This is from STL. If it's true, it's despicable

President of the Republic Jose Ramos Horta, has already decided to return former Commander of the Laksaur militia Maternus Bere, to Indonesian authorities because he suffers from a complicated medical condition.

“I have made this decision so that there is no impact for the State of Timor-Leste, based on medical advice that Maternus Bere suffers from a condition that is a bit grave,” PR Horta told journalists this at the Comoro International Airport, Dili, on Monday 19 October 2009, as he was about to travel to participate at President SBY’s swearing in ceremony.

This is the first I've heard of a "grave" medical condition. I know they tried to get Bere out before by pretending he was ill, but when it was decided that he could be treated in Dili, the whole plan was scuppered. So what's wrong with Bere now?

He confessed that before the state decided to hand him over to Indonesian authorities, according to the opinion of two doctors, one from Indonesia and one from Timor-Leste, Maternus suffers from diabetes and other medical conditions.

I'm sure diabetes can be treated in Timor-Leste. And as for "other medical conditions", I hear there are doctors for those things too. Apparently it's a matter of life and death, but it's taken nearly two months to surface. What a crock.

Of course Lucia Lobato has something to say. She "appealed to judicial authorities and political leaders not to oppose or criticize the State’s decision regarding the freeing of Maternus Bere, because when political leaders criticize one another without looking for solutions, Maternus Bere can end up dying in Timor-Leste".

Bere can't have had it that rough in the Indonesian embassy. When I spoke to officials there a few weeks ago, they told me Bere was perfectly healthy. There was no mention of diabetes then. Everyone is apparently worried that Bere is going to die in the Indonesian embassy.

I'm not in Dili at the moment, but for those who are, you can't let this happen.

A respected civil society organization in Timor-Leste today sent a letter to the UN Security Council in New York calling Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President Jose Ramos-Horta’s stance on justice “out of step” with most people in the country.

“When Timor-Leste politicians tell you that our people don't want justice, do not believe them,” said the La’o Hamutuk Justice Team in the letter, citing a 2008 survey by the Asia Foundation, which found that 90% of respondents thought murder should never go unpunished.

The majority of Timorese people believe “that people who commit serious crimes must be brought to trial in a legitimate judicial process”.

L’ao Hamutuk accused Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, of achieving “little concrete result” over the August 30 release of Indonesian former militia leader Maternus Bere, who was indicted by the UN for his role in a string of human rights violations, including the 1999 Suai church massacre.

“Like others in the UN system, she puts the entire responsibility for this impunity on Timor-Leste’s leaders,” said La’o Hamutuk.

“Although the president and prime minister of this country sprung Bere from jail (in response to Indonesian threats), Indonesia itself provided sanctuary for him for the past six years, and the United Nations has failed to take any steps to assist service of the indictment against him and the 300 other [Serious Crimes Unit] indictees protected by Indonesia.”

La’o Hamutuk added that failure to act and bring Bere to justice would overturn the position of the UN that there must be no impunity for serious violations of international humanitarian law.

“The governments of Indonesia and Timor-Leste have shown they “do not have the will or the capacity to end impunity.”

This info comes from a local paper, STL, so it may not be 100% accurate, but it is most worrying.

Timor-Leste born Indonesian citizens living in Atambua-Kupang-Indonesia, have threatened to set up checkpoints or sweeps vehicles with Timor-Leste white registration number plates because of the detention of the former Laksaur Militia Commander, Maternus Bere who is still detained at the Indonesian Embassy in Dili.

“We will undertake sweeps (checkpoints) of cars belonging to Timorese who travel in and out of Indonesia. This action will be taken especially against the sons and daughters of FRETILIN leaders including FRETILIN cadres who live near the border,” Francisco Soares Pereira told STL by telephone Friday (15/10).

The former refugees decided this because they consider that some FRETILIN leaders in Timor do not want to engage in reconciliation with the Timorese militia in Indonesia as it relates to the Maternus Bere case, which has not been resolved in Timor-Leste and becoming a controversy between FRETILIN leaders and the AMP government led by
Prime Minister Kay Rala Banana Gusmao.

It was perhaps only a matter of time before something like this happened. The slapdash way the whole Bere issue has been dealt with has helped absolutely no-one. While the prime minister is off gallivanting in China to ask for money, Bere is still in Dili. It's been nearly seven weeks.

What's curious is that this threat is directed at Fretilin. It's becoming increasingly political, when the real issue is one of justice — or at least it should be. I just find this whole thing very odd.

They're threatening to lockdown the borders. Central government in Jakarta has been asked to approve these protests.

Ramos-Horta, Jose Luis Guterres and Lucia Lobato apparently held an emergency meeting, but there's no word on what came of the meeting. This is a very sensitive issue and it's thanks in no small part to the weak, indecisive manner in which its been dealt with.

Excerpt from a story by a local newspaper in Dili after interviews with people around the city.

“What happens is that drivers sometimes shout at people who are walking in the middle of the road because there is no space on the sidewalk," said Maria da Costa of Comoro.

Drivers should also try to understand the different functions of roads and sidewalks, she added.

In addition, Antonio da Silva, a vender at Taibesi Market, said everyone should be aware of the function of the sidewalk to prevent more accidents from happening.

“Drivers are shouting at us, but they don’t realize that it’s their fault for not parking in the proper spaces,” he said.

Addendum: This from The Australian:

AN East Timorese government delegation led by Prime Minster Xanana Gusmao is in China looking for support for its bid for a major gas processing plant to be built in East Timor instead of Darwin.

Woodside Petroleum, part of the joint venture with Conoco Phillips, Shell and Osaka Gas to develop the billion-dollar Sunrise gas project, has ruled out East Timor for the site of the gas processing plant.

But East Timor's government said onshore development for the Greater Sunrise gasfield in East Timor could "transform' the impoverished nation.

From Macau Hub, which isn't usually the most reliable news source:

East Timor’s Foreign Affairs Minister Zacarias da Costa has said that East Timor is negotiating a loan from China to fund the country’s large infrastructure projects.

Minister da Costa also told Lusa that “China’s interest in access Timorese oil resources” would also be discussed.

Of course.