More about East Timor

Another couple of articles about the current situation in East Timor. The first one relates to the calls for the Prime Minister, Mari Alkatiri to resign. He is refusing to do so. This comes the day after the countries President, Xanana Gusmao announced 30 days of emergency rule.

Gusmao and Alkatiri differ on how to deal with the situation. Alkatiri wants the sacked soldiers only to disarm, while Gusmao wants both the sacked soldiers AND the Timorise army to disarm and for the job of security to be handed over foreign forces (most likely from Australia as Indonesia refuses to send troops to help).

The second article is written by someone living in East Timor and gives an idea of exactly what it is like for ordinary citizens at the moment.

It’s great to see Australia step up to the plate and help out as peacekeepers. I would like to think that America and Britain would be willing to help out seeing as Bush and Blairs priority in the world is apparently making the world more secure and peaceful.

Maybe we should inform them that East Timor has oil. Hmmm. Maybe not. Next we’ll be told that Gusmao is hiding WMD’s.

E Timor PM refuses to step down
East Timor’s PM Mari Alkatiri has told the BBC he will not resign, despite being blamed for not ending the unrest which has paralysed the capital Dili.

Mr Alkatiri also disputed whether President Xanana Gusmao, who announced emergency rule on Tuesday, was now in sole charge of the country’s security.

Dili was calmer on Wednesday, though some arson and fighting continued.

Fifteen major aid donors to East Timor, including foreign governments, urged rival groups to stop their feuding.

Mr Alkatiri has been blamed by other members of the government for failing to stop the violence, which was triggered by his decision to sack of hundreds of troops after they went on strike.

But the prime minister said any political change would have to wait for parliamentary elections in 2007.

“Wait until the election and people will vote,” he told the BBC. “If you are talking on the name of the people, bring the people to vote”

Political dispute

On Tuesday, Mr Gusmao said the decision to impose emergency rule – which would last 30 days – had been taken in “close collaboration” with Mr Alkatiri.

Emergency powers will give Mr Gusmao control of the army and police, split by internal disputes and gang violence.

But the prime minister disputed whether Mr Gusmao was now in control of the security forces.

“You are wrong, completely wrong, he [Mr Gusmao] is not taking control,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

“The defence and security is still part of the government, and I am the head of the government,” he said, blaming the confusion on a misinterpretation of Gusmao’s statement from Portuguese into English.

The intervention of the president, who normally plays a largely symbolic role, will be widely welcomed, says the BBC’s Jonathan Head, who is in the capital Dili.

But he alone cannot fix the loss of confidence in East Timor’s government.

At least 20 people are reported to have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes since the violence began.

On Wednesday, as news of Mr Gusmao’s announcement spread, most of Dili was reported to be much calmer than in recent days. But there were some reports of gunfire and of gangs torching buildings, as well as street fights between rivals.

The immediate cause of the unrest was the sacking of 600 striking soldiers in March. The soldiers, who were mainly from the west of the country, complained of discrimination against them by leaders from the east.

But there are also signs that some of the violence is politically motivated.

Attorney-General Longuinhos Monteiro told the BBC on Tuesday that his offices had been looted on several occasions and up to 15% of the criminal archive stolen.

Some of the stolen files relate to Indonesia’s bloody withdrawal from East Timor following a 1999 referendum.

Pro-Indonesian militias were accused of orchestrating the violence, which left more than 1,000 people dead.

The head of the Australian military, Angus Houston, says he believes his country’s peacekeepers will be in East Timor for six months.

Air Chief Marshal Houston told a Senate committee that he hoped to scale down the operation as order returned.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5032696.stm
Published: 2006/05/31 09:43:33 GMT

© BBC MMVI

‘Most of my relatives have left’
Domingo Savio, a lecturer in international politics at Dili University, describes how daily life has been affected by weeks of violence.

It is a beautiful day today in Dili. Only, it is different from any other beautiful day.

When I went for a walk this morning, I realised what’s missing: the usual crowd of people exercising on the beach. Instead one can see and hear military planes flying above.

Two military ships are docked near the Dili harbour and tanks drive through the city. The site has attracted a few onlookers, whose smiley faces welcoming the arrival of Australian troops, create a false sense of joy.

Deserted city

Because of the violence, the majority of the population has left to seek refuge in villages far away from the city.

Most of my relatives have run away, some as far as 200km away from Dili. And those who have remained seek sanctuary in churches, seminaries, the airport – places they feel safe in.

The city is deserted. It’s difficult to buy things because the supermarkets and petrol stations are closed. Closed too are government offices, schools and universities. The system is paralysed and our life has been hugely affected.

I went to the hospital to visit a friend who got shot in the leg and I saw many wounded people there. Two of them were injured when they were ambushed by a break-away group on their way home from work.

Now the fighting between the soldiers and the military has stopped, but there is a new problem. Mobs of young trouble-makers started looting and burning houses scaring away the few people who have remained. The other day there was a house burning 500 meters away from home.

There were no gunshots for a couple of days and then suddenly we heard gunshots again. Who knows who is shooting who and where, but you can hear it very close by.

Determined to stay

The arrival of the Australian troops certainly restored a bit of the confidence in people. People in my neighbourhood decided to stay home instead of running to the hills to seek sanctuary. I am determined to stay.

I am not scared, because I have been through much worse. I was in the jungle for 6 years under Indonesian occupation, where we were bombed 24 hours a day by the Indonesian forces.

My personal opinion is that there is power struggle between certain elements high up in the government, who take advantage of the situation for their own political gain. I don’t think there will be an easy solution to the problem.

There have to be changes in the structure of institutions like the police and the armed forces. It is very sad to see the country that was barely up and running for the past four years now falling apart again.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5030224.stm

Published: 2006/05/30 13:30:41 GMT

© BBC MMVI