Handing Back Responsibility to Timor-Leste’s Police

Asia Report N°180 
3 December 2009

This executive summary is also available in Tetum, Portuguese and Indonesian.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The United Nations should hand over formal control of the Timor-Leste police as soon as possible. A protracted process that began in May has taken a bureaucratic approach to assessing whether they are ready to take charge, but the reality on the ground is that the Timorese police have long operated under their own command. Without an agreed plan for reforming the country’s police after the 2006 crisis, the UN and the government have made a poor team for institutional development. A longer handover may further damage relations between the UN’s third-largest policing mission and the Timor-Leste government, which has refused to act as a full partner in implementing reforms. The UN has a continued role to play in providing an advisory presence in support of police operations. For this to work, the government must engage with the UN mission and agree upon the shape of this partnership. To make any new mandate a success, they need to use the remaining months before the current one expires in February 2010 to hammer out a detailed framework for future cooperation with the police under local command.

Timor-Leste still needs the UN and stepping back is not the same as leaving too early. There is domestic political support for a continuing albeit reduced police contingent, at least until the planned 2012 national elections. A sizeable international deployment can no longer be left to operate without a clear consensus on the task at hand. Any new mandate should be limited, specific and agreed. The UN can provide units to underwrite security and support the Timorese police in technical areas such as investigations, prosecutions and training. These would best be identified by a comprehensive independent review of police capacity, and matched with key bilateral contributions, including from Australia and Portugal. In return, the Timorese should acknowledge the need to improve oversight and accountability mechanisms. The UN and its agencies must continue to help build up these structures and in the interim monitor human rights.

The UN took a technocratic approach to the highly politicised task of police reform. Sent in to restore order after an uprising in 2006, the UN police helped shore up stability in the country but then fell short when they tried to reform the institution or improve oversight. They are not set up to foster such long-term change and were never given the tools to do so. The Timorese police were divided and mismanaged at the top; the UN misplaced its emphasis on providing hundreds of uniformed officers to local stations across the country. It neglected the role played by the civilian leadership in the 2006 crisis and the need to revamp the ministry overseeing the police as part of a lasting solution. The mismatching of people to jobs, short rotations as well as the lack of familiarity with local conditions and languages clipped the ability of international police to be good teachers and mentors. Without the power to dismiss or discipline officers, the mission could not improve accountability. The government declined to pass laws in support of the UN role, sending a defiant message of non-cooperation down through police ranks.

In the absence of a joint strategy, structural reform has been limited. The government appointed a commander from outside the police ranks, compromising efforts to professionalise the service. It has promoted a paramilitary style of policing, further blurring the lines between the military and police. The skewed attention to highly armed special units will not improve access to justice, and the ambiguity it creates risks planting the seeds of future conflict with the army. Timorese leaders are attuned more than any outsider to the deadly consequences of institutional failure. To avoid this, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, an independence hero, now heads a joint defence and security ministry. Political quick fixes based on personalities may keep the police and the army apart in the short term, but they add little to more lasting solutions that respect for rule of law might provide.

For the international community, this struggle over command of the police between the UN and one of its member states contains many lessons. The slow drawdown of UN police in Timor-Leste is not the prudent exit strategy it may appear. The mission has been neither a success nor failure. Unable to muster consensus on a long-term police development strategy, it leaves behind a weak national police institution. The mission’s most enduring legacy might be in the lessons it can teach the Security Council not to over-stretch its mandates. The UN should think carefully about stepping in and taking control of a local police service, particularly, as in the case of Timor-Leste, when large parts of it remain functioning. Complex reforms of state institutions cannot be done without the political consent of those directly involved.

RECOMMENDATIONS

To the Government of Timor-Leste:

1.  Take steps to support the rapid resolution of as many pending police certification cases as possible, including passing any necessary legislation, and ensure that those with outstanding or future criminal convictions are removed from the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL).

2.  Develop a strong, independent oversight capacity for the police, either through overhauling the police’s internal disciplinary functions by making its operations fully transparent and public or, if necessary, developing a separate police ombudsman body.

3.  Implement the proposed new police rank structure to improve professionalisation and decrease potential for political manipulation of the police service.

4.  Avoid the militarisation of policing and clearly demarcate in law and policy the role of the police and army as well as the conditions and procedures by which soldiers can aid civilian authorities in internal security or other situations.

To the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) and the Government of Timor-Leste:

5.  Ensure that executive policing responsibilities are handed over to the Timorese police as soon as possible, spelling out the steps to hand back formal authority to the PNTL, maintaining a limited advisory and support presence for the UN police in operational areas identified as priorities by the government.

6.  Reorient future mission mandates towards maintaining a limited advisory presence for the UN police in those operational areas identified by the government and bolstering security in advance of the next elections in 2012, and clarify the conditions necessary before a future full withdrawal of the international policing contingent.

7.  Focus the future mission, bilateral efforts and government programs on solving existing training needs, equipment shortfalls, and fixing administrative processes identified in the joint assessments from the national to sub-district level.

8.  Commit to a fully independent review of policing capacity in Timor-Leste to be performed before the final withdrawal of the UN police contingent.

To the UN Security Council:

9.  Set realistic goals for a future mandate extension for UNMIT and recognise the limited capacity of UN police to play an ongoing development role with their Timorese counterparts.

To Bilateral Donors, including Australia and Portugal:

10.  Support an independent review of policing capacity commissioned by the Government of Timor-Leste and UNMIT, and commit to linking future development efforts to needs identified in the review under a common framework.

11.  Insist on a long-term capacity-building strategy centred on building institutional values of rule of law, professionalism and human rights.

To the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations:

12.  Conduct a thorough lessons learned exercise on UNMIT’s executive policing mandate, UN police’s development role, and the incomplete security sector review in order to inform future missions.

source: International Crisis Group

Secretary-General appoints Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh Special Representative for Timor-Leste

Source: United Nations Secretary-General

Date: 02 Dec 2009

SG/A/1206

The Secretary-General has appointed Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh as his Special Representative for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). Ms. Haq succeeds Atul Khare of India. The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Khare for his dedicated service and excellent leadership of UNMIT over the past three years.

Ms. Haq brings to the Mission extensive management and operational experience, particularly at the senior level. She most recently served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan as well as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan (2007-2009), and, before that, as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, as well as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan (2004-2007). Her broad management experience in supporting complex mission deployment activities will greatly contribute to her new role at UNMIT.

She was formerly the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Headquarters in New York. She served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Malaysia from 1994 to 1997 and in the same capacity in Laos from 1991 to 1994.

Ms. Haq worked in the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP Headquarters in various capacities from 1980-1990, which included responsibilities for aid coordination mechanisms and as Desk Officer for Thailand, Myanmar and Bhutan. She also had an assignment with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) from 1985 to 1987. She started her career in 1976 as a Junior Professional Officer in Jakarta, Indonesia and was transferred to Afghanistan as Assistant Resident Representative in 1978.

Ms. Haq holds master's degrees in community organization and planning and in business administration from Columbia University and New York University, respectively. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Western College in Oxford, Ohio.

For information media • not an official record

source: http://www.reliefweb.int/

Timor-Leste: Natercia Martins, "We've had enough conflict"

Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

Date: 01 Dec 2009

NAUMENARO, 1 December 2009 (IRIN) - More than 150,000 Timorese were displaced in the 2006 crisis, and several thousand more in a second round of political violence in 2007. Because of her husband's political affiliation, Natercia Martins, 34, was driven from her home in Ermera District in June 2007, only to return six months later to find it in ruins.

Reintegration for her and thousands of others remains a challenge almost two years later. The mother of nine told IRIN about her experience:

"I will never forget when they came. There were 60 of them - men from my very own community - looking for my husband. From outside our home they shouted his name, waved sticks and knives and demanded that he come out. But he wasn't there; he had fled to Dili days earlier.

"When they started throwing stones, all the windows in our house shattered. There was glass everywhere and the children began to cry. We were terrified and I knew we had to leave.

"I took the children and fled into the jungle from where we made our way to Dili. When we arrived, we met my husband and settled into Jardin camp. Many had fled with only the clothes on their backs. And though it wasn't our home, at least we were safe and we received help.

"Those first few weeks were tough; the atmosphere tense. We wondered whether we would ever be able to return to our homes and what we would find once we did.

"But after some time, things became calmer and we were told we could return. Of course we were hesitant, but we knew we had to. The government gave us around US$1,500 to help us but when we returned, we soon learned it wasn't enough.

"After we fled, our home had been ransacked and looted, while others found their homes burnt to the ground. How could we ever rebuild?

"And then of course there were our neighbours; the same ones who came to my home that night for my husband and who somehow I would have to live with again. How could we live in peace?

"After we arrived, a nahe biti boot, [a traditional Timorese peace and reconciliation ceremony called by village elders] was held and everyone from the community was invited.

"Strangely, we were supposed to feel happy about this, but I felt resentment. In addition to having to pay for the party, we also had to give small amounts of money to some of the very people who had threatened my family - from the money the government gave us to rebuild.

"I see these people every day. Naumenaro is a small community. When I look at them, I see the shame in their eyes, but I no longer feel threatened. All of us face much bigger problems and need help. My husband is a simple farmer and can barely provide for us.

"I remember that day vividly, but I also know it's time to move on. If we are ever to find true peace, we need to move forward and think about the bigger problems we all face like food, water, schools, health and jobs.

"We've had enough conflict."

ds/ey/mw A selection of IRIN reports are posted on ReliefWeb. Find more IRIN news and analysis at http://www.irinnews.org

Une sélection d'articles d'IRIN sont publiés sur ReliefWeb. Trouvez d'autres articles et analyses d'IRIN sur http://www.irinnews.org

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. Refer to the IRIN copyright page for conditions of use.

Cet article ne reflète pas nécessairement les vues des Nations Unies. Voir IRIN droits d'auteur pour les conditions d'utilisation.

source: http://www.reliefweb.int

• • http://www.timornewsline.com
    

    
    

    Govt holds political campaign in Parliament

    Diario Nacional , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    MPs Inacio Moreira, Estanislau da Silva and Cipriana Pereira have alleged the Government of holding political campaign during the debate for the 2010’s general state budget.

  • President Horta supports AKPS to go on strike peace rally

    Diario Nacional , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    President for the Timorese Nurses Association (AKPS), Luis Lobato said President Jose Ramos Horta would support them to go on strike if Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão would not sack Deputy Minister for Health, Madalena Hanjan from her post, but it should be the last alternative.

  • PNTL plays important role in the country

    Diario Nacional , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Parliamentary Committee B for Security and Defense Deputy President, Paulo Fatima Martins said all people in the country needed to access to good security and wanted to be protected.

  • Fatuhada village residents pleased with UNDP’s support

    Diario Nacional , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Fatuhada village residents pleased with the support provided by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in which it has rehabilitated office building of kindergarten in Luru-Mata.

  • PNTL officers should have good conditions

    Diario Nacional , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Parliamentary Committee B for Defense and Security Deputy, Paulo Fatima Martins said the Timorese National Police (PNTL) officers should have good conditions and that was important for the Government to guarantee and professionalize them in security aspect.

  • Govt should create proper conditions to build pipelines: Lao Hamutuk

    Timor Post , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Lao Hamutuk [a national NGO] has called on the Government to create proper conditions if the Greater Sunrise gas and oil field’s pipelines to be built to Timor-Leste.

  • Parliamentary Committee supports handing over security responsibility

    Timor Post , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Parliamentary Committee B for Defense and Security has declared that it supported fully the plan of the handing over security responsibility from the UN Police to the Timorese National Police (PNTL) of Vikeke.

  • Manufahi Development Network concerned about UN Police decision

    Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
    Manufahi Development Network has expressed concerns over the UN Police’s decision on removing a suspect of traffic accident from the police detention center without consulting the Timorese National Police (PNTL) in Same.

  Four patients infected by HIV/AIDS in Baukau

  Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
  The man in charge of HIV/AIDS in Baukau hospital, Marcelino da Cruz said four patients in that hospital were being infected by HIV/AIDS.

• MP Cipriana calls on Govt to support Ministry of Agriculture and MTCI

  Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 3 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
  MP Cipriana Pereira has called on the Government led by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão to continue seeking for fund to help support the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce and Industry.

• Opposition calls for Govt to pay attention to HIV/AIDS

  Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 2 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
  Fretilin MP Francisco Branco has called for the Parliamentary Majority Alliance (AMP) Government to pay attention to the Timorese people who have been positively infected by HIV/AIDS.

• STAE and CNE hold voters education for electorates in Zumalai

  Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 2 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
  Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (CNE) and National Electoral Commission (CNE) have held a voters education for the electorates Raimea village, Zumalai sub district of Kovalima on Tuesday (1/12).

• Media plays an important role in publicizing climate change: Govt

  Radio Televisaun Timor Leste , 2 December 2009- Summary by Alberico Junior
  Director for Natural Disaster, Francisco do Rosario said the media played very important role in publicizing climate change in the country to the public.

Indonesia 'bans' film on journalists' deaths in E Timor

The Balibo five were Malcolm Rennie, Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Brian Peters and Tony Stewart Indonesia has banned the film Balibo, which depicts the deaths of six foreign journalists in East Timor, the head of the foreign correspondents club said. The club cancelled a screening of the film on legal advice that they could face charges. The journalists died as Indonesian troops invaded East Timor in 1975. Jakarta maintains they were killed accidentally in cross-fire. But an Australian coroner found in 2007 that the journalists had been executed. The journalists - two Australians, two Britons and a New Zealander - were killed in the border town of Balibo as Indonesian forces entered East Timor. A sixth Australian journalist was killed in Dili shortly after when Indonesian troops entered the city. Successive Australian governments have accepted the Indonesian stance but Australian police announced earlier this year they were opening a war crimes inquiry into the deaths. Balibo depicts the journalists, working for Australian TV networks, being brutally murdered by Indonesian troops as they attempt to surrender. Diplomatic fears The head of the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club (JFCC) told an audience gathered for a private screening on Tuesday night that Indonesia's Film Censorship Agency had banned the movie. "I haven't received anything official but after consulting with our legal advisers, we decided it would be too risky because, while this is a private screening, it would be in a public place thus violating the law," said JFCC president Jason Tedjasukmana. Organisers for the Jakarta International Film Festival (Jiffest) said they had also cancelled their planned screenings of the film. "They told us that we cannot show the movie," said Jiffest manager Nauval Yazid. "The reason was not really clear. It is likely because of concerns that it will affect relations with East Timor and Australia." Indonesian military figures welcomed the ban. "It will only hurt many Indonesians," military spokesman Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen told the Jakarta Post. "The movie will only do irreparable damage to the ties between Indonesia, Timor Leste [East Timor] and Australia." Indonesia invaded East Timor after the territory descended into civil war following the end of Portuguese colonial rule. At least 100,000 people are believed to have died as a result of Indonesia's 25-year occupation. East Timor achieved formal independence in 2002. source: BBC

Deplu: Film "Balibo" Bisa Buka Konflik Indonesia-Australia

Film Balibo

Artikel Terkait:

• Deplu: Pelarangan "Balibo" Kewenangan LSF
• Film "Balibo" Dilarang Diputar di Indonesia
• Australia Bangkitkan Dendam atas Indonesia Lewat "Balibo Five"
• Kasus "Balibo Five" Tidak Pengaruhi Hubungan RI dan Timor Leste
• LSF Jamin Sensor "Balibo Five" Secara Independen

RABU, 2 DESEMBER 2009 | 10:30 WIB

Laporan wartawan KOMPAS.com Hindra Liu

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Juru Bicara Departemen Luar Negeri Teuku Faizasyah mengingatkan, film Balibo yang hendak diputar pada Jakarta International Film Festival pada Desember ini dapat membuka konflik antara Indonesia-Australia.

"Kita mengikuti dari resensi film. Ini berangkat dari novel yang bercerita dari satu sisi saja. Mengapa kita menciptakan satu sejarah berdasarkan satu novel?" ujar Faizasyah sebelum mengikuti rapat kerja antara Komisi I DPR RI dan Deplu, Rabu (2/12) di DPR RI.

Terkait materi rapat kerja hari ini, Faizasyah mengatakan, Parlemen dan Deplu akan membicarakan hal-hal mengenai kebijakan luar negeri di era Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu jilid ke-2 serta isu-isu khusus mengenai perbatasan dan ketenagakerjaan.

Balibo merujuk kepada kasus terbunuhnya lima wartawan asing, yaitu Greg Shackleton, Brian Peters, Malcolm Rennie, Gary Cunningham, dan Tony Steward di Balibo, wilayah perbatasan di Timor Leste (dulu Timor-Timur) pada tahun 1975.

Ketika itu, kelima wartawan asing tersebut tewas ketika tengah meliput masuknya tentara Indonesia ke Timor Leste. Pemerintah Indonesia mengatakan, kelima wartawan asal Australia, Selandia Baru, dan Inggris tersebut tewas karena terjebak di medan peperangan.

Namun, pengadilan koroner di negara bagian Australia, New South Wales, pada tahun 2007, mengatakan, berdasarkan hasil investigasi, kelima wartawan tersebut dibunuh oleh tentara Indonesia.

Film Balibo yang disutradarai Rob Conolly pun mengangkat kisah tersebut berdasarkan fakta di atas.

EAST TIMOR: Cross-Country Ties an Obstacle to Justice
By Matt Crook

DILI, Dec 2 (IPS) - East Timor’s leaders say bringing to justice perpetrators of atrocities committed during the Indonesian army’s occupation would sour relations between the neighbouring countries, but not everyone is so keen to forgive and move on.

Despite high-level stubbornness, justice can still be achieved so long as people continue to make their voices heard, observers said. 

"Speaking about justice is part of achieving justice, just as speaking about independence was part of achieving independence" Dr Clinton Fernandes, an East Timor expert from the Australian Defence Force Academy, told IPS. 

"Citizens—like the U.N. [United Nations]—do not have their own military or police forces but can create the political will to achieve justice simply by always speaking about it," he added. 

For years, the people of East Timor and international supporters have pushed for closure on the crimes against humanity committed during the Indonesian military occupation between 1975 and 1999. 

East Timor became independent in 2002, but at a cost of 180,000 lives, either killed in the violence or else left to die of starvation or sickness. 

The nation’s leadership is sticking to the line that if riled, Indonesia might close the border with West Timor, lock down trade ties or reconsider the futures of the 6,000 or so Timorese students studying in Indonesia. 

In August, Amnesty International released the report ‘We Cry for Justice’, in which one of the recommendations was for the U.N. Security Council to set up a comprehensive plan to end impunity. 

The report has now been translated into Tetum (one of East Timor’s official languages) and Bahasa Indonesia in the hope that people in East Timor and Indonesia will be able to see that their voices are being heard. 

"Every voice counts to see change on the ground, including media coverage on justice issues," said Isabelle Arradon, researcher on Indonesia and East Timor for Amnesty International. 

"Continuous coverage in the lead-up to discussions on [East Timor] at the U.N. Security Council in February 2010 is welcomed to show that the international community supports the calls of the victims on the ground, and to remind U.N. Security Council members that the view of the [East Timor] government is not shared by many in the country," she added. 

The firm stance of the nation’s leaders has been criticised by the U.N., which maintains that strong ties with Indonesia should not impede the need for justice. 

"To ask for accountability of the individuals who did really horrible things in no way undermines that [relationship]—it only strengthens it," said Louis Gentile, representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

With the recent passing of yet another East Timor massacre anniversary, there is disillusionment on the streets of Dili. 

Julio Barreto, 36, was there at Santa Cruz in Dili on Nov. 12, 1991, when Indonesian troops sprayed bullets into crowds of peaceful protesters, killing 270 of them. "We didn’t realize the troops were preparing to shoot at us," he said. "I don’t like them—the people who did this—they are well known as human rights violators, and everyone knows what they have been involved in." 

Like many in East Timor, Barreto feels let down by his country’s heads of state for the lack of accountability for the Santa Cruz Massacre and other crimes against humanity. 

"Instead of stressing out and thinking of those things that might never happen, I prefer to concentrate on work instead of thinking too much about bringing those people to justice, because it would take the leaders to do it, not the ordinary people like us." 

The issue of justice has been a sensitive one for previous governments, but perhaps none has been scrutinised as much as Xanana Gusmao’s current ruling coalition, most notably in recent weeks when the release of an Indonesian former militia leader sparked an international media frenzy. 

Maternus Bere, former commander of the pro-Indonesia Laksaur militia, was indicted by the U.N. Serious Crimes Unit for a bevy of crimes against humanity, including his part in the Suai Church Massacre in 1999, in which up to 200 innocent people were slaughtered. 

Bere crossed the border from neighbouring West Timor and returned to Suai, a city in East Timor, in August to visit his family. He was arrested and ordered by the court in Suai to be detained, but directives came from Gusmao to release him into the custody of the Indonesian embassy in Dili on Aug. 30 as celebrations marking 10 years since the nation voted for independence began. 

Bere spent a secretive two months at the embassy before being taken back to Indonesia on Oct. 30, making him a free man. 

In 2003, the Serious Crimes Unit indicted 391 people, including Bere, for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor, and yet most of them have lived as free men in Indonesia. 

The initial decision to release Bere could have toppled the government as the opposition Fretilin party and allies tabled a vote of no confidence that was debated on Oct. 12. 

Gusmao defended himself, calling it a "political decision" to free Bere. 

"[Indonesian foreign] minister Hassan… said that should there be no solution to the case of Martenus Bere, it could affect the relationship between the two countries," Gusmao told parliament. "He added that our refusal to cooperate in such a sensitive matter for Indonesia might force the Indonesian state to review their diplomatic policy towards [East Timor]." 

Gusmao’s government survived the no-confidence vote in what observers said was a sign of political stability in the country, but the justice issue is one that refuses to simmer down. 

"The struggle for justice is not a contest between Indonesians and non- Indonesians. Rather, it is a contest between those around the world who want justice to prevail and those who want to see impunity prevail," said Dr Fernandes at the memorial rites in October for Sander Thoenes, the ‘Financial Times’ correspondent murdered in East Timor 10 years ago. 

(END/2009) 

source: http://www.ipsnews.net

Indonesia bans Balibo

December 2, 2009

The Sydney Morning Herald 

Indonesia has banned the politically sensitive Australian movie about the Balibo Five.

Indonesia's censorship board, the LSF, made the ruling late on Tuesday, just hours before a planned premiere screening of Robert Connolly's Balibo.

Organisers of the event, the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club, were forced to cancel the screening just minutes before its scheduled start.

The LSF's decision means the Jakarta International Film Festival will also be forbidden from showing the film as part of its lineup.

Festival Director Lalu Rois Amri said he was disappointed by the decision and would try to have it reversed.

"Basically they won't allow us to show it, but I'm still waiting for the formal explanation," he said.

Balibo depicts Indonesian soldiers brutally murdering the five Australia-based newsmen in the East Timorese border town in 1975.

The Indonesian military was instrumental in convincing the LSF to ban the film, which contradicts the official Indonesian explanation that the newsmen were accidentally killed in crossfire.

The film's release in Australia earlier this year came just weeks before federal police announced they would conduct a formal war crimes investigation into the killings.

The probe follows a 2007 coronial inquest that concluded Indonesian forces deliberately killed the journalists to cover up their invasion of East Timor.

AAP

Indonesia bans Balibo movie ahead of premiere

Tuesday, December 1, 2009 | 1:58 PM ET

CBC News

Robert Connolly's acclaimed political drama Balibo chronicles the story of TV journalists killed for reporting on Indonesia's incursions into East Timor ahead of its 1975 invasion. (Toronto International Film Festival)

The Indonesian premiere of the acclaimed political thriller Balibo, based on the killing of TV journalists during Indonesia's 1975 invasion of East Timor, was scuttled on Tuesday after government censors banned the film at the last minute.

The Australian-made film, directed by Robert Connolly, had been slated to debut at a private screening hosted by the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club.

It had also been slated to be featured as part of the program of the Jakarta International Film Festival, which begins Friday.

However, just as Tuesday's screening was set to begin, the group learned Indonesia's film censorship agency had officially reviewed Balibo earlier that afternoon and had just announced a ban of the film.

Officials had previously launched a complaint about the movie in 2008, before filming began.

The agency offered no official reason for the ban. All films to be screened publicly in Indonesia must first be approved by the censorship agency.

"They told us that we cannot show the movie," Nauval Yazid, an official with the Jakarta film festival, told local media.

"The reason was not really clear. It is likely because of concerns that it will affect relations with East Timor and Australia."

Lawyers for the foreign correspondents club advised against defying the ban for fear of criminal charges.

Inspired by journalist's exposé

Based on the 2001 book Cover-Up by former freelance journalist Jill Jolliffe, Balibo tells the story of the Balibo Five: a group of journalists who remained in East Timor to cover the situation for Australian TV in 1975 (Jolliffe was evacuated).

The men, who were reporting military raids on the border town of Balibo and other incursions into East Timor, were killed about six weeks before Indonesia's invasion in December. A sixth journalist who travelled to the area to investigate their deaths was also killed by Indonesian troops. The occupation of East Timor continued for 24 years.

Indonesian officials have denied any wrongdoing in the deaths and claimed that the journalists took up arms during skirmishes in Balibo and were killed in crossfire

Balibo, which stars Anthony LaPaglia and was partially filmed on location in East Timor, premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2009 and also won a several awards at the Brisbane International Film Festival. It also screened at both the Toronto and London international film festivals.

East Timor President José Ramos Horta awarded director Connolly and producer John Maynard with the Presidential Medal of Merit in September when the film — dubbed in the Tetun language for local audiences — was screened publicly for a week in the capital city of Dili.

Also in September, Australian police announced it had opened a war crimes investigation into the deaths of the Balibo Five.

source: CBS News

News Asia-Pacific
East Timor's high child mortality


East Timor sits on an oil-mine of wealth worth billions of dollars, yet the country is still one of the poorest in Asia.
It suffers from shockingly high rates of child mortality and is struggling to contain the spread of the HIV virus.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from the capital Dili on why the situation could drastically worsen unless measures are taken to improve nutrition, sanitation and access to clean water.

TO WATCH THE VIDEO: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/11/2009112931744829955.html

Balibo film to get Indonesian premiere
By Adam Gartrell, AAP November 30, 2009, 10:03 pm

The politically sensitive Australian movie about the Balibo Five will premiere in Indonesia on Tuesday, without the approval of the country's censors.

Robert Connolly's Balibo, which depicts Indonesian soldiers brutally murdering the five Australia-based newsmen in the East Timorese town in 1975, will be screened at a plush cinema in downtown Jakarta on Tuesday night.

Organised by the Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club, the screening will take place even though Indonesia's censorship board, the LSF, has yet to decide whether to approve or ban the movie.

The Indonesian government has labelled the movie "offensive" and the military has called on the LSF to ban it. It contradicts the official Indonesian explanation the newsmen were accidentally killed in crossfire.

The film is also due to be shown in the coming weeks as part of the Jakarta International Film Festival, but those screenings could hinge on LSF approval. The LSF has formed a special team to assess whether the thriller is too politically sensitive for Indonesian audiences.

It has previously banned films about East Timor due to similar concerns.
The film's release in Australia earlier this year came just weeks before federal police announced they would conduct a formal war crimes investigation into the killings.

The probe follows a 2007 coronial inquest that concluded Indonesian deliberately killed the journalists to cover up their invasion of East Timor.

source: thewest.com.au

Integrated community health services in Timor-Leste

By Citizen News Service (CNS)


Feature Article : "The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Modernghana.com."

After a two hour walk across several hills and through valleys in a mountainous part of Timor-Leste, have Paula and her four-year-old daughter Maria arrived at a simulation exercise of the integrated community health service. Driven by guilt she embarked on her tiresome journey with febrile Maria.

As I watch Paula line up amongst the many others jostling to register for health care in this remote sub-district of Marobo, I could not help but wonder where all these Timorese had come from. This is a western part of the country with very little in the way of facilities or even infrastructure. Today's activities are being carried out on the grounds of a recently completed school, where a makeshift thatched roof of dried palm leaves is providing limited shelter from the scotching sun. In this covered area are several booths for the community to visit and receive basic medical care.

It begins with a registration booth. Many here proudly tell the assistants their names and where they have come from but the old swiftly fumble when asked their age. They are simple cannot remember. Shortly after they are given a slip of paper with their names written in bold, they are whisked away to the next booth. A couple of weighing scales are placed on the dusty ground and each individual is asked to stand on the weighing scales so that the health volunteers can take note of their weight and proceed to fill the next box on this slip of paper. Children too have come with their parents but many refuse to stand on these weighing scales, terrified of this strange object. This slows the pace as the health officials struggle to find a solution and finally a solution is in sight. Both parent and child step confidently on the scales, a record is taken. Then the child is swiftly removed from the parent for a split second. This is hardly sufficient time to take note of the parent's weight but it is done just before the terrified child is aware he is in the hands of a stranger. The result shows that many of the adults and children are underweight, some grossly.

Booth number three dishes out information on reproductive health and family planning, evidently thin on patronage but nonetheless those manning the booth are gradually soliciting interest. A husband and wife, with their three children ranging from eight months to four years, are being coerced into better family planning. The young mother is shy and giggles occasionally but the father seemed noticeably perturbed, not by what the ladies at this booth are saying but the restlessness of the infant in his arms. After a sojourn of less than ten minutes they make their way to the next booth.

It is here where a little more enthusiasm ignites the children. They are each given a bar of soap to wash their hands and dirty little fingers. It's the sanitation booth where parents and children are sensitized to the importance of basic hygiene. “You've got such a pretty little face but look at that black dirt beneath your finger nails,” exclaims the health worker who then embarks on cutting the child's fingernails. Embarrassed by the comments, the child nestles her face into her mother's armpits. She quickly perks up again when she's given a tiny bag containing a small face towel and a bar of soap to take home.

There seems to be a longer wait at booth five, several rows of young and old men and women, already seated in line, waiting their turn to consult with the several doctors available. Waiting patiently is Paula and Maria. “I just hope the doctors can tell me what is causing Maria to be this sick. I want some answers. Maria has been unwell now with a high fever for the last four days and when it gets too much, she screams and I feel so helpless. I cradle her in my arms and kneel in front of our altar at home,” says the mother of three.

The simulation exercise is gaining momentum. “I'm pleased to see so many people here today. This is a good sign that SISCa is working,” comments the Minister of Health for Timor- Leste, Dr Nelson Martin. But could this be because the minister himself has come from the capital, Dili and the district chief and village heads have mobilized the community to welcome the guest and his entourage? “I'm convinced at least some of these people have come for their benefit and not because I'm here. That is my hope after all the aim of SISCa is about community participation for equitable distribution of health care. But I also believe only through greater advocacy will this service work better ensuring health care for all is possible” stressed Dr Martins who is observing the last of the simulation exercises to take place today in this sub-district located in the west of the country bordering Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Maria is pricked on her finger gently by the attending nurse so that a rapid test on her blood can be done to check against Malaria. It clearly does not hurt her but instead she is intrigued by the process. The prognosis is negative for Malaria. It's a viral infection and because she has not had it treated till now, the infection led to the high fever. Paula listens intently to the doctor relieved so hear some answers. She takes note of what she should do with the medication she will receive from the pharmacists at the next booth and also how she can take simple steps at home to ensure this does not happen again to Maria or other members of her family.

“It will be awhile before we reach home now but I'm glad we came. Look even Maria is feeling better already it seems,” quips Paula as she places a bottle of water and some bananas in her a woven basket and begins her journey home.

What is SISCa?
Servisu Integradu da Saúde Communitária (SISCa) which translates from Portuguese to Integrated Community Health Services stands on the principle of “From, With and To the Community”, which signifies that it is the community who would help conduct the activity, mobilize people; men and women, children, youth, the elderly; together with all health workers to work side by side to give assistance, protect and improve the state of community health in the country.

Communities need to be part of this strong commitment to the importance of health. Hence, community leaders such as sub-district council members and chiefs, hamlet chiefs, youth organizations, women's' networks and other community leaders take the lead.

SISCa provides assistance in the areas of health promotion, prevention of diseases, treatment for sickness and rehabilitation as well as health interventions such as combating against infectious diseases, family planning, nutrition, maternal and child health and environmental health. It covers all sub-districts in all 13 districts in the country. Its activities are carried out once a month to ensure sustainability. The activities at SISCa last for a minimum of four hours, to ensure that communities will have time and the opportunity to participate. Community members play a role in deciding the schedule of SISCa activities.

- Citizen NewsService (CNS, www.citizen-news.org)