BACK DOOR Newsletter on East Timor

A collection of recent reports and articles concerning the impacts of the unjust Free Market Capitalist system on East Timor. 

NEW = Added to BACK DOOR Website since last Monday's Emailout

Portuguese:
Fev 3 Lusa: Fórum Social debate Timor-Leste e dilema de aderir ou não a economia de mercado
Notícias de 5 fevereiro 2002
"A quatro meses de proclamar a sua independência e sair da administração das Nações Unidas, em 28 de Maio, os cerca de 800 de mil habitantes de Timor-Leste vivem um dilema que deve ser resolvido nas eleições gerais de Abril: aderir ou não à economia de mercado, à globalização. Este foi hoje o tema de um seminário do Fórum Social Mundial, em Porto Alegre, Brasil, debatido por cinco organizações não governamentais (ong) de Timor-Leste. Segundo Isildo Guterres Tilman, da ong Centro de Desenvolvimento Económico e Popular, há uma grande pressão internacional de empresas, bancos e organismos como as Nações Unidas, o Fundo Monetário Internacional e o Banco Mundial, entre outros, para que o país escolha o caminho da economia de mercado. A pressão, segundo ele, é muito mais do que verbal." Manuel Lume, enviado da Agência Lusa

Dec 15 IPRD: Indonesia, ETimor & The Western Powers: A Case Study  Research paper added Dec 18
"III.V  The Real Agenda for [Western Humanitarian] Intervention: In contradiction to the [Fretilin] party’s past outstanding record of mass support and promotion of egalitarian social reforms, Fretilin has expressed its intent to implement free market capitalism under Western tutelage. On 6th September 2001, World Bank officials and UN administrator Vieira de Mello held high level discussions with Fretilin representatives in Dili on what the new government would comprise. They also met with Mari Alkatiri, Fretilin’s Secretary-General, to discuss the drafting of East Timor’s constitution. Clearly, the UN remains the principal authority in the enclave, while the new government that is set to come to power in the future will be structured and dominated by international agencies, principally the World Bank and the IMF, and thus foreign investors. The implications are disastrous." Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Development and a Researcher at the Islamic Human Rights Commission

Sep 20 Alkatiri: Swearing-in Ceremony of Members of the Transitional Government  Speech added Sep 22
"This Plan must be designed to alleviate poverty. In this regard we will be seeking the assistance of multilateral financial institutions, particularly the World Bank ... In our quest to promote economic development more rapidly, free enterprise and private sector led development shall form the essential tools of our macroeconomic strategy. In this regard, our government will, as a matter of urgency, initiate the creation of a conducive environment to encourage private enterprise. ... Allow me to use this moment to express our gratitude to the IMF for their assistance in the development of our fiscal and monetary institutions. We will continue counting on the IMF as well as the World Bank and UNDP to jointly engage in the task to end corrupt practices in management and to ensure the Administration is well respected." Mari Alkatiri, Head of Government, East Timor

August 2001 LHB: Phillips Petroleum and Canberra Play an Old Game  Editorial added Aug 25
“In October 1999, while Dili was still in smoldering ruins, East Timorese leaders indicated to the companies that they welcomed their continued investment in the Timor Sea. At the time, the leaders were not aware of the unfair investment incentives, which lay hidden in company contracts. ... it is ludicrous now to assert that East Timor is obliged to give the companies the benefit of the same unfair fiscal incentives that were offered to them by the Indonesians and Australians ... offered to attract companies to invest in a territory which belonged neither to Indonesia nor Australia.” former Political Affairs minister, Peter Galbraith
"There is too much money involved in the Timor Gap for Phillips Petroleum and its allies to not stay involved. The question is, under what conditions will they be involved? As the past conduct of Phillips and its allies in aiding Indonesia’s subjugation of East Timor demonstrates, they are not defending any principle; they are simply trying to ensure high profits. The East Timorese leadership is correct to insist upon a set of tax policies that is significantly more favourable to East Timor." La'o Hamutuk: East Timor Institute for Reconstruction Monitoring and Analysis

Feb 21 GLW: Scrap the Timor Gap Treaty  Article added Feb 21
"The Australian government is attempting to prevent East Timor from gaining full sovereign rights over vast oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea that are expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties over the next 20 to 25 years. By arguing that the current terms of the Timor Gap Treaty should remain unchanged, Prime Minister John Howard's government is trying to swindle the people of East Timor out of vital revenue, thus undermining an independent East Timor's ability to rebuild its shattered infrastructure and economy." John Land, Indonesia - East Timor Campaign Watch

Feb 19 TAPOL: Worrying trends or developments in East Timor  Letter added Feb 20
"The rapid influx of foreign capital interests [into East Timor] is undeniable and has been spotted by many, but what is especially useful in his [George Aditjondro's] interview is his identifying Indonesian army-related companies who are now involved as well. This is the kind of Indonesia-ETimor collaboration that should certainly not be welcomed and that should be exposed." Carmel, TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign