LH 2009 Annual Report on line

La'o Hamutuk has published our Annual Report for 2009, including a description and evaluation of our work and its results, a list of articles we wrote or were cited in, and our financial situation. In the spirit of transparency, we encourage other organizations and institutions to do the same.

Reparasaun no Institutu kontinuasaun CAVR no KVA

La’o Hamutuk aktualmente kria ona pajina web foun ida kona-ba lei rua ne’e molok Parlamentu kria institutu kontinuasaun ida ba Komisaun Verdade nian iha ne’e no Programa Nasional ba Reparasaun nian, ho dokumentus, analiza, submisaun ba Parlamentu no ligasaun sira.

Liu tiha tinan sanulu ona hafoin okupasaun Indonezia nian remata iha Timor-Leste, no liu tiha ona tinan lima hafoin Comisaun Akoilhamentu Verdade no Rekonsiliasaun (CAVR) fo sai sira nia relatoriu komprehensivu, Parlamentu Nasional Timor-Leste, diskute hela lei rua atu kria instituisaun foun ida atu tau matan ba implementasaun rekomendasaun balun husi CAVR no Komisaun Verdade no Amizade Indonesia-Timor-Leste, no atu defini programa ida ba reparasaun nian.

Lei hirak ne’e, ne’ebe iha ligasaun ba buat balun deit husi rekomendasaun CAVR nian ne’ebe barak ba governu no instituisaun sira iha Timor-Leste no fatin sira seluk ne’e bazeia deit ba iha dokumentu konseitu nian ne’ebe dezenvolve iha tinan kotuk husi Grupu Servisu NGO sira no grupu vitima sira nian, ne’ebe kontinua ho Sesaun Plenaria Parlamentu nian hodi debate lei rua ne’e.

Submisaun La’o Hamutuk nian ba Parlamentu ne’e ho linha iha Tetum ka Inglesh no iha kraik. Pontus importantente sira mak ne’e:

• Ami suporta kompenzasaun ba vitima sira nebe’e vulneravel.
• Rekomendasaun hotu CAVR nian importante.
• Lei rua ne’e la lori ita atu hapara impunidade.
• Labele subar ka oho lia-los.
• Se mak atu responsabiliza atu hadi’ak estragus?
• Strutura Institutu Publiku ba Memoria tenke klaru.

Reparations and following up the CAVR and CTF

La'o Hamutuk has created a new web page about two laws now before Parliament to create a follow-up institution for the Truth Commissions here and to design a program of reparations, with documents, analysis, submissions to Parliament and links.

More than ten years after the end of the Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste, and more than five years after Commission on Truth, Reception and Reconciliation (CAVR) issued its comprehensive report, the National Parliament of Timor-Leste is discussing two laws to create a new institution to oversee implementation of some recommendations from CAVR and the Indonesia-Timor-Leste Commission on Truth and Friendship (CTF), and to define a program of reparations.

These laws, which relate to only a few of CAVR's many recommendations to government and institutions in Timor-Leste and elsewhere, were based on a Concept Paper developed last year by a Working Group of NGOs. This week, Parliament Committee A held hearings with local NGOs and victims' groups. It was hoped that a Plenary Session of Parliament would debate the two laws and pass them before Parliament recesses on 15 July. However, due the complexity of issues raised at the hearings and in meetings with the Government, Committee A decided to wait until Parliament returns from recess in mid-September.

La'o Hamutuk's submission to Parliament is on line in English or Tetum, and is abridged slightly below.  The main points are:

• We support compensation for vulnerable victims.
• All of the CAVR recommendations are important.
• These two laws do not move us toward ending impunity.
• Truth must not be suppressed.
• Who is responsible to repair the damage?
• The Memory Institute “Instituto Público” must have a clear structure.

Give input to Environ. Impact Stmt for Cova test oil well

The Italian oil giant Eni is inviting comments on its proposed Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Management Plan for the Cova-1 test well.  If approved, this will be the first oil well ever drilled in Timor-Leste's exclusive area.  Submissions are due by 23 July to the RDTL National Directorate for Environment.

Eni has contracted with the Italian company Saipem (of which it owns 43%), to drill the ultra-deep Cova-1 exploration well. The well will be in 1,930 metre deep water, and will extend 4,200 metres below the sea surface. The Cova EIS admits that this is an inherently high-risk activity (the current oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is under 1,500 metres of water). Eni hopes to start drilling in September.

La'o Hamutuk has posted a web page on this project, with background and Eni's proposed documents in English and other languages.

If you cannot write your own submission but have information or ideas you would like La'o Hamutuk to include in ours, please pass them on. Thank you.

Fo input ba konsulta kona-ba perforasun mina-rai nian iha Cova

Kompania Mina-rai gigante Italia nian, Eni, konvida komentariu ba nia proposta Estatementu Impaktu Meiu-ambiente nian no Planu Jestaun Meiu-ambiente nian ba explorasaun perfurasaun (posu) Cova-1. Karik hetan aprovasaun, posu ida ne’e sei sai posu ida ne’ebe fura dahuluk iha Timor-Leste nia area ezklusivu. Submisaun sira ne’e sei hato’o ba iha Diresaun Nasional Meu-Ambiente RDTL nian to’o iha loron 23 Julhu.

Eni iha kontratu tan ho kompania Italia nian, Saipem ( ne’ebe nia iha asoens 43%), atu fura posu eksplorasaun Cova-1 ne’ebe klean liu. Posu ne’e sei iha metru 1,930 ba tasi nia klean, no sei aumenta metru 4,200 husi tasi okos. Cova nia Estatementu Impaktu Meiu-ambiente nian  hateten sai katak ida ne’e aktividade ida ne’ebe iha risku ne’ebe as duni (foin dadauk mina-fakar iha Golfo Mexico nian iha metru 1,500 iha be’e okos). Eni hein atu hahu’u perfurasaun iha Setembru.

La’o Hamutuk publika ona pajina web ida kona-ba projeitu ida ne’e, ho nia hu’un no dokumentu ne’ebe Eni propoin iha lian Tetum no lian seluk.

Karik ita boot sira la hakerek ita boot sira nia submisaun maibe iha informasaun ka hanoin ruma ne’ebe hakarak atu La’o Hamutuk inklina iha ami nia submisaun, bele haruka mai. Obrigadu barak.

LH submissions on petroleum project EIAs

This week, La'o Hamutuk made two submissions to the RDTL National Directorate for Environment (DNMA) on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for upcoming oil-related activities in Timor-Leste's sovereign offshore area. The more important one is for the Proposed Exploratory Drilling Campaign in Block K (red on the map at right) to be conducted by Reliance Industries Ltd. Reliance wants to drill a test well which will go 2,800 meters below the seabed in 1,250 m deep water 112 km off the southeast coast of Timor-Leste. We have posted our submission on our website, but have not received an electronic copy of Reliance's EIA. 

Our submission concludes: "La’o Hamutuk does not believe that this EIA demonstrates that Reliance understands the risks, takes the responsibility, and has the capacity to conduct this exploration for the benefit of Timor-Leste’s people. Therefore, we urge DNMA to reject this plan, and to order Reliance to rewrite it, correcting the deficiencies and filling in the gaps. ... We believe that this document does not demonstrate the capacity, the intention or the specific actions which are necessary to ensure that this test drilling will be managed in a way which does not unduly endanger Timor-Leste."

The submission addresses these main topics:

• Reliance misunderstands DNMA’s role.
• Reliance has created a conflict of interest in Timor-Leste regulation.
• This EIA is not specific, and Reliance should rewrite it.
• This EIA includes much outdated, vague or inaccurate information.
• The danger of huge oil spills and other accidents must be seriously considered.
• Disposal of toxic and solid waste should be specified and planned.

See Blog Update 17 September 2010, and new LH web page on Reliance's project.

Earlier this week, we made another submission on Eni's proposal for a two-day 2D seismic exploration  called GeoStreamer in Blocks A and B. We asked that the seismic survey be suspended during the dark to protect marine mammals, that regulatory personnel be invited aboard the ship, and that the consultation process be improved. Eni's GeoStreamer Environment Management Plan is posted on La'o Hamutuk's web page on seismic exploration in English and Tetum.

Presentation: Situation in Timor-Leste

La'o Hamutuk presented an overview to some recent visiting delegations, and we would like to share it with blog and website readers. The 30-slide PDF file includes text, graphs and photos, and discusses four main topics:

1. Timor-Leste in historical context
2. Justice and reconciliation
3. Petroleum dependency and  the “resource curse”
4. Food sovereignty

We welcome your suggestions for additions or improvements.