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CNRT Calls For an End to Political Violence

Dili – 5th June 2007

Following the shooting deaths of two unarmed CNRT supporters in the Viqueque district yesterday, CNRT calls for Fretilin to take responsibility for its actions and those of its supporters in ensuring a peaceful and fair legislative election campaign. The atmosphere of violence and intimidation is a direct result of the inability of the Fretilin regime to establish law, order and stability in the world’s youngest country.

In 2006, Alkatiri’s tenure as Prime Minister abruptly ended in resignation, after his government armed civil militia that helped incite one of the most violent episodes since the independence of East Timor.  It left over 2,000 homes destroyed, more than one tenth of the population displaced and caused a major breakdown amongst the major institutions of the Republic. Even the church was compelled to take to the streets leading its first demonstration against a government (Fretilin) in 500 years.

East Timor, a country of less than one million inhabitants has an established police force - the PNTL, armed forces - F-FDTL and a few other discrete units – adequate security for such a small nation. In 2006 however, Alkatiri and his Fretilin inner core, despite vocal opposition, called for the establishment of additional forces including paramilitary police units, the Police Reserve Unit (URP) and the Border Patrol unit (UPF) to be responsible for border patrol, cross border militia attacks and rural counter insurgency.

The now jailed Minister of Interior, Rogerio Lobato, intended to expand the URP to full battalion strength. During this period however, the government was unable to secure weapons under the United Nations Executive Mandate, which ended May 20, 2004.

On May 21st 2004, the day after the mandate ceased, Alkatiri’s Government began a spree of arms purchases, some considered ‘donations’ from friendly nations, including a consignment from Malaysia of 180 HK33 semi-automatic assault rifles,  200 Steyr semiautomatic assault rifles, 66 FN-FNC semi-automatic assault rifles and a further seven F2000 automatic machine guns. These arms were linked to several reported deaths during the events of 2006.

Events unfurled from May 2006, when up to one third of the army personnel (F-FDTL) petitioned parliament citing unfair practice, nepotism and discrimination within the armed forces, and called on parliament to enact regulations that would see occupational fair codes of practice enacted. Alkatiri responded by endorsing the termination of 591 soldiers, close to one third of the defence force.

The petitioners decided to stage a five day rally between April 24 and April 28, during which time Alkatiri demonstrated arrogance typical of his administration in refusing to speak to the petitioners, as they are known, causing outrage and a sporadic outburst of hostility. At which point Alkatiri endorsed the armed forces, the police and the UPR to execute a ‘shoot to kill’ policy.

The acts that followed destroyed many of the hard won gains of the young democracy, breaking the hearts of its people. According to testimony given by Alkatiri to the United Nations Special Inquiry on May 8, 2004, the former Prime Minister stated that during a meeting in which the weapons were allegedly discussed, he took the opportunity to discuss with the Minister of the Interior the need for a group of civilians to support the URP PNTL. The Minister of Interior took this as authority to arm two groups of civilian militia, one with 18 HK 33 semiautomatic rifles, 6,000 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines.  The second group was armed with the remaining five HK33 rifles and one crate of ammunition, and UD$33,000 worth of vehicles and military uniforms.

Although Lobato was jailed for arming the militias, and the resulting deaths of some citizens at the hands of the armed militia, Alkatiri’s refused to accept any culpability and allowed his minister to take the full blame. No notion of ministerial responsibility was or has been demonstrated in his camp.

The Special Commission Inquiry into events of April-May 2006 recommended further investigation into Alkatiri's involvement.  While Alkatiri claimed not to have ordered the arms distribution, he defended the action under the country’s Internal Security Act.

A key Commission finding stated: ‘The Commission is satisfied that there is a reasonable suspicion that the former Prime Minister at least had knowledge about the distribution of PNTL weapons to civilians. The Commission does not accept the statements made by both the former Prime Minister and the former Minister of the Interior that civilian support to the PNTL was lawful under the terms of the Internal Security Act.’

Alkatiri was admittedly not preparing his soldiers or security forces to go to war in the tiny nation, so the only applicable notion is that he and his inner circle were building an arsenal and forces that would facilitate their ‘right to rule’ mentality, employing similar policies and strategies to those of every ‘one party government’.

As the June 30th legislative elections draw near, and the Fretilin party becomes akin to a desperate regime, the world can only hope that Alkatiri will finally take responsibility for the actions of his party and its supporters to allow the young country to move forward in peace and unity.

“It is time for Fretilin to demonstrate its ability to govern its own followers to ensure that the elections continue in a free and fair manner and end the bloodshed that has been symptomatic of their tenure in Government,” stated Xanana Gusmao. “It is time for the people of East Timor to be free of violence and oppression, it is time for a leadership that promotes peace and unity to regain control, and assimilate the community through a free and fair democracy.”

ENDS.

For Further Information
CNRT Media Contact
T: +670 735 8696
E: info@cnrt-timor.org

 

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