Jose Ramos-Horta to Run for East Timor Presidency

[Ukun rasik]

Media Release
31 March 2007

Ramos–Horta campaign organiser breaks election code

A top organiser of the Ramos-Horta presidential campaign breached the election code of conduct when he issued a statement defending the assault of an East Timorese civilian by Australian soldiers.

The statement signed by Dionisio Babo Soares titled "Fretilin party representatives hinder Australian troops" was published in full by Indonesia's Antara news agency on Friday 30 March (www.antara.co.id/arc/2007/3/30/ fretilin-party-representatives -hinder-Australian-troops)

Soares' statement fails to disclose that he is Jose Ramos Horta's official representative to the National Electoral Commission and interim secretary general of the "National Congress of Timorese Reconstruction" the new political party to be headed by outgoing president Xanana Gusmao.

Soares' failure to identify his political posts is a breach of the election code of conduct under which all candidates and their official representatives pledged to act in a transparent manner, Filomeno Aleixo, member of Fretilin's National Political Commission said today.

"It is misleading and deceptive for the official representative of a candidate to disguise his political position and pose as a neutral reporter of events," Aleixo said.

He said Soares' statement ignored the facts of the Australian troops' unprovoked assault on Mr Agustino Ramos on March 26 and deliberately misrepresented Fretilin's position on the Australian military presence in East Timor

"The Ramos-Horta team should have sought to establish the facts of the incident and stood up for the human rights of an East Timor citizen rather than automatically leaping to the defence of Australian troops," Mr Aleixo said.

Fretilin has protested to the commander of Australian forces in East Timor, Brigadier Mal Rerden over the assault which happened as a Fretilin convoy left Gleno in Ermera district after a peaceful mass rally in support of presidential candidate Francisco Guterres "Lu'Olo".

[Ukun Rasik]

The UN's 'neutral' mouthpiece in East Timor

A prominent United Nations functionary in Timor Leste is covertly organising support for Jose Ramos Horta in the run-up to the presidential election.

UNMIT spokesperson Alison Cooper was overheard in a Darwin restaurant encouraging Horta's former media officer Julian Swinstead to return to Dili to "help with Jose's campaign".

Swinstead told his fellow Australian that the pay wasn't good enough to get him back to Dili.

The conversation occurred on Saturday morning 24 March at the Roma Bar in Cavenagh St.

Cooper's indiscretion raises questions about the supposed neutrality of some UNMIT staff in Timor Leste and their relationship to the clique of Australian operatives who have attached themselves to the Horta camp.

Cooper is a former Darwin journalist and Swinstead is a former managing editor of Darwin's Northern Territory News. He was later appointed public relations officer for the Territory’s right-wing Country Liberal Party.

Australian Liberal Party president Shane Stone, a confidant of Prime Minister John Howard, recruited Swinstead to the Horta cause.

It was an Australian business associate of Horta's, Wayne Thomas, who asked Stone to find a media officer for Horta. Thomas and Horta jointly own a motor boat now beached in Dili and Thomas owns a tourist resort in Lospalos.

Swinstead's pay packet was the subject of a row last year between Australian Ambassador to Timor Leste and former intelligence officer, Margaret Twomey, and the Dili office of Ausaid, the Australian government’s overseas aid arm.

Local Ausaid people were incensed by Twomey’s strenuous efforts to have Ausaid foot the bill for Swinstead as part of Australia's 'aid' effort in Timor Leste.

(fonte Timor-Online)

[Manuel]

I wrote in this thread on last March 21 a text that eight days after Frank, from Kailua HI, on March 29, said about its subject : "Hey Manuel,it is so hard to understand your english. Why don't you write in other languages that you are good at. I am not saying your english is bad...the point I am just trying to make here is that it is so difficult to follow your ideas, and it is so hard to fully get the feel of what you were trying to say. It would be much better to express your ideas in a language that you are comfortable with rather than trying to say it english but then no one understands what you are trying to make. I just want to help, manu". What I was saying, now with some corrections it was this :

The polls for next election for a new president in East Timor in present conditions is (are) also quite forceful by extraordinary events as well the first election in 2002, only we forgot fast that at the time Xanana Gusmao itself (himself) was pressured instantly by former U.N. Staff chief, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello (dead in Iraq next year), in accepting the (...) his candidature to the first symbolic contest, when as personality he was taking stills (before XG liked making photos in ceremonies at the time) as sporty activity and of all (priorities as leader) the main priority to his character ; but finally he taught (or, thought) that crazy condition in itself was too expensive (for not being President, at the time, if it was for the good his own first option) when before him there was a story (personal affair)and the history (rivalry between CNRT and Fretilin) of this land (East Timor) and (finally) came (come) accepting the role and won the election (for first president of ET). This second (present) contest has as heritage this trauma of excitation (to be or not be president) from the first contest plus (more) the new state (presence) of mind (spirit) generalized in all (over) main individuals belonging to the present institutions (Parliament, army, presidency, government, press) of East Timor after the last year incidents. The only difference now it is the lack of help from Vieira de Mello himself, big responsible of the first candidature of Xanana Gusmão when this one as himself remembers was too much renitent (not very interesting himself and with many hesitations accepting running as candidate and risking lose because not much prepared for the function as well loving it) at the time. This (is, now, for the conscience) so loud that people is deaf...