Argentina justice activist to visit Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste television viewers will have an opportunity to learn about a successful campaign for justice for crimes against humanity.

TVTL will broadcast the film El Cerco (The Circle) about Patricia Isasa's work for justice in Argentina on Sunday, 9 October, at 8:30 pm. The film is in Spanish with English and Tetum subtitles. [We apologize that TVTL did not broadcast the film on 1 October, as they had promised.]


Patricia Isasa was a 16-year-old student union organizer in 1976 in Santa Fe, Argentina, when she was kidnapped by police and soldiers and tortured and held prisoner without trial for two-and-a-half years at one of the 585 clandestine detention and torture centers set up during the dictatorship. After a long legal battle to bring her torturers to justice, six of the people who tortured her were  sentenced to decades in prison in 2009. Some of them had become mayor and judges during the three decades between when they committed their crimes and when justice was finally achieved.

La'o Hamutuk has arranged for this broadcast in preparation for Patricia Isasa's visit to Timor-Leste later in October, which will include a speaking tour around the country and several events in Dili.  Ms. Isasa will share experiences of her successful struggle to achieve accountability in Argentina by bringing perpetrators of serious crimes to trial and prison.  Her victory gives hope and motivation to Timor-Leste's people who continue to suffer from the ongoing impunity for crimes against humanity committed during 24 years of Indonesian occupation of Timor-Leste.

For more information, or to arrange a showing of the film or a meeting with Patricia Isasa, please contact Jose Pereira at La'o Hamutuk: jose@laohamutuk.org or 3321040 or 7367518.

Comment on Basic Environment Law, Take 2

Komentariu ba Lei Baziku Ambiental, ba dala rua (Tetum iha kraik)

The heavy oil power plant at Hera is being
built without complying with environmental laws.
Sentral eletrika oleo pezadu ne’e hari’i dadaun hela lahoo tuir lei ambiental.

Last February, Timor-Leste's National Environment Directorate (DNMA) circulated a draft of Timor-Leste's proposed Base Law on Environment. La'o Hamutuk used input from many people to write a 42-page submission. DNMA realized that the law was not ready for enactment, and made many changes.

On 20 September 2011, the DNMA circulated a revised draft (Portuguese). They asked for comments within two weeks, prior to submission to the Council of Ministers.  DNMA gave La'o Hamutuk permission to circulate the draft on our website, and we have also done a quick, unofficial, English translation.

The new draft is significantly improved over the February version, but would still benefit from additional input.  We encourage everyone interested in protecting Timor-Leste's environment to look it over. If you have thoughts, you can send them to DNMA directly.

Update: On 7 October, La'o Hamutuk submitted our comments on the September draft to DNMA.

Link to the February draft of the law, as well as analysis and commentary
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Iha Fevereiru liu ba, Diresaun Nasional Meio Ambiente (DNMA) fahe esbosu ida kona ba proposta Lei Baziku Ambiental Timor-Leste. La’o Hamutuk uza hanoin sira ne’ebe mai husi ema barak atu hakerek submisaun ho pajina 42. DNMA realiza katak lei ne’e seidauk pronto atu envigor, no halo mudansa barak.

Iha 20 Setembru 2011, DNMA fahe esbosu ne’ebe hetan revizaun iha Portugese. Sira husu komentariu iha semana rua, molok hato’o ba Konseilu Ministeriu atu hetan aprovasaun.  DNMA fo lisensa ba La’o Hamutuk atu fahe esbosu ne’e iha ami nia website, no ami halo tradusaun Ingles ho lalais no la ofisial. Ami husu deksulpa tanba seidauk iha tradusaun ba Tetum.

Esbosu foun ne’e  hadiak ho signifikante kompara ho versaun iha Fevereiru, maibe sei iha benefisiu nafatin atu hetan hanoin adisional sira. Ami enkouraza ema hotu ne’ebe interese ba protesaun ambiente Timor-Leste nian atu tau matan ba lei ne'e. Karik ita boot sira hakarak atu ajuda La’o Hamutuk atu dezenvolve idea ba ami nia submisaun, favor haruka ita boot sira nia sujestaun iha karta eletroniku ba environment@laohamutuk.org molok loron 30 Setembru. 

Liga ba esbosu lei iha Fevereiru, no mos analiza no komentariu.

Hamos vidru iha Portal Aprovisionamentu

Iha konferensia Inisiativa Transparensia iha Industria Ekstrativa (EITI) iha fulan kotuk, Ministra Finansa  loke oituan sesaun foun Portal Transparensia nian kona-ba aprovisionamentu. La’o Hamutuk apresia ba inisiativa ne’e, ne’ebe sei lori Timor-Leste ba iha diresaun ne’ebe los, aumenta informasaun publiku no hamenus posibilidade ba kolusaun no korupsaun.

Maske dalaruma susar atu utiliza no presiza asesu internet, Portal ne’e kompostu husi informasaun sira ne’ebe iha valor kona-ba kontratu sira ne’ebe asina durante tinan tolu liu ba. Ami download ona informasaun sira husi portal ne’e kona-ba kontratu 288 ne’ebe nia valor kada projeitu nian tokon $250 ba leten no tau iha spreadsheet ho tu-tuir malu ne’ebe bele halo informasaun ne’e sai fasil atu hetan asesu.

Husi biliaun $1,100 iha lista kontratu nian, miliaun $844 (inklui kontratu ne’en husi kontratu boot hitu) gasta ona ba eletrisidade. Kontratu boot ne’ebe entrega iha fulan Setembru liu ba hamutuk tokon $406 ba Puri Akraya Engineering atu hari sentral eletrisidade oleo pezadu iha Hera no Betano. Infelizmente, kontratu ida ne’e laiha tenderizasaun publiku no asina deit ho kompania ne’ebe foin harii husi Indonezia, ne’ebe nia asoens 69% kaer husi kompania ida husi Ilha Virgin Britaniku nian, “Dooks Group Holding Ltd.”

Portal la hatudu  sai projeitu barak ne’ebe nakloke ba tenderizasaun

Infelizmente portal ne’e  la inklui buat barak kona-ba “Oportunidade Negosiu,” maibe hatudu deit tenderizasaun nakloke tolu, rua husi ne’e taka ona iha Agustu. No iha parte seluk Tenderizasaun Foun iha website Ministeriu Finansa nian hatudu tenderizasaun nakloke hat, no hat seluk hein atu fo kontratu.

Tenderizasaun nakloke iha parte Ministeriu Finansa nian inklui ida ba konsultan atu halao Avaliasaun ba Impaktu Ambiental ba projeitu infraestrutura petroleu Tasi Mane.

Dalaruma ida ne’ebe interesante liu mak 'intende atu entrega' kontratu tokon $100 hodi importa 9,237 uma pre-fabrikadu ba programa MDG-Suco ne’ebe sei hari uma lima iha kada aldeia iha Timor-Leste durante tinan 2011. Kontratu ba Carya Timor-Leste no Jonize Construction ne’e liu dala rua ba montante tokon $44.6 ne’ebe aloko husi Orsamentu Jeral Estadu 2011 nian ba projeitu ne’e. Tenderizasaun orizinal (dokumentu konkursu  3.5 MB), atu importa no harii uma 11,855 ho $4,000 ba kada uma, maibe kontratu ne’ebe foin dadaun ne’ebe asina ne’e halo kustu kada uma sei sai ba $10,800. Governu hamenus numeru uma nian hafoin Carya/Jonize halo tender ho tokon $144 “tamba ho orsamentu menus ne’be Governu hasoru.”

La’o Hamutuk konkorda ho kontrator lokal sira katak projeitu ida ne’e nudar lakon oportunidade ida atu uza osan povo nian hodi suporta servisu lokal no negosiu kiik sira, no uza material konstrusaun lokal, maske Governu hateten katak razaun atu importa "uma standar, pre-fabrikadu… atu kompleta konstrusaun ba uma foun sira iha tempu ida ne’ebe apertadu liu.” Aleinde ne’e, husu kompania ida deit atu importa no hari uma rihun sanulu esklui tiha negosiu kiik sira husi konkursu tenderizasaun nian. Ami mos kestiona ho parte material rezerva ne’ebe importa mai (suku cadang) no konhesimentu atu halo manutensaun ba uma sira ne’ebe harii ba povo iha area rural sira hodi hela ba bainhira kompania ne’ebe importa sasan sira ne’e sai ona.

Cleaning the glass on the Procurement Portal

At the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) conference last month, the Minister of Finance unveiled the Transparency Portal's new section on procurement. La’o Hamutuk applauds this initiative, which moves Timor-Leste in the right direction, increasing public information and reducing possibilities for collusion and corruption.

Although sometimes cumbersome to use and requiring internet access, the Portal contains valuable information about contracts signed during the past three years.  We have downloaded the Portal’s information on 288 contracts worth at least $250,000 each and put it in a sortable spreadsheet which may make it more accessible.

Of the $1,100 million in listed contracts, $844 million (including six of the largest seven contracts) was spent on electricity. The largest contract was awarded last September: $406 million to Puri Akraya Engineering to build the heavy oil power plants at Hera and Betano. Unfortunately, this contract had no public tender and was signed with a just-formed Indonesian company, 69% of whose shares are held by “Dooks Group Holdings Ltd.” of the British Virgin Islands. 

Portal doesn’t show most projects open for bidding

Unfortunately the portal doesn’t yet include much about “Business Opportunities,”  showing only three open tenders, two of which actually closed in August. On the other hand, Current Tenders on the Ministry of Finance website shows four open tenders, and four other intents to award contracts.

The open tenders on the MoF site include one for a consultant to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment for the Tasi Mane petroleum infrastructure project.

Perhaps more interesting is the Intent to Award a $100 million contract to import 9,237 prefabricated houses for the MDG-suco program which will erect five houses in every aldeia (village) in Timor-Leste during 2011. The contract to Carya Timor Leste and Jonize Construction is for more than double the $44.6 million allocated for this project in the 2011 State Budget. The original tender (bidding document 3.5 MB), was to import and build 11,855 houses – at $4,000 per house – but the soon-to-be-awarded contract will cost $10,800 per house. The Government reduced the number of houses after Carya/Jonize bid $144 million, “due to a budget shortfall faced by the Government.”

La’o Hamutuk agrees with local contractors that this project is a lost opportunity to use public money to support local employment and small businesses, and to use local materials, notwithstanding the stated rationale for importing “standard, pre-fabricated houses ... to complete the construction of new houses within a tight timeframe.”  In addition, requiring a single company to import/build ten thousand houses excludes small businesses from bidding. We also wonder about the availability of imported parts and skills to maintain the houses once rural people are living in them and the importer has moved on.

SERN seeks consultant to write Tasi Mane EIA

Timor-Leste's government hopes to use petroleum resources and infrastructure as the principal driver to develop the nation's economy. The centerpiece of this vision, the Tasi Mane project, is outlined in the Strategic Development Plan. It will include several projects and three new towns along the south western coast of Timor-Leste:

• Suai: Supply base area, Industrial estates, Nova Suai, Suai Airport, Crocodile farm
• Betano:  Refinery and Petrochemical complex, Petroleum city (Nova Betano)
• Beaco: LNG Plant complex, Nova Beaco, Nova Viqueque, Viqueque airport.

On 25 August 2011, the National Procurement Commission invited bids from consultants to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for these projects. The deadline for submitting bids is 26 September, and bidding documents are available here.

La'o Hamutuk has created a new web page with photos, maps and links to relevant documents. In addition to an overview of the Tasi Mane project and EIA tender, the page discusses the project's implications for sustainable development in Timor-Leste, the $16 million in contracts already awarded, and the protest over land confiscation in Betano and the Government socialization in response.

We will continue to update this page, and welcome additional information. Thank you.

Valoriza Agrikultor sira-nia Lian no sira-nia Matenek

Valuing Farmers' Words and Wisdom

La'o Hamutuk Lansa Relatoriu Konsultasaun ho Agrikultor-sira

Hare pajina web kona-ba lansamentu, ka download Relatoriu tomak ka aprezentasaun fo sai iha lansamentu.

La'o Hamutuk's Report on Consultation with farmers can also be downloaded in English.

Introdusaun tuir mai.
“Ami sente moris hanesan agrikultór husi tempu uluk to’o agora laiha mudansa ida, ami nia moris mak hanesan ne’e nafatin hela de’it, no dalaruma sai aat liu tan” hato’o agrikultór ida husi distritu Manufahi-Same.

“Ami la hatene saida mak Ministeriu Agrikultura nia planu, satán Orsamentu. Ami rona de’it dehan Parlamentu aprova osan juta ba juta (millões) maibé ami la hatene osan sira ne’e mout hotu ba ne’ebé?” Agrikultór ida husi Ermera hato’o nia frustrasaun.

"Agora ami konfuzaun tanba tempu la’o la hanesan bai-bain, maibé ami atu husu esplikasaun ba se?” Agrikultór ida husi Maliana koalia ho laran susar. “Tinan ne’e ami la kuda batar tanba udan la fo tempu, dalaruma ami sei hasoru hamlaha...”

Lian sira ne’ebé ami sita iha leten, mai husi konsultasaun durante besik tinan rua nia laran ne’ebé halo hahú iha tinan 2010. Relatóriu Konsultasaun ne’ebé ho titulu Valoriza Agrikultór Sira-nia Lian no Sira-nia Matenek, mosu liu husi konsultasaun klean ne’ebé La’o Hamutuk halo ho agrikultór no komunidade sira iha area rural kona-ba sira esperensia moris lor-loron nudar agrikultór no nudar komunidade iha area rural. Informasaun sira iha relatóriu hot-hotu mai husi agrikultór no komunidade sira. La’o Hamutuk fasilita de’it atu sira-nia lian ne’ebé sira hato’o mai La’o Hamutuk bele to’o duni ba na’i-ulun Governu sira no mos instituisaun la’ós Governu sira ne’ebé servisu ba dezenvolvimentu Timor-Leste nian. Iha asuntu barak ne’ebé agrikultór sira koalia no ami fiar katak sei labele reprezenta 100% sira-nia lian, maibé ami koko fahe buat ruma ba públiku, ba Governu Timor-Leste, ba Nasoens Unidas no nia Ajénsia sira, ba Doadores sira, Instituisaun Finanseiru Internasional sira, ba Organizasaun Naun Govermental sira no mos ba parte hotu ne’ebé involve iha prosesu dezenvolvimentu agrikultura Timor-Leste nian.

Relatóriu ne’e fahe ba parte haat:

1. Difikuldade ne’ebé agrikultór sira hasoru iha sira-nia moris loron no saida mak sira-nia forsa.
2. Suporta ne’ebé durante ne’e agrikultór sira simu husi Governu no instituisaun seluk.
3. Faktores sira ne’ebé durante ne’e sai fonte difikuldade ba agrikultór sira.
4. Rekomendasaun balu ba Governu no instituisaun sira ne’ebé halo servisu ba agrikultór sira.

Konsultasaun ne’e hala’o iha distritu Ermera, Bobonaro, Manufahi no Oecussi.

La’o Hamutuk hein katak prezensa relatóriu ida ne’e nian bele hadi’ak liu tan Governu no parte hotu nia servisu, nune’e bele hadi’ak duni ita boot sira-nia moris nudar agrikultór no nudar komunidade ne’ebé hela iha area rural.

Grupu Mundu Tomak Husu TL ne’ebe la iha tusan atu la Debe

Tusan pendente bele ameasa Timór nia Futuru
Komunikadu Imprensa, 8 de Setembro 2011

Kontaktu: Juvinal Dias (La’o Hamutuk/Movimento Kontra Deve), +670-734-8703, juvinal@laohamutuk.org ka John M. Miller (ETAN), +1-718-596-7668; john@etan.org

8 de Setembro de 2011 – Organizasaun Naun Governmental sira hosi Timór-Leste no internasional ohin husu ba “Governu Timór-Leste atu mantein nasaun ne’ebe livre hosi deve no hases-an hosi impresta osan hosi kreditor internasional sira no mos atu proteze jerasaun futuru.”

Grupu sira ne’e argumenta katak “infez ita repete erru sira ne’ebé nasaun sub-dezenvolvida sira komete iha pasadu, iha ne’ebé sira luta ona durante dekade barak nia laran, Timór-Leste tenki aprende hosi esperiénsia hirak ne’e, ne’ebé dala barak lori naha todan ba sira nia emar sira.

Karta ida ne’e mos fo hanoin katak maski Timór-Leste iha riku soin petróleum ohin loron, “wainhira Timór-Leste nia mina no gas hotu iha menus de tinan 15 nia laran, no ita sei nafatin tenki selu fila fali tusan, ita nia oan no bei-oan sira sei sofre hosi konsekuensia hirak ne’e.”

Karta ida ne’e inisia hosi Movimentu Kontra Deve iha Timór-Leste (fasilita hosi La’o Hamutuk), no East Timór and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) ne’ebe nia baze iha Estadus Unidus da Amerika (EUA).

Statementu kompletu iha Tetum no Inglesh hamutuk ho organizasaun sira ne’ebé asina bele hetan iha http://www.etan.org/news/2011/08debt.htm no http://www.laohamutuk.org/econ/debt/2011/11ETANMKDStmt5Sep2011.htm.

Statementu ida ne’e hetan suporta hosi organizasaun 117, husi nasaun 28. Rede internasional sira ho esperiensia luta naruk kontra naha todan deve nasaun sub-dezenvolvido sira nian asina hotu statementu ne’e, inklui: Focus on Global South, Jubilee South – Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development, Third World Network and CADTM International (Committee for the Cancellation of Third World Debt).

Grupu 20 iha Timór-Leste mak asina statementu ne’e, inklui Institutu Timór-Leste ba Monitor no Analiza Dezenvolvimentu (La’o Hamutuk), Forum ONG, Front Estudante, Forum Lider Comunitario, Fundasaun Haburas no ETADEP. Organizasaun sira hosi Sudeste Asiatiku, vizinho Timór-Leste nian, inklui WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia, Freedom from Debt Coalition ¬ Philippines, International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) and EARTH (Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand).

Organizasaun seluk ne’ebe asina, inklui grupu sira ne’ebé advoka ba dezenvolvimentu sustentavel, mos suporta povo Timór-Leste iha tempu naruk nia laran, hanesan Jubilee EUA, International Platform of Jurists for East Timor, Oil Change International (EUA), Aidwatch (Australia), Friends of the Earth U.S., Bank Information Center (EUA), Tapol (Inglatera), CAFOD (Inglatera), Japan East Timor Coalition, and the Free East Timor Foundation (VOT, Utrecht, Olanda).

Rendimentu hosi mina-rai no gas fornese 95% ba rendimentu estadu Timór-Leste nian, halo nasauin ida ne’e sai nudar nasaun ho nia dependensia ba petroleu ne’ebe as liu iha mundu. Maski Timór-Leste seidauk impresta osan hosi nasaun seluk, ka instituisaun finanseiru internasional, governu Timór-Leste aprova ona lei balu atu bele deve, inklui Lei Orçamentu e Gestão Financeira 2009, no mos revizaun Lei Fundu Petróleum, no Lei foun ba Divida Públiku. Lei rua ne’e hetan aprovasaun semana rua liu ba. Iha inísiu fulan Agostu, Website Banku Dezenvolvimentu Asiátiku (ADB) publika proposta deve hamutuk $8.15 millaun ba Timór-Leste atu hadi’a rede dalan nasional Timór-Leste nian.

Movimentu Kontra Deve nudar koalisaun organizasaun sosiedade sivil ida iha Timór-Leste ne’ebé kontra Timór-Leste atu deve. ETAN mak organizasaun fo solidaridade ba povo Timór-Leste durante tinan 20 nia laran, ne’ebe nia base iha EUA.

Ita-boot bele nformasaun tan kona-ba Timor-Leste no deve iha Inglesh ka Tetum.