BACK DOOR Newsletter on Timor Loro Sa'e: Monday September 10 2001

Homepage: http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood

bahasa Indonésia.........

CONTENTS:
  EAST TIMOR'S ELECTIONS
  OTHER NEWS, ARTICLES & REPORTS
  UPCOMING AUSTRALIAN EVENTS
   A.C.T.-National-Brisbane-Melbourne-Perth
  OTHER RELATED LINKS
  ABOUT BACK DOOR
  EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

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EAST TIMOR'S ELECTIONS

Sep 7 RDP: New ETimorese gov't sets anti-poverty fight as main objective  Interview added Sep 10
"The eradication of poverty needs to be the main priority of this country. This means we should not only improve agricultural production, but we should also improve the educational system, the health service, the housing stock and the supply of water and electricity. These can be achieved in several ways: Firstly, through the decentralization of development, secondly, by solving the poverty problem, thirdly, by giving incentive to what I would call the urban exodus ... " Mari Alkatiri, secretary general of the winning party Fretilin Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor

Sep 6 RDP: Fretilin leader makes victory speech  Speech added Sep 8
"Fretilin is proud to have carried out and ensured an irreproachable election campaign. ... Fretilin reiterates solemnly its intention to constitute a government of inclusion, which will act as a catalyst for knowledge and the available synergies, to build and consolidate a state apparatus which is effective and without room for corruption, nepotism or the traffic of influence. A state where moral standards and ethics prevail in the defence of the public good and in the establishment and consolidation of a democratic state of law. Fretilin commits itself, before the Maubere people, to guarantee the construction of a democratic state of law in East Timor, and it will do its utmost so that nothing and no one is able to jeopardize this objective." Lu Olo, Fretilin’s president

Sep 6 RDP: Timorese leaders reiterate commitment to government of inclusion  Interview added Sep 8
"We have said several times that instead of thinking of a coalition between parties, we should think of a coalition of talents. This country needs skills to be reborn with vigour and this is what we hope to do." Mari Alkatiri, Fretilin leader & future first prime minister of the second transitional government of East Timor
"I think that Fretilin, above all, has shown that it reality wants a government of inclusion which will have people from parties which did not even obtain 1 per cent in the elections, one deputy - as long as the person has talent - this is a great historic opportunity, a golden opportunity for Fretilin to show that it is a party of statesmen. ... I would like to see the entire process of reconciliation, of inclusion to involve UDT, a historic party which was not very successful in these elections." Jose Ramos Horta, current foreign minister

Sep 6 East Timor Election Results (percentage summaries) Results added Sep 8

Sep 6 UNTAET: Final Election Results Announced Today In East Timor  Briefing added Sep 7
"Fretilin is the winning party, with 43 seats in the national election, and 12 of the 13 district seats. The 88-member assembly will consist of one representative from each of East Timor’s 13 districts, with the rest of the seats divided on a proportional representation basis. The seat allocation on national seats is as follows:
Frente Revolucionária do Timor-Leste Independente (Fretilin): 57.3 % of the vote, 43 seats; Partido Democrático (PD): 8.7 %, 7 seats; Partido Social Democrata (PSD): 8.1%, 6 seats; Associação Social-Democrata Timorense (ASDT): 7.8 %, 6 seats; União Democrática Timorense (UDT): 2.3 %, 2 seats; Partido Nasionalista Timorense (PNT): 2.2 %, 2 seats; Klibur Oan Timor Asuwain (KOTA): 2.1 %, 2 seats; Partido do Povo de Timor (PPT): 2 %, 2 seats; Partido Democrata Cristão (PDC): 1.9 %, 2 seats; Partido Socialista de Timor (PST): 1.7 %, 1 seat; Partai Liberal (PL): 1.1 %, 1 seat; Partido Democrata-Cristão de Timor (UDC/PDC): 0.6 %, 1 seat." UNTAET

Sep 4 Tempo: Xanana Gusmao: All Cabinet members will be Timorese  Interview added Sep 6
"Tempo: What will be the total number of Cabinet members and what will be the composition in its transition phase?
Xanana: The new Cabinet will be formed in mid-September. So I’m not really sure. But what is clear is that its size will be bigger than the Cabinet before the election. All members of the new Cabinet will be Timorese. They will be responsible to the Transitional Administrator until Timor Lorosae gains full independence." Tempo magazine

Sep 4 STL: Mario Carrascalao: Xanana Gusmao’s candidacy not challenged  News from ETimor added Sep 6
“But Xanana is a charismatic figure ­ the same as South African leader Nelson Mandela. So when there are contenders to the presidency, they have to accept defeat because no one would vote for them, ... Xanana is the figure who is able to unite all parties in a democracy. He is always able to cooperate and work with anyone. But Xanana also has his principles and does not like his name being used by political parties for their own purposes,” President of the Social Democrat Party (PSD) Mario Viegas Carrascalao

Sep 4 UNTAET: Further Results Announced In Constituent Assembly Polls  Results added Sep 5
"The Independent Electoral Commission today announced the final, yet-to-be-certified national representative results from the East Timorese districts of Viqueque, Lautem, Oecussi, Bobonaro and Ermera districts following the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections." UNTAET Daily Briefing 4 September 2001

Sep 4 DemNow!: East Timor Votes  Radio interview added Sep 4
"But East Timor is still far from being a truly independent country. 9,000 UN troops continue to occupy the territory. East Timor will celebrate its independence almost wholly dependent upon foreign aid. International agencies such as the World Bank and IMF are creating East Timor’s infrastructure almost from scratch, while foreigners already dominate the local economy ...
Guests: Jose Ramos Horta; Joaquim Fonseca, Yayasan Hak; John Miller, East Timor Action Network." Democracy NOW!

Sep 3 CIIR: Listen to East Timorese women’s voices, urges CIIR  Release added Sep 6
"It is clear that women in East Timor want to play a full role in shaping the future of their country. ... the women we have spoken to, both in the capital and in the countryside, are adamant that in order to exercise their responsibilities in building a new East Timor they need to be able to establish their rights as equal citizens. Whether or not they achieve this will depend on the continuing support of the international community: both to East Timor and specifically to its women." Catherine Scott, spokesperson for the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR) delegation

Sep 3 UNTAET: First Results Announced In Constituent Assembly Polls  Results added Sep 5
"The Independent Electoral Commission today announced the final, yet-to-be-certified results from the 30 August Constituent Assembly elections. District and national results were announced for five districts [Aileu, Ainaro, Covalima, Liquiça, and Manatuto], as well as the district representative for Lautem. All the district representatives provisionally elected thus far are representatives of the Fretilin party." UNTAET Daily Briefing 3 September 2001

Sep 3 YHak: Elections in the Context of Nation-Building  Release added Sep 4
"Much emphasis is being placed on the provisional figure of the 91% voter turnout. However this figure must be compared to the figure of 98.6% voter turnout in the 1999 Popular Consultation. In extremely difficult circumstances the East Timorese people demonstrated their will and understanding of the act of voting and its accompanying mechanisms. In 2001, in peaceful and secure environment, with the presence of heavily funded electoral education campaign, the voter turnout stands lower at 91%. Therefore the figure of 91% should not be read as evidence of a successful election, but evidence of the desire of the East Timorese people to have a voice in their future. ... This election is a step towards democracy, but is a small step in a long process to a successful transition to democracy." Yayasan HAK: Hukum, Hak Asasi & Keadilan (Law, Human Rights & Justice)

Sep 3 IFET Preliminary Election Observations  Report added Sep 4
" ... this election is a small but important part of the larger process of nation-building, leading to a constitution, independence, and self-government. IFET believes that this step has been mounted successfully, but that significant obstacles remain for a truly democratic process. ... We believe that the campaign and voting were largely free and fair, and that the results will accurately reflect the preferences of the people of East Timor within the limited issues and choices placed before them." International Federation for East Timor (IFET)

Sep 3 STL: Bishop Belo invites refugees to return because of peaceful election  News from ETimor added Sep 4
“You have all seen the way the 30 August election was conducted. It was peaceful and calm. Because of that, I appeal to all of you to return home to your country of birth so that you can live peacefully with all of us, ... We will congratulate which party that gets the most votes. Those parties that do not get enough votes must not be disappointed because they will have an opportunity again in four or five years time,” Nobel Peace Laureate Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo

Sep 3 Voting Behaviour, Outcome & Post-Election Role for the Int'l Community  Analysis added Sep 4
"A return to conflict in the aftermath of the election is a remote possibility. Simply put, however ingenuous this may sound, the uniqueness of East Timorese postconflict election, itself is a guarantee for peace and security. In other words, the risk of going back to bullet from ballot is minimal if not non-existence." Joao Boavida

Sep 1 RDP: UDT to challenge results of first free elections  Interview added Sep 4
"Sergio Vieira de Mello, head of UNTAET, the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor, has replied to the fraud accusations, made by UDT [Timorese Democratic Union] leader Joao Carrascalao, after the [30 August] elections [for the constituent assembly]. Sergio Vieira de Mello said these comments were alarmist and violated the spirit under which the political parties signed a national unity pact. He also said that the results would talk for themselves and that all irregularities pointed out by Joao Carrascalao, or anyone else, would be investigated by the Independent Electoral Committee. ... Speaking in a press conference, the UDT president blamed Fretilin [Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor] for crimes against humanity and demanded the UN to carry out a probe on the territory’s history of the period between 1974 and 1975. He added that this was a necessary step to preventing criminals from ruling the country." RDP Antena 1 radio, Lisbon, Portugal

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OTHER NEWS, ARTICLES & REPORTS

Sep 8 CM: Australian Labor MP on Tampa refugees and ETimor  Article added Sep 10
"Horta had been telephoned early on the morning of Thursday, August 30 (the actual day of the vote) ... to see if East Timor could assist with taking asylum seekers from the Tampa. ... East Timor had been the beneficiary of so much humanitarian assistance in recent years, they [Horta, Gusmao and Alkatiri] felt obliged to offer assistance." Labor MP Kevin Rudd, all-party [Australian] delegation to ETimor's elections

Sep 6 ETAN: Grassroots & Congressional Action Mark Anniversary of Timor Massacres  Release added Sep 6
“East Timor took an historic step with last week’s democratic, multiparty election. Yet, the U.S. and the wider international community have failed to fully address critical issues, ... The victims of past crimes require justice and all refugees in West Timor who wish to return must be able to do so.” John M. Miller, spokesperson for East Timor Action Network (ETAN)

Sep 6 CONG: Anniversary of Suai massacre & Atambua murders  Statements added Sep 7
"If we in the United States and the international community are not to fail the people of East Timor once again -
* We must support an International Criminal Tribunal  ...
* We must take immediate steps to protect and return home safely the East Timorese refugees ...
* We must continue to provide humanitarian, economic and development aid to East Timor ...
* We must continue to suspend all U.S. military aid and training to the Indonesian military ...
* We must strongly and unambiguously support the independence process in East Timor, ... " Rep. James P. McGovern

Sep 6 CONG: Anniversary of Suai massacre & Atambua murders  Statements added Sep 7
"I support Senator Harkin’s Resolution calling for the establishment of an international war crimes tribunal to prosecute crimes against humanity in East Timor. I have also worked with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont to restrict funding to Indonesia unless the Indonesian government allows refugees to return to East Timor and is actively committed to peace with East Timor." U.S. Senator Jack Reed

Sep 6 CONG: Anniversary of Suai massacre & Atambua murders  Statements added Sep 7
"An international tribunal on war crimes with a full mandate to investigate crimes both before and after the independence referendum is the only true path to justice and reconciliation in East Timor. I am proud to be the House sponsor of Senator Harkin’s resolution calling for an international tribunal on war crimes in East Timor. House Concurrent Resolution 60 has 58 cosponsors and has been referred to the Committee on International Relations." Rep. Lane Evans

Sep 5 UN; S-G rejects Australian proposal on Afghan refugees  Release added Sep 6
"The Secretary-General has discussed with his Special Representative for East Timor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers, Australia’s latest proposal to process in East Timor Afghan nationals currently stranded on a Norwegian container ship. The Secretary-General’s answer is “no.” He continues to support as sound and viable the UNHCR plan. That plan calls for the Afghans to be brought to Christmas Island in Australia, as the ship is currently in Australian territorial waters." Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, United Nations

Sep 3 ETimorese NGOs write to Japanese PM re SDF  Letter added Sep 6
"The Japanese government has shown their concern for East Timor’s reconstruction and has contributed the largest amount of funds to the Trust Fund for East Timor. Drawing from our experience of the past and view of the present, we offer the following views: * The Japanese government must publicly acknowledge that past policies have caused great suffering to the East Timorese people. ... * The plan to send a Japanese Self-Defense Force to join the PKF in East Timor should be abandoned. ... * There is no need to introduce a new military contingent from Japan to the international troops now present in East Timor. ... * We believe that security problems around East Timor’s border will not be solved by increasing the PKF." Yayasan HAK; Kdadalak Suli Mutu Institute; Gerakan Mahasiswa Pro Demokrasi; Grupo Feto Foin Sae Timor Lorosa’e; East Timor Women Against Violence; East Timor Students Solidarity Council; Sa’he Institute for Liberation; Fokupers; LBH “Ukun Rasik An”; Lao Hamutuk; Centro Desenvolvimento Economia Popular; Fundacao Haburas.

Sep 3 Jose Ramos-Horta re Pacfica Radio and Amy Goodman  Statement added Sep 4
"I was distressed to learn that Amy Goodman’s reporting on East Timor has been questioned and that some have alleged that the November 12, 1991 Santa Cruz massacre may not have taken place. As an East Timorese, I want to express my outrage that her account of the massacre has been challenged by a campaign of innuendo and insult. ... We are now working to build our own media and train our own journalists. I can only hope, that they will contribute to our democracy by probing deeply and asking the critical questions—the way Amy has always done." Jose Ramos-Horta, Winner, Nobel Peace Prize

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UPCOMING AUSTRALIAN EVENTS

Access details of A.C.T. & National Events at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/ACTEvents.htm

Book Launch Speaking Tour

BRISBANE EVENTS:

Access details of Brisbane Events at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/brisbane.htm

"Remembering Forgetting" by Ciaron O’Reilly. Book Launch.

MELBOURNE EVENTS:

Access details of Melbourne Events at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/melbourne.htm

“Remembering Forgetting” by Ciaron O’Reilly. Book Launch.

PERTH EVENTS:

Access details of Perth Events at:
http://www.pcug.org.au/~wildwood/perth.htm

Abstracts DUE 28 September 2001

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OTHER RELATED LINKS

RENETIL: Resistencia Nacional Dos Estudantes De Timor Leste  Added Sep 3
RENETIL is a youth and student organization that has been involved in the struggle for freedom since 1988. It began as an organization of East Timorese students attending universities in Java and its work organizing the resistance there led to many of its leaders being jailed during the Indonesian period. It is now working to secure a democratic future for East Timor through participation in the election process and other nation building programs.
Headquarters: Rua Gov. Serpa Rosa, Farol - Dili, East Timor; Mob. 0418805446 / 0409612017
Email: renetil88@yahoo.com

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