Indonesian government. East Timor was formerly an Indonesian province. The territory seceded from the republic as a consequence of the pro-independence outcome of a UN-organised ballot in August 1999. In brief: New Timor head Bangkok Post - Thailand; Aug 8, 2001 The United Nations has picked a Thai officer to lead the peace-keeping force in East Timor. Lt-Gen Winai Phatthiyakul, director of the Joint Directorate of Intelligence at Supreme Command, would replace Lt-Gen Boonsang Niampradit, another Thai officer, who returns to Thailand late this month. Lt-Gen Winai would take over command of the UN force, which comprises 8,900 soldiers from 24 countries, including about 700 from Thailand, at Dili. He would supervise the Aug 30 elections in East Timor, and oversee setting up of a constitution drafting council. Copyright � Asia Intelligence Wire UN: Peacekeepers' Action Justified DILI, East Timor (news - web sites) (AP) - A U.N. investigating team found that the actions of peacekeepers were justified in the fatal shooting of an Indonesian soldier last month, an U.N. official said Monday. The Indonesian soldier, a 21-year-old sergeant, was shot to death on July 28 in a clash with about 30 New Zealand troops. The soldier, who was out of uniform, fired at least two shots at the peacekeepers from the Indonesian side of the unmarked border before they returned fire. The exchange occurred about 21/2 miles southwest of the town of Tilomar, near East Timor's southern coast. ``The investigating team consisting of United Nations (news - web sites) military observers concluded that the U.N. peacekeepers had acted within reasonable grounds in engaging a man who they believed had fired on them from over the border,'' said peacekeeping spokesman Capt. Isabelito Sanchez. East Timor was devastated by Indonesian troops and militias after it voted for independence from Indonesia in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999. It is now under the administration of the world body, which has about 8,000 peacekeepers there. Border clashes between peacekeepers and militia fighters have raised fears of violence as East Timor prepares to choose a constituent assembly in Aug. 30 elections, ahead of full independence next year. Gen. Wiranto, the former military commander who was fired last year over allegations of human rights abuses in East Timor, told reporters in Jakarta that he was ready to be tried if prosecutors find evidence of wrongdoing. Like many Indonesians, Wiranto uses only one name. ``If we are found guilty then we are ready to be punished,'' he said, after a meeting with new President Megawati Sukarnoputri. ``We will leave it to the government to prove the charges in an honest, open trial.'' The trials of several soldiers and militia fighters, who prosecutors have implicated in the violence, are expected to start later this year. Even though state-sponsored human rights investigators accused Wiranto of being involved in the bloodshed, prosecutors have left his name off a list of those to be tried. East Timor: Security Council Divided Over Post-January UN Presence 3 Ago-18:30 The United Nations Security Council is divided over the organization`s presence in East Timor after the mandate of the territory`s UN transition administration (UNTAET) ends in Janary 2002, with differences centering on the amount and method of financing. Sources close to the process told Lusa Friday that France and the United States (both permanent Council members) had expressed reservation about the preliminary proposal for an extended UN presence, which was drawn up by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and submitted to the Council last week. Annan`s report, to be followed by a definitive proposal in October, calls for a continued UN presence in East Timor, with specialists in various areas, but with substantially less personnel than at present. France is seeking even greater spending reductions in the territory, a position it has manifested for the past several months, the sources contacted by Lusa said. The United States also favors limiting spending and at the same time questions the method of financing. Washington`s position is that the future mission`s civilian component should not be financed from the United Nations budget (funded by member-nations` compulsory payments) but by donations from countries that support the operation. Accordingly, peacekeeping missions should be financed by the UN budget, but not peace-building operations. The differences within the Security Council led to cancellation of plans to issue a statement on Wednesday, as a follow-up to the Monday meeting that reviewed Annan`s report. East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was occupied by Indonesia from 1975 to 1999, when an overwhelming majority of the population voted for independence in a UN-sponsored plebiscite. The territory has since been run by UNTAET, which has a mandate to oversee its transition to full independence. Trauma among NZ soldiers possibly behind shooting of RI soldier Antara (Atambua) A top regional military commander said here traumatic feelings over last year`s killing of New Zealand soldier Leonard Manning among members of the New Zealand batallion in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) in East Timor may have led to last Saturday`s shooting of an Indonesian soldier by a New Zealand serviceman on the border with East Timor. `I think they (New Zealand battalion) were so afraid that they strictly implemented the operation procedures on border surveillance issued by the UNPKF command,` said Udayana Military Commander Major General William da Costa here Tuesday. Manning was hacked to death by Jakobus Bere and friends in the district of Fotodebululik in Kovalima, East Timor, on July 24, last year. US$6.5bil gas pipeline from East Timor to Australia shelved DARWIN, Australia (AP) - In a blow to investment in northern Australia and cash-strapped East Timor, an oil company announced Wednesday it has shelved plans to build a pipeline from natural gas fields north of Australia to the port of Darwin. U.S.-based Phillips Petroleum said it has deferred indefinitely plans to build the Timor Sea gas pipeline which would have underpinned 13 billion Australian dollars (dlrs 6.5 million) in investment. Phillips said the decision was made unanimously with joint venture partners because of new financial issues raised in the Timor Gap agreement between Australia and East Timor signed last month. ''This decision may prevent commercialization of certain Timor Sea gas resources,'' Phillips said in a statement. The gas reserves are expected to be a major source of revenue for the fledgling East Timorese state. Under the Timor Gap deal, signed last month, East Timor will receive 90 percent of the royalties from the oil and natural gas drilling, with the remaining 10 percent going to Australia. Over 20 years starting from 2004, East Timor had been expected to receive more than dlrs 3.6 billion in royalties from existing and planned oil and natural gas drilling in the 75,000 square kilometer (30,000 square mile) area between the two countries. It was not immediately clear Wednesday what impact the decision not to proceed with the pipeline would have on the projected earnings. ''The deferral reflects the need to resolve certain critical legal, fiscal and taxation issues - arising from the Timor Sea arrangement entered into between the governments of Australia and East Timor on July 5 - before further investment can proceed in either the pipeline or in any gas or liquefied natural gas development,'' Phillips said. The 500 kilometer (310 mile) pipeline would have linked Darwin with the Bayu-Undan gas field under the sea between Australia and East Timor. Militia, Troops clash in E. Timor DILI, East Timor (AP) 28 Jul 01 UN peacekeepers and suspected militiamen exchanged gunfire near East Timor's border with Indonesia on Saturday, but no one was injured, UN officials said. A group of armed men fired a single shot at a company of New Zealand troops stationed close to the border town of Tilomar, said UN peacekeeping spokesman Capt. Isabelito Sanchez. The troops returned fire before the suspected militia group fled the area, he said. East Timor, which was devastated by Indonesian troops after it voted for independence in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999, is currently under the administration of the world body which has about 8,000 peacekeepers in the territory. The incident - the latest in a series of border clashes - comes as East Timor prepares for elections on Aug. 30 to choose a constituent assembly. There are fears that violence could disrupt the polls. Groups of armed pro-Indonesian militia have infiltrated East Timor from neighboring Indonesian West Timor since the arrival of international peacekeepers two years ago. Two U.N. soldiers were killed in militia attacks close to the border last year. Indonesia claims UN killed soldier KUPANG, Indonesia (AP) - UN peacekeepers shot and killed an Indonesian soldier near the border with East Timor, Indonesia's military said Sunday. First Sgt. Lirman Hadimu, 21, was shot four times on Saturday in West Timor, about 65 feet from the border with East Timor, local military commander Lt. Col. Budi Heriyanto said. Unlike East Timor, West Timor is part of Indonesia. Heriyanto said he met with Brig. Gen. Wilson, the UN commander who oversees that section of the border, to discuss it. He said Wilson acknowledged his troops shot Hadimu, who was out of uniform and carrying a weapon when he was killed. They agreed to investigate the shooting, he said. UN peacekeepers could not immediately be reached for comment. On Saturday, a UN spokesman said a company of New Zealand troops exchanged gunfire with suspected militiamen in East Timor, near Tilomar town. That is four miles from where the Indonesian soldier's body was found. East Timor was devastated by Indonesian troops and their militia proxies after it voted for independence from Indonesia in a U.N.-sponsored referendum in 1999. It is now under the administration of the world body, which has about 8,000 peacekeepers there. The latest in a series of border clashes comes as East Timor prepares for elections on Aug. 30 to choose a constituent assembly. There are fears that violence could disrupt the polls. Annan backs extended Timor UN mission By Greg Barrow at the UN United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has recommended that a UN military contingent should remain in East Timor beyond the transitional period following elections scheduled for the end of August. In a report submitted to the UN Security Council, Mr Annan warned of the continuing threat to stability in East Timor from pro-Indonesian militia groups which are still able to infiltrate the country's border with West Timor. Mr Annan said close attention should be paid to the security situation in East Timor before taking any decision on the size of the UN police or military presence. There is concern among some UN member states that the international commitment to maintaining peace and stability in East Timor is waning. Losing interest In the words of one diplomat, there is a feeling that East Timor is now out of the emergency ward and the time has come to look at scaling down the UN presence. But in a report submitted to the Security Council, Mr Annan said pro-Indonesian militia groups still pose a threat to both the internal stability of East Timor and the security of East Timorese refugees in West Timor. The report notes the concern that some militia elements may have adopted a strategy of lying low until the full independence of East Timor in the belief that the international military presence will be scaled down. Mr Annan suggests that instead, the current UN troops should be moved from peaceful areas of East Timor and redeployed in larger numbers in trouble spots like the country's border with West Timor. These recommendations are likely to win support from East Timor's allies in the region who believe the country still has some way to go before peace and stability are the norm. They fear that the huge international investment and progress in East Timor could be lost if a premature withdrawal of the UN military presence takes place. East Timor: Dili�s Leaders Meet with Six Asian Foreign Ministers in Hanoi 25 Jul-12:19 East Timorese leaders held a series of bilateral talks Wednesday with Asian foreign ministers in Hanoi, after participating in an ASEAN bloc ministerial meeting in the Vietnamese capital. Dili�s UN administrator Sergio Vieira de Mello, independence leader Xanana Gusmao and transitional Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta met successively with the foreign ministers of China, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines. Similar encounters were scheduled later Wednesday with the top diplomats from Malaysia and New Zealand. The ASEAN and bilateral meetings were "an opportunity to exchange information and analysis about the preparation" for East Timor�s Aug. 30 constituent assembly elections, a milestone in the countdown to the territory�s independence, the Timorese leaders said in a statement. "East Timor�s principal partners reaffirmed their commitment to guaranteeing that successes achieved up to now continue beyond independence", it added. Vieira de Mello and Ramos Horta depart Hanoi late Wednesday to attend a UN Security Council special session on East Timor slated for July 30. Gusmao returns to Dili later this week. East Timor: Urging �Solid Friendship�, Dili�s Leaders Congratulate Megawati 24 Jul-11:22 East Timor�s senior leaders, saying a shared "tragic history" should be left behind, congratulated Megawati Sukarnoputri�s rise to the Indonesian presidency Tuesday and called for a "solid and lasting friendship" between their neighboring countries. "In the name of the Timorese people, we congratulate Megawati Sukarnoputri and wish her much success in the noble task of leading one of the world�s greatest nations", independence leader Xanana Gusmao and transition Foreign Minister Jose Ramos Horta said in a message sent to Jakarta. The Timorese, who are in Hanoi attending a ASEAN ministerial meeting, said Megawati would be a "good president" and a "good friend" of East Timor. "Our two countries share a common border and a tragic history", Gusmao and Ramos Horta noted, urging the continuation of "the process of dialogue for normalization of relations and construction of the foundations of a solid and lasting friendship". In the message, they "lament the departure of our friend", former President Abdurrahman Wahid, referring to him by his nickname, Gus Dur. Wahid, who was dismissed by the Indonesian legislature Monday, had been a "good friend" and done much "to help repair" bilateral relations, following 24 years of Indonesian occupation and a wave of pro-Jakarta militia violence in 1999, Gusmao and Ramos Horta said. GO TO TOP 1
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