Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Accusations against Gastão Salsinha and his involvement in the illegal sandalwood trade...
According to F-FDTL sources cited by Lusa, leutanent Gastão Salsinha was selected to participate in the officer's course for the F-FDTL by the Portuguese military and was about to travel to Portugal. However the promotion and the visit to Portugal were suspended because Salsinha was "caught by the police on 2nd of April 2005 and accused of smuggling sandalwood," one of TL's protected plant especies. But Matan Ruak reversed slightly from this decision (re the promotion) requesting further clarification and more evidence, extendding the term of the investigation. But the investigation was never concluded because the soldiers went AWOL. The original Lusa article was titled "Timor-Leste:Governo oferece iniciativas de reinserção a militares contestatários"
Timor-Leste: Government offers reintegration initiatives for contesting soldiers
Lisbon, 09 May 2006 (Lusa) – The East Timorese executive is developing a reintegration program for the hundreds of contesting soldiers, some of whom have concentrated in Aileu, a senior official of Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) said.
The source explained that the program of reintegration covers financial assistance, including subsidies and eventual payment of salaries for the last months – of which the soldiers do not have the right to for having deserted their barracks in the beginning of February.
"There are many soldiers who have accepted this assistance and have returned to their regions. The government is exploring ways to create the conditions so that they can be reintegrated, find jobs in the districts or even working overseas", the East Timorese official said.
The political and security tension in Timor-Leste deteriorated in the last few days following a demonstration by around 600 contesting soldiers which ended with confrontations with the police of which resulted in the deaths of five people and tens of people injured, according to official figures.
In an attempt to contribute to resolving the crises, the commander of the F-FDTL has developed a "tripartite" effort which, according to the military source contacted by Lusa by phone, intends to restore calm within the population and avoid violence.
"We are trying to explain the situation and appeal for calm to the people, appeal to groups not to use violence and to cooperate fully with the investigation commission", the source said.
"This is the only viable form to resolve the problem, to avoid resorting to other means which will not serve any East Timorese", he considered.
In an interview this week on TVTL, the commander of F-FDTL, Taur Matan Ruak, reiterated the necessity to protect Timor-Leste's young independence, consolidating the democratic institutions and to find ways to commit only on the "popular legitimisation" as the way for political change.
In the interview, Matan Ruak considered that the tension which faces Timor-Leste currently emerged out of "a problem of indiscipline which assumed political dimensions", visible in the fact of the soldiers having passed from their grievances on the alleged discrimination within F-FDTL to the demand for the fall of the government.
An F-FDTL official confirmed today that between the contesting soldiers, only one of them joined the Falintil during the 24 years of struggle against the Indonesian occupation.
The same source also revealed that the spokesperson for the petitioners, Lieutenant Salsinha, was awarded second place in the official's course organised for members of the F-FDTL by Portuguese military. He had been selected for a trip to Portugal.
Meanwhile, he added, the promotion and the visit to Portugal were suspended after Salsinha was "caught by the police on the 2nd of April 2005 and accused of taking part in the sandalwood traffic", one the protected Timorese species of timber.
Later, Taur Matan Ruak retracted lightly in his decision sending another dispatch which sought clarification of the evidence, extending the term of the investigations which were never concluded due the desertion of the soldiers.
Responding to the grievance of discrimination put forward by the contesting soldiers as the main motive of their protests, the F-FDTL official guaranteed that the commander of the armed forces have already gathered the data for the official Investigation Commision which "confirm that there is no discrimination in promotions".
"We have officials who come from almost every district and we explained, with a detailed database, what are the motives and why they were selected and how", he referred, excusing himself from providing more information.
Albeit, he also confirmed that all of the contesting soldiers come from the districts to the west of Manatuto.
The current tension in Timor-Leste originated from a movement which emerged in February and involved around 600 contesting soldiers, who were sacked by the army with the support of the government, whom allege themselves to be victims of "discriminatory acts" by their commanders.
The situation deteriorated in the end of April, after the contesting soldiers became involved in confrontations with the Police in Dili during a demonstration in the capital, an incident which resulted in five people dead and tens of people wounded, according to official figures.
In the last few weeks, the tensions provoked an exodus by the capital city's population to the surrounding mountains, a number estimated by the UN to be over 70 percent of Dili's population, or around 90 thousand people.
ASP.
Lusa/end
Timor-Leste: Government offers reintegration initiatives for contesting soldiers
Lisbon, 09 May 2006 (Lusa) – The East Timorese executive is developing a reintegration program for the hundreds of contesting soldiers, some of whom have concentrated in Aileu, a senior official of Forças de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) said.
The source explained that the program of reintegration covers financial assistance, including subsidies and eventual payment of salaries for the last months – of which the soldiers do not have the right to for having deserted their barracks in the beginning of February.
"There are many soldiers who have accepted this assistance and have returned to their regions. The government is exploring ways to create the conditions so that they can be reintegrated, find jobs in the districts or even working overseas", the East Timorese official said.
The political and security tension in Timor-Leste deteriorated in the last few days following a demonstration by around 600 contesting soldiers which ended with confrontations with the police of which resulted in the deaths of five people and tens of people injured, according to official figures.
In an attempt to contribute to resolving the crises, the commander of the F-FDTL has developed a "tripartite" effort which, according to the military source contacted by Lusa by phone, intends to restore calm within the population and avoid violence.
"We are trying to explain the situation and appeal for calm to the people, appeal to groups not to use violence and to cooperate fully with the investigation commission", the source said.
"This is the only viable form to resolve the problem, to avoid resorting to other means which will not serve any East Timorese", he considered.
In an interview this week on TVTL, the commander of F-FDTL, Taur Matan Ruak, reiterated the necessity to protect Timor-Leste's young independence, consolidating the democratic institutions and to find ways to commit only on the "popular legitimisation" as the way for political change.
In the interview, Matan Ruak considered that the tension which faces Timor-Leste currently emerged out of "a problem of indiscipline which assumed political dimensions", visible in the fact of the soldiers having passed from their grievances on the alleged discrimination within F-FDTL to the demand for the fall of the government.
An F-FDTL official confirmed today that between the contesting soldiers, only one of them joined the Falintil during the 24 years of struggle against the Indonesian occupation.
The same source also revealed that the spokesperson for the petitioners, Lieutenant Salsinha, was awarded second place in the official's course organised for members of the F-FDTL by Portuguese military. He had been selected for a trip to Portugal.
Meanwhile, he added, the promotion and the visit to Portugal were suspended after Salsinha was "caught by the police on the 2nd of April 2005 and accused of taking part in the sandalwood traffic", one the protected Timorese species of timber.
Later, Taur Matan Ruak retracted lightly in his decision sending another dispatch which sought clarification of the evidence, extending the term of the investigations which were never concluded due the desertion of the soldiers.
Responding to the grievance of discrimination put forward by the contesting soldiers as the main motive of their protests, the F-FDTL official guaranteed that the commander of the armed forces have already gathered the data for the official Investigation Commision which "confirm that there is no discrimination in promotions".
"We have officials who come from almost every district and we explained, with a detailed database, what are the motives and why they were selected and how", he referred, excusing himself from providing more information.
Albeit, he also confirmed that all of the contesting soldiers come from the districts to the west of Manatuto.
The current tension in Timor-Leste originated from a movement which emerged in February and involved around 600 contesting soldiers, who were sacked by the army with the support of the government, whom allege themselves to be victims of "discriminatory acts" by their commanders.
The situation deteriorated in the end of April, after the contesting soldiers became involved in confrontations with the Police in Dili during a demonstration in the capital, an incident which resulted in five people dead and tens of people wounded, according to official figures.
In the last few weeks, the tensions provoked an exodus by the capital city's population to the surrounding mountains, a number estimated by the UN to be over 70 percent of Dili's population, or around 90 thousand people.
ASP.
Lusa/end
