24 February 2010

Relatoriu Asosiasaun HAK kona-ba Direitus Umanus iha Distritu sira iha parte Oeste

Semana kotuk, Asosiasaun HAK publika relatoriu ida kona-ba Direitus Umanu iha distritu Covalima no Bobonaro, iha ne’ebé Polisia halao operasaun espesial hodi responde ba informasaun atividade grupo “ninja”. Tuir ligasaun ne’e hodi akompanha kumunikadu impresa iha Tetum no Ingles, no mos relatoriu tomak iha Tetum no Ingles.

HAK haruka ekipa ida ba distritu Bobonaro no Covalima ne’ebé “halibur informasaun husi autoridade komunitariu, governantes lokal, vitima balun, suspeitu sira, membru komunidade, no husi observasaun direitamente ba situasaun fatin sira ne’ebé mensiona eziste terror ‘ninja’. Bazeia ba ami nia observasaun, ami husu atensaun diak husi orgaun kompetenti sira hodi evita situasaun violasaun direitu umanus sai pior liu.”
  1. Rumores Kona-ba “Ninja”
  2. Kazu krimi sira ne’ebé konsidera nudar asaun “Ninja”
  3. Efeitus husi Operasaun PNTL “Kombate Ninja”

Tuir mai iha preokupasaun balun no rekomendasaun tuir mai (hetan ona mudansa iha publikasaun ida ne’e). Tuir ligasaun iha leten atu hetan komunikadu impresa no relatoriu kompletu.
  1. Orgaun kompetenti sira ba seitor siguransa atu halo lalais medidas examinasaun ba politika (kebijakan) Operasaun “espesial PNTL” hodi kombate “ninja”. Iha ka lae nesesidade atu halao operasaun ho forsa polisia ho karakter militar, liuliu tan operasaun ne’e extende tan ba tempu fulan nen ne’ebé inklui ona F-FDTL?.
  2. Orgaun kompetenti sira atu halo lalais revizaun ba Planu Reforma PNTL, hodi nune bele asegura komformidadi ka konsistensia entre saida mak planeia no saida mak implementa.
  3. Parlamentu atu superviza oinsa PNTL implementa lei sira.
  4. Orgaun kompetenti (Unidadi Justisa PNTL ka Prokuradoria) atu foti medidas hodi hametin integridadi PNTL nudar instituisaun ida, no uza medidas propiu ba responsabilidade husi individu-individu membru PNTL ne’ebé komete violasaun direitu umanus ka halo hahalok krimi duranti operasaun komando “espesial” PNTL.
  5. Ministerio Solidaridade e Social (MSS) atu fo asistensia ba ema sira ne’ebé afetadu ka hetan konsekuensia sosial husi operasaun “espesial” PNTL.
  6. Se aban bainrua iha operasaun extra-ordinariu tan, presiza hasae kapasidade investigasaun iha Prokuradoria atu absorve suspeitu sira ne’ebé forsa seguransa sira. kaptura.
  7. Ba entidades hotu atu refleta historia ita nian no sofrementu naruk durante okupasaun Indonesia, atu sai ispiritu fundamentu ba politika dezenvolvimentu instituisaun PNTL no F-FDTL ne’ebé sai duni entidade sira ne’ebé sei serve povo, laos serve interese poder husi ema individual balun.
La’o Hamutuk hakerek anunsiu ida ne’e no publika relatoriu ne’e nudar ajudu ida ba ami nia vizino besik HAK, ne’ebé sira iha problema ho internet no asesu ba e-mail (ida ne’e besik akontese ba ema hotu iha Timor-Leste). Maske ami la involve iha produzaun relatoriu ida ne’e, ami fiar katak kontuidu relatoriu ne’e sei espalha luan liu tan.

HAK Association report on Human Rights in western districts

Last week, the HAK Association published a report on Human Rights in Covalima and Bobonaro districts, where Timor-Leste's police were conducting special operations in response to reported activities of "ninja" groups. Follow links for the accompanying press release in Tetum and English, as well as Tetum and English versions of the full report.

HAK sent a team to Bobonaro and Covalima districts which "gathered information from community authorities and local government, some victims, suspects, community members, and from direct observation of the situation where 'ninja' threats might exist. Based on our observations, we urge immediate attention by the responsible authorities to prevent a worsening situation and further human rights violations."

Their report has three main sections:
1. Rumors About  "Ninja"

2. Criminal Cases Being Considered as "Ninja" Activity
3. The Effects of the PNTL Operation "Combat Ninja"

These are followed by some Concerns and the following Recommendations (abridged in this posting).  Follow the links above for complete press release and report.
 
1. The responsible organs for the security sector quickly examine the policy for the "special PNTL" operation to combat "ninja". Is it necessary to undertake an operation with police force characteristic of the military, and particularly an operation extended for six months that includes Falintil-Defense Force of Timor-Leste (F-FDTL)?

2. The responsible organs quickly revise the Plan for PNTL Reform in order to assure conformity and consistency between the plan and its implementation.

3. National Parliament supervise how PNTL enforces the laws.

4. The responsible bodies (PNTL Justice Unit or Prosecutor) take measures to strengthen the integrity of PNTL as an institution, and use appropriate means to hold individual members of the PNTL "special" commando operation responsible for their violations of human rights or criminal behavior.

5. The Ministry of Social Solidarity (MSS) provide assistance to the people who suffered as a result of the "special" PNTL operation.

6. Future extraordinary operations require increased investigative capacity in the Prosecutor's Office to handle suspects detained by the security forces.

7. All entities reflect on our history and long suffering during the Indonesian occupation, so that the fundamental spirit for the development policy for the institutions of PNTL and F-FDTL can truly be that these entities serve the people, not the power interests of a few individuals.

La'o Hamutuk has written this announcement and posted this report as a favor to our next-door neighbor HAK, whose internet and email access is problematic (as it is for nearly everyone in Timor-Leste). Although we were not involved in producing the report, we believe that its contents should be widely read.

23 February 2010

La'o Hamutuk writes UNSC re S-G's report on UNMIT

La'o Hamutuk
Dili, Timor-Leste
22 February 2010

Members of the United Nations Security Council
New York, New York, USA

Dear Distinguished Members of the United Nations Security Council:

The Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis (La’o Hamutuk) is a local civil society organization which has monitored and analyzed the mandates and activities of the United Nations in Timor-Leste since 2000, during four UN Missions. We frequently meet with UN officials and write to the Security Council, especially about the still unfulfilled promise by the international community to end impunity for crimes against humanity committed during the illegal Indonesian occupation between 1975 and 1999.

We received the most recent Secretary-General’s report on UNMIT (S/2010/85) only a few days ago and would like to share initial observations before your open debate tomorrow. We welcome the chance to discuss these issues.

La’o Hamutuk participated in two meetings with the UN Technical Assessment Mission (TAM) in January, and we are glad to see some of our comments and others from civil society reflected in the Secretary-General’s report. We have not been allowed to see the TAM report, which we hope contains fewer reservations and qualifications than the S-G’s report.

The Secretary-General’s current report is more comprehensive and honest than the previous one (S/2009/504) which, as La’o Hamutuk wrote you last October, “left out essential facts, context and responsibilities.” We appreciate that the current report includes facts, observations and recommendations which may be uncomfortable for the United Nations and/or Timor-Leste’s Government. Unfortunately, the comfort of Indonesian officials remains undisturbed; the report’s 40 pages do not contain a single reference to Indonesia’s brutal, illegal, 24-year occupation which wreaked havoc on Timor-Leste. 

This report includes less self-censorship, euphemisms, passive voice and third-party attribution than other S-G reports since 2007. We hope that this indicates that UNMIT’s new leadership is ready to grapple with Timor-Leste’s situation more effectively. 

Historical amnesia pervades this report, as if Timor-Leste first appeared on the UN agenda in 2006 (for example, para. 33). In fact, many of the current problems in the police and military sectors stem from decisions made during UNTAET and from the way the UN trained the police and handed over responsibilities in 2000-2004. More fundamentally, the reason for UN involvement in Timor-Leste stems from the Indonesian invasion 35 years ago and the international failure to back up Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions. In a sense, UN responsibility for Timor-Leste since 1999 grows out of failures from 1975-1999; renewed attention since 2006 is an attempt to redress mistakes made in 1999-2005. If UNMIT and the Security Council do not learn from this history, the United Nations may lose Timor-Leste as a “poster child,” but the people who live here will endure far more severe hardships.

The remainder of this letter discusses a few areas where the Secretary-General’s report does not adequately address current context and future needs of Timor-Leste. Many of these areas, including public views on justice, the Maternus Bere case, the Justice System Needs Assessment, CAVR and CoE recommendations for the international community, the inadequacy of dialogue to prevent conflict, democratic governance, and economic sustainability, are discussed in depth in the letter and addendum La’o Hamutuk provided to the Security Council on 20 October 2009, and we encourage you to refer to those documents, as we will not reiterate their information. 

The rest of this letter discusses four main topics:
  1. Justice for past serious crimes
  2. Police and law enforcement
  3. Lasting security requires sustainable, equitable development
  4. Democratic governance

LH hakerek karta KS ONU kona ba relatoriu S-J kona ba UNMIT

La'o Hamutuk
Dili, Timor-Leste
22 Fevereiru 2010 
Bele hetan karta ida ne'e hanesan PDF ka iha lian Ingles iha ne'e.

Respeitu ba na’i-ulun sira Membru Konsellu Seguransa Nasaun Unidas:

Institutu Timor-Leste ba Monitor no Analiza Dezenvolvimentu (La’o Hamutuk), nu’udar organizasaun sosiedade sivíl ida lokál nian ne’ebé monitoria no analiza ona mandatu no atividade sira Nasaun Unidas nian iha Timor Leste komesa tinan 2000, durante misaun haat Nasaun Unidas nian. Ami enkontru beibeik ho Ofisial sira Nasaun Unidas nian no hakerek ba Konsellu Seguransa, liuliu kona-ba promesa sira Komunidade Internasionál nian atu hakotu impunidade ba krime hirak hasoru umanidade durante okupasaun ilegál Indonézia nian entre tinan 1975 to’o 1999.

Iha loron hirak liu ba, ami simu ona relatóriu foun liu Sekretáriu Jerál nian kona-ba UNMIT (S/2010/85) no hakarak atu fahe observasaun inisia molok ita-boot sira loke debate aban nian. Ami benvindu ba oportunidade atu diskute kona-ba problema hirak ne’e.
La’o Hamutuk partisipa ona iha soru-mutu rua ho Misaun Asistente Tékniku (MAT/TAM) Nasaun Unidas iha fulan Janeiru, no ami haksolok atu haree ami-nia komentáriu balun no sira seluk hosi sosiedade sivíl ne’ebé reflete iha relatóriu Sekretáriu Jerál Nasaun Unidas nian. Ami seidauk hetan autorizasaun atu haree relatóriu MAT nian, ne’ebé ami espera katak relatoriu MAT iha reservasaun no kualifikasaun menus duke relatóriu Sekretáriu Jerál nian.

Relatóriu Sekretáriu Jerál foin daudaun ne’e komprensivu liu no onestu kompara ho ida ne’ebé liu ba (S/2009/504), ne’ebé halo La’o Hamutuk hakerek ba ita-boot iha fulan Outubru hateten, “relatóriu ne’e hakat liu tiha faktu hirak esensiál nian, kontestu no responsabilidade sira.” Ami apresia katak relatóriu foin daudaun ne’e inklui faktu sira, observasaun no rekomendasaun hirak ne’ebé parese halo Nasaun Unidas no/ka governu Timor-Leste ladún haksolok. Maibé buat ne’ebé triste maka, relaroiu ne’e la book ofisial sira Indonézia nian ida, relatóriu ne’ebé hamutuk pájina 40 ne’e la mensiona buat ida kona-ba Indonézia nia brutalidade, okupasaun ilegál durante tinan 24 nia laran ne’ebé hamosu dezastre boot iha Timor-Leste.

Relatóriu ida ne’e halo ladún defende an rasik, eufemizmu (ko’alia mamar hanesan feto), lian ida pasivu liu no atribuisaun parte terseira nian la hanesan relatóriu sira seluk Sekretáriu Jerál nian durante tinan 2007. Ami espera katak, ida ne’e indika lideransa foun UNMIT prepara-an ona atu foti asaun ba situasaun Timor-Leste nian ho efikás liután.

Amnesia istoria iha relatóriu ne’e nia laran, hanesan ba dala uluk Timor Leste mosu iha ajenda Nasaun Unidas iha tinan 2006 (porezemplu, para.33). Defaktu, problema barak agora ne’e iha setór polisia no militár mai hosi desizaun sira durante tempu UNTAET nian no mai hosi maneira sira Nasaun Unidas fó formasaun ba polisia no transfere responsabilidade sira ne’e iha tinan 2000-2004. Fundamentál liután, razaun envolvimentu Nasaun Unidas iha Timor Leste hahú hosi Invazaun Indonézia iha tinan 35 liubá no fallansu hirak komunidade internasionál atu mantein rezolusaun sira Konsellu Seguransa no Asembleia Jerál Nasaun Unidas nian. Ho ida ne’e, ita bele haree katak, responsabilidade Nasaun Unidas nian ba Timor Leste komesa hosi 1999 mai hosi fallansu sira hahú kedas 1975-1999; hafoun hikas fali atensaun komesa hosi 2006 nu’udar esforsu ida atu hadi’a fila fali sala hirak ne’ebé halo durante tinan 1999-2005. Se UNMIT no Konsellu Seguransa la aprende hosi istória ida ne’e, Nasaun Unidas bele lakon Timor-Leste hanesan “poster labarik kiik” (Poster ho figura labarik kiik ho isin krekas ko oin triste ne’ebé ema uja hodi hetan osan), maibé ema ne’ebé hela iha ne’e sei lori hela terus oioin.

Parte balun iha karta ida ne’e diskute área sira balun ne’ebé relatóriu Sekretáriu Jerál Nasaun Unidas nian la ho adekuadu tama ba iha kontestu atuál no nesesáriu Timor Leste nian iha futuru. Barak hosi área hirak ne’e mak hanesan públiku nia hanoin kona-ba justisa, kazu Maternus Bere nian, Sistema Justisa ba Asesmentu nesesidade, CAVR no rekomendasaun hirak CoE ba komunidade internasionál, ne’ebé la iha diálogu natoon atu prevene konflitu, governasaun demokrátiku nian, no sustentavel ekonómiku nian, ne’ebé diskute ona kle’an iha karta no aneksu La’o Hamutuk ba Konsellu Seguransa iha loron 20 Outubru 2009 , no ami enkoraja ita-boot sira atu refere ba dokumentu hirak ne’e, tanba ami sei la repete fila fali informasaun hirak ne’e iha ne’e.

Justisa ba krime sériu-sira iha pasadu

La’o Hamutuk hakerek naruk ona kona-ba kontinuasaun obrigasaun Nasaun Unidas no komunidade Internasionál nian atu halo asaun, no la’ós ko’alia hela de’it atu hakotu impunidade ba krime sériu hasoru umanidade no krime sériu sira seluk ne’ebé halo parte hosi Indonézia nia okupasaun . Ami sei repete fali komentáriu sira ne’e iha ne’e, maibe hakarak bolu atensaun fali de’it katak ema Indonézia sira barak, instituisaun sira internasionál no Timorense nian, inklui 2000 KPP-HAM no UN COI (Komisaun Inquerido), CAVR 2005, no Komisaun Peritu 2005, rekomenda tribunál internasionál, sekarik métodu sira seluk la konsege hakotu impunidade (paras. 9 no 81).

Husik impunidade kontinua fó implikasaun grave la’ós iha setór justisa nian de’it, maibé mós ba estabilidade iha futuru, akountabilidade, dame, rekonsiliasaun, demokrasia no fundamentu lei no orden sira iha Timor Leste; ida ne’e la’ós de’it atu trata krime iha pasadu. Hanesan hatudu ohin loron, impunidade realidade ida, la’os “presepsaun” (para. 24), no dedikasaun Nasaun Unidas nian atu prevene impunidade labele hala’o ho repete beibeik de’it (para. 29) ka “iha eskritóriu ida di’ak” (para. 25) ne’ebé iha lemo nasaun ida ne’e.

Ami apresia diskusaun (para. 11) kona-ba eventu balun ne’ebé hamenus akountabilidade no enkoraja UNMIT atu hateten sai maka’as liután no efikás hasoru asaun sira ne’ebé hada’et liután klima impunidade (para. 87) ba violénsia doméstika no krime sira seluk, ne’ebé sei halo fraku sistema justisa iha siklu diabu ida hodi la fiar lei no orden no halo anarkia.

Ekipa Investigasaun Krime Sériu (EIKS/SCIT) hosi UNMIT nian la iha komponente judisiál nian, no ninia área limita de’it ba fulan 10 nia laran ba kazu okupasaun ilegál tinan 24 nia laran. To’o mai iha loron 15 Janeiru, EIKS kompleta ona investigasaun kazu 110 hosi lista 396 kazu sira hosi 1999, no 89 to’o iha fulan 31 Agostu 2009.[1] Ho númeru hanesan ne’e, sei lori tempu too Outubru 2014 atu halo hotu lista EIKS nian, no lori tempu tinan atus ba atus atu investiga krime boot sira ne’ebé akontese hosi 1975 to’o mai iha 1998.

Iha loron 2 Febreiru 2010 karta ba Konsellu Seguransa, Aliansa Nasionál Timor-Leste ba Tribunál Internasionál no organizasaun sira seluk sujere atu aumenta atividade EIKS nian, ne’ebé tenke la’o hamutuk ho apoiu rekursu sira nesesáriu no forsa polítika ida (kemauan politik). Ami espera katak sujestaun ne’e bele reflete ba iha revizaun mandatu UNMIT nian. Sira sei hahú atu lori fila diresaun impunidade ba fali iha akauntabilidade nian:

  • Estabelese mekanizmu ida durante misaun UNMIT ne’ebé sei sai hanesan baze servisu ba kriasaun eventuál sira no Tribunál Internasionál nian.
  • Aumenta mandatu EIKS nian, atu inklui krime hirak ne’ebé grave liu iha tinan 1999, nune’e mós invazaun 1975, masakra Kraras 1983, Santa Cruz 1991 no sira seluk tan.
  • Fó ba EIKS autoridade no rekursu sufisiente atu prepara no publika ho formál akuzasaun ba kazu hirak ne’ebé investiga tiha ona.

15 February 2010

New La'o Hamutuk Bulletin on Land Rights and Justice for Past Crimes

La'o Hamutuk has just published its first Bulletin of 2010, a double issue which is available in English from our office or on our website. It includes articles on Land justice, Transitional Land Law, Climate Change, Donor money in Timor-Leste since 1999, International obligation for justice not yet met (several articles), and an editorial: Rejecting impunity, Moving Toward Justice. Download a printable PDF of the English edition.

The Tetum edition will be available shortly.

13 February 2010

Foreign Minister Fires Timor-Leste Ambassador to the UN

The Timor Post of 3 February 2010 has a banner headline:
"Espulsa Embaixador TL ba EUA, PR Horta Kontra Zacarias"
"Expel Timor-Leste Ambassador to USA, President Horta Against (Foreign Minister) Zacarias"

That headline and the brief article under it contain errors which we will not repeat here. To provide some background on the situation,  La'o Hamutuk has written this brief article, which also appears at http://www.laohamutuk.org/reports/UN/06UNMITcreation.html#Burma with links to relevant documents.

On the day before Christmas 2009, Timor-Leste's Foreign Minister Zacarias da Costa notified UN authorities that he had fired Timor-Leste Ambassador to the United Nations Nelson Santos. Santos had just voted in favor of a General Assembly resolution on human rights in Burma (Myanmar), which passed 86-23 with 39 abstentions. Santos was continuing Timor-Leste's previous policy of supporting this annual resolution, following guidance from President Jose Ramos-Horta. However, the Minister had instructed Santos to abstain from this vote to be more in line with ASEAN countries' votes. When Santos voted in favor during the night of 23 December in New York, da Costa immediately sacked him. Timor-Leste had no ambassador to the UN in New York to represent its views in consultations and discussions regarding the future of the UNMIT, whose mandate expires on 26 February 2010.


Article 87(b) of Timor-Leste's Constitution assigns to the President of the Republic the authority "To appoint and dismiss ambassadors, permanent representatives and special envoys, following proposal by the Government."

During the first week of February 2010, Nelson Santos, the President, the Foreign Minister and both deputy Prime Ministers had several discussions in Dili about how to salvage the situation. No resolution was reached, and Mr. Santos, now unemployed, returned to his family in New York.

Several Ministry officials have privately told La'o Hamutuk that Timor-Leste continues to support democracy and human rights, recognizing that similar support for Timor-Leste from others during the 24-year Indonesian occupation was critical to Timor-Leste's obtaining independence. However, the Minister's action, which apparently stems from an ad-hoc approach to foreign policy, has raised concerns among people who believe that Timor-Leste's leaders should continue to support universal human rights principles, as they did prior to independence.

In mid-February, Minister da Costa appointed Sofia Borges to fill the vacancy. 

A more extensive article Timor-Leste: Choosing Between Asean and Burmese Reform?" was published in the Irrawaddy news magazine on 13 February. 

[Note: since mid-2009, Timor-Leste has had separate ambassadors to the United Nations (UN) and the United States of America (USA). Ambassador to the United States Constancio Pinto is not involved in the Burma controversy, and has not been fired.]

12 February 2010

Petroleum Fund Quarterly Report gives reasons for caution

This week, the Timor-Leste Banking and Payments Authority (BPA) reported on the Petroleum Fund for the last quarter of 2009, showing a fund balance at the end of the year of USD $5,376,625,558. The report is available at http://www.laohamutuk.org/Oil/PetFund/Reports/PFQR09q4en.pdf, and the BPA press release which summarizes it is at http://www.laohamutuk.org/Oil/PetFund/Reports/PFQRPR09q4en.pdf.

At the end of September 2009, the balance had been $5,301,568,442. During the fourth quarter, the Government transferred $312 million from the Fund to the State operating account, more than the $207 million discussed in the 2010 State Budget proposal (see http://www.laohamutuk.org/econ/OGE10/sub/KartaLHTilman10Nov09en.pdf). The total amount taken out of the Petroleum Fund during 2009 was $512 million, $104 million more than the 2009 Estimated Sustainable Income (ESI). Although this was authorized by the 2009 State Budget, it does not appear to have been necessary in order to pay for programs in that budget.

According to Petroleum Fund monthly reports (available at http://www.bancocentral.tl/PF/Reports.asp) the Fund's balance at the end of October 2009 was $5,380 million. It rose to $5,464 million one month later, but dropped to $5,377 million at the end of December.  This is the first time in the Fund's history that its balance has fallen, and should remind all of us that petroleum revenues cannot keep pace with increasing withdrawals.

During the fourth quarter, the return on Fund investments was negative, losing $7 million. During the entire year 2009, the Fund's rate of return was 0.6%, far lower than the goal of a 3% rate of return (above inflation) which is the basis for calculating the Estimated Sustainable Income. The low rate of return reflects the global financial market. It is another reminder: Timor-Leste needs to strengthen its non-oil domestic economy (the part not powered by government spending) because investment income is not dependable.

For the last six months, 20% of the Fund's investments have been managed by the Bank of International Settlements, which invests them in a broader range of bonds than the short-term U.S. Government bonds where the 80% managed by the BPA remains. During the fourth quarter, the BIS investments earned $0.5 million less than the would have if managed by the BPA (although both had negative returns). These short-term differences may not continue over longer periods, but they show that more diverse investments may not produce better results.

The Ministry of Finance will review the investment strategy of the Fund during the next few months, and will revise the Petroleum Fund Law.  As we look for ways to increase the rate of return, we hope the Ministry will be cautious about more risky investments which promise higher rates of return.  During 2009, the Fund paid more than twice as much in "management fees" ($2.6 million) as it did in 2008, but the new management has not increased the Fund's income.

For more historical and current information on Timor-Leste's Petroleum Fund, with links to other documents, see http://www.laohamutuk.org/Oil/PetFund/05PFIndex.htm.