A
collection of recent reports and articles concerning the impacts of the
unjust Free Market Capitalist system on East Timor.
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Up-Dated: Feb 5, 2002
NEW = Added
to BACK DOOR Website
since last Monday's Emailout
Main Contents: BD:
Financing Reconstruction in East Timor
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