Timor poll may be scuttled by violence
WORSENING violence in East Timor, including the fatal shooting of two Timorese men by Australian peacekeeping troops, could undermine plans for free and fair presidential elections in five weeks, diplomats warn. The Australian, February 26, 2007

Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta to run for president in East Timor
Prime Minister Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor told a cheering crowd in his hometown Sunday he will stand in April’s presidential elections, vowing to help return peace and stability to the troubled nation. International Herald Tribune/AP, February 24, 2007

Tensions high after two youths killed in Dili
The death of two East Timorese youths shot by an Australian soldier in Dili has heightened tensions in the capital. Authorities said the soldiers fired four shots in self-defence when they were attacked by youths firing steel arrows. United Nations Police and East Timor authorities are investigating. Commander of the Joint Forces in East Timor Brigadier Mal Rerden said the situation in Dili was calm but that the incident could inflame tensions further, leadingto a possible repeat of last December's campaign against Australians. http://www.nzherald.co.nz

Joint commission unlikely to further truth or friendship between Timor and Indonesia
The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) said today that the joint Indonesia-East Timor Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) can not further either goal its name suggests.
“The current public hearings give us no reason to change our view that the CTF is meant to prematurely close the books, leaving those who masterminded Indonesia's campaign of violence in East Timor in 1999 unrepentant and untouched”, said John M. Miller, National Co-ordinator of ETAN. “A whitewash is not a basis on which to create justice or build friendship between peoples or nations.” The American Chronicle, February 22, 2007

Security Council extends Timor-Leste mission for 1 year, boosts police
The Security Council today extended the United Nations mission in impoverished Timor-Leste for another year until February 2008, while adding up to 140 extra police officers to help counter the increasing violence as the tiny nation gears up for this year’s elections. The 15-member body voted unanimously on extending the mandate of the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), due to expire on Sunday, as well as on an additional Formed Police Unit (FPU), made up of more heavily armed officers. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had called for both measures, which were also backed by Timorese leaders. UN News Centre, February 22, 2007

Back into the vortex?
East Timor is an ill-starred land that has endured more than its share of violence, neglect and deprivation. Jeff Kingston reports on violence-ridden East Timor in the run-up to elections. The Japan Times, February 25, 2007

Populorum Progressio: Still Relevant Today?
Conflict, unjust trade rules, power imbalances, famine, investment in arms rather than basic services, inequality, debts that can’t be paid and a belief that new technology can solve all our problems – does this list seem familiar? It sounds like a description of our world today but, in fact, these are all issues that Pope Paul VI identified 40 years ago in his papal letter Populorum Progressio (On the Development of Peoples). Progressio, February 7, 2007

Give truth a chance
The Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) set up by Indonesia and Timor Leste, has finally begun to show its face with its inaugural public hearings. There is apprehension all around as we follow testimonies regarding the violence before and after the 1999 referendum which led to Timor Leste’s independence. There has already been at least one blunt verdict since the first of several planned hearings started Monday: “There will be little transparency and no accountability,” wrote blogger James Dunn, a former expert on crimes against humanity for the United Nations. But there have been other voices, like that of 19-year-old Belinha Alves, who was among the audience listening to the testimony in Sanur, Bali. Already a witness to much violence despite her young age, she told The Jakarta Post of her high hopes for the CTF process. “What matters most is a peaceful future. But we also need to know the truth about our past,” she said, adding that she trusted the commission would provide the public with this truth.
The Jakarta Post, February 23, 2007

World Bank in Timor-Leste
The World Bank has been assisting Timor-Leste since 1999, helping to rebuild the fledgling country’s infrastructure, stabilise the economy, and build up strong government institutions. The Timor-Leste section of the World Bank’s website includes project and program information, news and feature stories, events and resources, publications and reports, as well as data and statistics.

www.worldbank.org/tl

Dying for Drugs
This investigative documentary argues that Western drug companies are preventing Third World countries from accessing basic medicines through pricing, patenting and trade pressure. The program claims that these companies are the most profitable businesses in the world yet operate on a cut-throat basis. How far will they go to bring a new drug onto the market, and how willing are they to put profit before people? And once a drug is on the market, who decides the price? This documentary investigates the effects of testing and marketing policies on the sick children of the Third World whose lives depend on the supply of essential medicines. SBS TV, Thursday March 1, 2007 at 1:00 pm

“Development, the new name for peace.”
Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, #76

“Protecting the global environment is directly related to securing peace... We must not tire, we must not give up. We must persist.” Wangari Maathai

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