Wednesday 26 March 2008

Oh What Tangled Webs etc. etc...

The things they say

Timor Post, Dili, Wednesday 16 January 2006.
Dili – Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão threatened that his side would arrest members of the press (media) if when instability emerged in the nation.Because of this he asked the media to undertake its work with more responsibility for the situation.“You have to exercise more responsibility towards the environment of stability or instability. We close our eyes when in the case of small and big things you go and interview Alfredo. Perhaps because of these things instability may emerge in the country, because of you, we will arrest you,” he said to journalists on Tuesday (15/1) at the Ministry for Social Solidarity, Kaikoli, Dili.

TMR appeals to people to report abuses:
F-FDTL Commander Brigadier-General Taur Matan Ruak is encouraging members of the public to report any cases of abuse committed by the Joint Operation.“We are ready to receive any reports from any of the victims if they have been tortured by the soldiers, so that the cases can be investigated and not just publicized through the media,” said TMR on Wednesday (19/3) at Palacio da Cinzas, Dili.

Timor Post journalist beaten.

Julio Pinto has accused foreigners of meddling in national politics: The State Secretary for Defence, Julio Pinto, has said that government has a list of people who have meddled in the country’s internal politics. Mr Pinto said that he is currently trying to find more information on these foreigners. “We already have a list. Now we are trying to find more information on these foreigners who are involved in the political situation in Timor Leste so that they can be submitted for an investigation,” said Mr Pinto. (TP)

UN responsible for February 11: The MP from Kota, Manuel Tilman, has asked the UN to take responsibility for the events of February 11.“The security of the state and the Prime Minister falls under the responsibility of the UN. The UN should be responsible for establishing an International Independent Commission of Inquiry (IICI),” said Mr. Tilman on Tuesday (26/2) in the National Parliament, Dili.

Lasama: Attempts against State greatest crime: In a dialogue with the population of Lete-Foho, Ermera, Acting President Fernando Lasama de Araujo said that the attempts against the State made by the rebel groups of Alfredo Reinado and Gastão Salsinha can be considered as the greatest crime and should be resolved through the court system. Related to the rumours that Alfredo’s death was the result of a foreign-led conspiracy, PR Lasama said that the only people responsible were Timorese. Never falsify and blame others. All the mistakes are ours and it’s time to solve these problems,” said PR. Lasama. (TP)

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another story here to add some smoke to the pipe...
T

The Age

Reinado 'had four Timor targets'

Jill Jolliffe, Dili

March 27, 2008


EAST Timor's chief prosecutor has asserted that rebel soldier Alfredo
Reinado planned to assassinate four, not two, leaders in the attack last
month that wounded President Jose Ramos Horta and targeted Prime
Minister
Xanana Gusmao.

In an interview with The Age, prosecutor-general Longuinhos Monteiro
said
that Reinado had ordered his hit squad to smoke drugs before the attack
and
that he himself was drugged at the time he invaded the President's
residence
on February 11.

Reinado was shot dead by a member of the presidential guard in the
attack
but members of the squad have testified that the aborted plot also
involved
killing army chief Brigadier Taur Matan Ruak and the chief prosecutor
himself, as well as the President and Prime Minister.

He said investigators had seized leaves, which appeared to be marijuana,
from Reinado's possessions after he was killed.

The prosecutor said forensic experts from the Australian Federal Police,
working closely with Timorese investigators, had not yet released their
report on the nature of the drugs seized.
He said they were allegedly supplied by "a lady who met Alfredo Reinado
on
the 8th, 9th and 10th of February".

He declined to name the supplier.

He said Reinado had been influenced by a third person over a period
beginning in December 2007, "then continuing in January, February and
for
the three to four days before February 11" to carry out the attack on
East
Timor's four senior leaders.

"The idea was that when they have these in their hand, dead or alive,
Alfredo would benefit, his case would be settled easily, it would be
forgotten," he said. "That is what Alfredo told his followers."

Mr Monteiro refused to name the third person, but the dates match
periods in
which a woman was allegedly with Reinado in the mountains. He said that
the
person concerned might have been a front for others.

Mr Ramos Horta is still recovering in Darwin from gunshot wounds from a
weapon fired by one of Reinado's men soon after the rebel leader was
killed.

Mr Monteiro said his conclusions were drawn from "dozens of statements
given
by direct witnesses and some of the suspects . involved directly, at the
scene".

He said nine or 10 of the people allegedly involved in the attacks are
under
detention in a private house in the capital, while others are still
being
hunted by a joint army-police taskforce in the western mountains.

Justice Minister Lucia Lobato recently issued a decree declaring the
house
an extension of Dili's Becora Prison, to provide special security
conditions.

The prosecutor said all the suspects who allegedly accompanied Reinado
in
the attack on Mr Ramos Horta's house had testified that they had smoked
drugs. But he said this was not the case for the group led by former
soldier
Gastao Salsinha that attacked Mr Gusmao's convoy. Mr Gusmao escaped
unharmed.

He said evidence gathered so far suggested direct involvement of 23
people
in the attacks and three or four indirectly, who had knowledge of the
operation.

Salsinha is among 12 or 13 people still at large.
They include a former policeman, Marcelo Caetano, the man who allegedly
wounded Mr Ramos Horta.

Mr Monteiro confirmed that an amount of money in "new 100 US dollar
notes"
had been found on Reinado's body, and that investigators had frozen bank
accounts "at home and abroad" to track a money trail considered relevant
to
the assassination plot. He said he was not in a position to reveal
amounts
but "our experts from AFP are working on this".

Anonymous said...

I would love to hear what all of you (you and Dili-gence, especially) have to say about a recent article at the World Socialist Web Site: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/apr2008/alk-a08.shtmlthe

It raises some of the questions I've had, and I'm a half a world away!

Thanks to a number of you for great blogs!

fat old sod said...

Personally I think it raises some very interesting points. The time lines on the morning of the 11th all seem slightly out of whack (in the official versions)we hear.If it was an assasination attempt, why not just go down to the beach and shot JRH? If it was a coup attempt where was the backup?

Anonymous said...

Do you think 'the truth' will ever be made public? I guess that depends on if there is a need for a cover-up and how successful that cover-up is....

Another article said that XG had tea and cakes with several petitions/rebels immediately after they surrendered. Does that sound rather odd to anyone besides me? or am I just forgetting that so many of these people have been friends for years and have gone through devastating times together? I think that is what makes those of us on the outside wonder how all of this could have happened.