Fri, 14 September 2012
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Fri, 14 September 2012
46.3 Mb. 51 minutes Jose Belo is a Timorese man who perhaps represents the highest values of journalism. Active in the Timorese resistance movement against the Indonesian occupation, he was a critical factor in enabling those few independent Australian journalists who contrived to work in Timor Leste (legendary journalists like John Martinkus, Max Stahl, and others) to gather critical information about the Indonesian occupation, and to get that information out. He was captured and tortured by the Indonesians 7 times, continuing to work in Timor even though he had the opportunity to live in exile in Australia. After Timorese independence he became a journalist, still maintaining a critical and independent attitude to successive governments of Timor Leste. One year he was threatened with house arrest when he accused a government minister of corruption. He is currently the editor of "Tempo Semanal", a weekly publication that is one of the most influential in the country, still attacking the government on issues of corruption and misspending of state finances. He was involved in the making of the film Balibo, and more recently, the subject of a more recent film ('Breaking the news') about to be released exposing the behaviour and role of some foreign journalists working in Timor Leste whose ethical and professional standards do not perhaps, match up to Jose's own. In this interview he talks about his values as a journalist, why he became a journalist, how he became a journalist, and the values that inform his work. Note: This is a raw, unedited sound file. The sound quality is generally adequate for reproduction, but another shortened edited and contextualised version of this interview will be posted soon.
Direct download: JoseBeloHotelDiliThin05_09_12.mp3
Category:Latin Radical -- posted at: 11:54am AEDT |
Wed, 12 September 2012
8.2 Mb. 8 minutes 45 seconds (stereo) Head of the PNTL (Timorese National Police), Longhuino Monteiro has been called on to resign for a series of incidents involving 'missing' weapons over several years. The most recent is the disappearance of a high powered automatic weapon, with 60 rounds of ammunition from the car of the head of Police Intelligence while it was parked outside a brothel. Longuino dismissed this as 'not a problem - a single weapon is not a threat to public security'. But this, and other weapons that have gone missing over the years is, according to the NGO Fundasaun Mahein a flaw in the PNTL that Monteiro has not addressed. Fundasaun Mahein (Guardian Foundation) is an NGO that evolved as a watchdog research organisation concerned with issues of public security out of the destabilising conflicts of 2006 and 2007, that involved elements of both the Timorese Police and the the Timorese Armed Forces, who at times were involved in armed conflict against each other. |
Tue, 31 July 2012
20Mb Stereo 28 minutes
A 'soundscape' treatment of the 2012 East Timorese general elections which were peaceful and well conducted. A team of Australian observers went up into the hills of the Ermera province to monitor the process, spread among three mountain villages. Includes interviews with the Australian observers, a Timorese police official, and some of the count. |
Wed, 25 July 2012
16.5 Mb. 19 minutes A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was not well known or understood. |
Wed, 25 July 2012
5.8 Mb. 7 minutes A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was not well known or understood. |
Wed, 25 July 2012
8.5 Mb. 9 minutes 22 seconds A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was not well known or understood. |
Wed, 25 July 2012
11Mb. 12 minutes 45 seconds A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was not well known or understood. |
Tue, 24 July 2012
9.3 Mb. 11 minutes A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was not well known or understood. |
Tue, 24 July 2012
11Mb. 14 minutes A small group of Australians with a long history of support for the East Timorese struggle for independence meet with the research team of the CAVR (Commission for Reception, Truth, and Reconciliation). The team is producing a book about the East Timorese struggle for independence, and the years fo the resistance struggle, but from a bottom up perspective. Rather than focus on the well known identities, leaders and personalities that have characterised many of the histories of the struggle fo the Timorese, they are focussing on the testimonies of the mass of people who supported the struggle and were often the main victims of Indonesian reprisals and repression. It will focus particularly on women, and also the solidarity movement. Four Australians recall the early years of Australian solidarity at a time when the struggle of the Timorese people was virtually unkown to the general Australian public. |
Thu, 19 July 2012
18 Mb. 18 minutes 40 seconds (Tetum -English Translation below) FRENTE REVOLUCIONÁRIA DO TIMOR-LESTE INDENPENDENTE
FRETILIN
Media Conference Held at Parliament House, Dili, 18.7.2012
Media conference to divulge the outcome of an investigation into potentially criminal conduct by PNTL Squad Members stationed at Hera who shot and killed FRETILIN militant, Armindo Pereira Soares on 16 – 07- 2012. Through this press conference we want to share with the media and public at large that the FRETILIN Central Committee (CCF) when we heard that PNTL had shot and killed FRETILIN militant, Armindo Pereira Soares, in Hera the morning of 16-07-2012, CCF FRETILIN immediately established and sent out an investigative team composed of:
1. Deputy Domingos Maria Sarmento, President of the National Justice Commission 2. Jose Agostinho Sequieira, Somocho, Vice-President of the Ex-combatants and Veterans Association. 3. José Guterres, Lawyer, in order to investigate the case of the PNTL Police in Hera shooting dead FRETILIN militant Armindo Prereira Soares in Hera- Sub-District, Metinaro.
It was felt necessary to immediately take statements from potential material witnesses to the incident, due to what appeared to FRETILIN as attempts to cover up the incident, and the history of a number of violent incidents against citizens, including homicides that have thus far gone unresolved.
The following is the chronology of facts and evidence that the internal FRETILIN investigation found:
1. On the morning of 16 July 2012 between 6 and 9 am, the situation in Aldeia Mota Kiik, the location of the incident, was normal and calm, without any disturbances or rock throwing, nor burning of tires on the public road. According to the information gathered by the FRETILIN investigation team, tires had been burnt, people screaming and throwing stones at each other on the night of the 15th of July 2012, but by 9 am on the morning of the 16th of July 2012, the situation was extremely calm, with students preparing and some on their way to school and everyone going about their daily chores.
2. As the situation in the area was calm, there were no disturbances or rock throwing along the Hera-Dili public road, Armindo Pereira Soares (the deceased) waited along the roadside for public transport (at a distance between 5-10 meters from his house) to come to Dili to attend his classes at University of Dili. According to information gathered, Armindo Pereira Soares, lives with his older brother Abel Ximenes in Becora, but on Saturday the 14th of July 2012, the deceased traveled to Hera to get some money from his Auntie, Sra Ana Senhorinha Alves, alias Bilesa, a veteran of the armed struggle, to pay for his university studies.
3. Whilst the deceased Armindo Pereira Soares and his friend Joanico Freitas were waiting for the microlet, the deceased, Armindo Pereira Soares, told Joanico he had forgotten the money his Aunt had given him on the dinning table. He turned to go and retrieve the money he had forgotten. At that moment traveling from the direction of Hera the Hera police post vehicle, on which were riding between 5-10 police officers, was heading towards them at very high speed. From far, before nearing the place where the deceased Armindo Pereira Soares and Joanico Freitas were standing waiting for the microlet, a police officer fired an a warning shot in the air and the vehicle stopped whilst the police officers descended from it. Meanwhile the deceased Armindo Pereira Soares was walking slowly (not running) to his Auntie’s house. When the deceased had returned to his Auntie’s house, 3 police officers, one named Agostinho Cardoso, another named Mario and a third police officer whose name is unknown, they pursued the deceased, Armindo Pereira Soares, who was already on the veranda of the house of the veteran and former combatant, Ana Senhorina Alves (Bilesa) where she, as the owner of the house sat on a chair near the door to the veranda.
4. The three police officers, Agostinho Cardoso, Mario and their third colleague, entered the house without the permission of the owner and veteran Bilesa, immediately began to strike the head of the deceased Armindo Pereira Soares with their police batons whilst the deceased yelled repeatedly “I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t done anything wrong.” As a result of these violent strikes, the head of the deceased began to bleed profusely on the cement inside the house of the veteran, Builesa. After the three police officers had physically assaulted and wounding the deceased to the point of bleeding from his head, the three police officers dragged him out of the house and pushed him towards the roadside adjascent to the house. Whilst this was occurring, the veteran Bilesa and Sr. Joanico Meneses were standing on the veranda witnessing these brutal and inhuman acts of these police officers with their own eyes.5. Once the 3 police officers had dragged and pushed the deceased to the roadside, a policeman named Agostinho Cardoso shot the deceased on his leg with his pistol. Ana Senhorina Alves, Builesa, and Joanico Meneses could see the police officer Agostinho Cardoso shoot the deceased’s leg from where they were standing on the veranda of their house, a short distance away.
6. Following the 3 police officers together with others, dragged and pushed the deceased into the back of the vehicle. Whilst they were dragging and pushing he deceased, Armindo, some police officers were pushing him from behind while others had grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted the deceased inside the vehicle. At that very moment a police officer by the name of Mario shot the deceased on his right abdomen with his pistol. This was also witnessed by Martinho da Silva who usually sells clothing on the roadside, near the place of the incident. Nearby another witness named Jacinto also witnessed the shooting of the deceased by the policeman Mario. Both witnesses made statements that they saw with their own eyes the policeman Mario shoot the right side of the abdomen of the deceased whilst they were lifting and throwing the deceased inside the vehicle. This physical aggression, beating with batons, shooting the deceased’s leg and abdomen, resulted in the deceased Armindo Pereira Soares, dying on the way to the hospital inside the Hera police post vehicle.
7. As such the actions of these police officers must be the subject of a criminal investigation and if found guilty of a crime the police officers concerned should be dismissed from the PNTL.
8. According to the observation of the internal FRETILIN investigation team, the PNTL showed a lack of professionalism and a lack of impartiality in performing their duty in this instance and only showed acts of cruelty and inhumanity in randomly beating and fatally shooting an innocent person.
9. The statements and report will be forwarded to the prosecutor general's office and the Provedor for Human Rights and Justice promptly urging an urgent investigation.
Direct download: FretilinAssassinationStatement120718-000.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:24am AEDT |
Wed, 18 July 2012
17 Mb. 18 minutes 30 seconds Tetum with English translation. Only a few years old but with 6000 members the Federation has struggled for gains which have flowed through to the Public Service sector in general. |
Wed, 18 July 2012
12.4 Mb 12 minutes 40 seconds A press conference held by General Secretary of Fretilin, Mari Alkatiri on Monday 16 after some violent incidents following the broadcast of the CNRT General Assembly on Sunday. The CNRT had decided to exclude Fretilin from government. Fretilin was prepared for the decision, but not the provocative and offensive language in which it was couched. Many Fretilin supporters felt insulted, and reacted angrily. The press conference was mainly in Tetum, but a short translation in English is posted below. *Fretilin secretary general calls for CNRT’s responsibility |
Wed, 18 July 2012
16.3 Mb. 16 minutes 30 secondns Remarks, comments and observations from some of the 160 Australian observers who came to see the East Timor elections, shortly before they return to Australia |
Tue, 17 July 2012
Part 4 of 4 Charles Scheiner and Juvenal are researchers for the Lao Hamutuk ("Walking Together) NGO in Timor Leste. For many years Lao Hamatuk has been monitoring the governance of Timor Leste. Among other things, they look at how TL spends its oil revenues, which come from exporting the nonrenewable oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. Returns on investing the Petroleum Fund are only about one-tenth of the royalties and revenues paid by oil companies. As the oil and gas reserves are depleted, and oil revenues fall, investment returns will not be nearly enough to sustaining TL's state spending.At the time of the 2012 general elections they are particularly critical of the government of the past five years, and concerned that the incoming government review its spending priorities. The Lao Hamatuk website can be found at http://www.laohamutuk.org/ |
Tue, 17 July 2012
6.02 Mb. 8minutes Part three of three Charles Scheiner and Juvenal are researchers for the Lao Hamutuk ("Walking Together) NGO in Timor Leste. For many years Lao Hamatuk has been monitoring the governance of Timor Leste. Among other things, they look at how TL spends its oil revenues, which come from exporting the nonrenewable oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. Returns on investing the Petroleum Fund are only about one-tenth of the royalties and revenues paid by oil companies. As the oil and gas reserves are depleted, and oil revenues fall, investment returns will not be nearly enough to sustaining TL's state spending.At the time of the 2012 general elections they are particularly critical of the government of the past five years, and concerned that the incoming government review its spending priorities. The Lao Hamatuk website can be found at http://www.laohamutuk.org/ |
Tue, 17 July 2012
5.2 Mb. 5 minutes 30 seconds Part two of three Charles Scheiner and Juvenal are researchers for the Lao Hamutuk ("Walking Together) NGO in Timor Leste. For many years Lao Hamatuk has been monitoring the governance of Timor Leste. Among other things, they look at how TL spends its oil revenues, which come from exporting the nonrenewable oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. Returns on investing the Petroleum Fund are only about one-tenth of the royalties and revenues paid by oil companies. As the oil and gas reserves are depleted, and oil revenues fall, investment returns will not be nearly enough to sustaining TL's state spending. For more details, seehttp://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-timor-leste-got-ten-billion-dollars.html . At the time of the 2012 general elections they are particularly critical of the government of the past five years, and concerned that the incoming government review its spending priorities. The Lao Hamatuk website can be found at http://www.laohamutuk.org/ |
Mon, 16 July 2012
Part one of three Charles Scheiner and Juvenal are researchers for the Lao Hamutuk ("Walking Together) NGO in Timor Leste. For many years Lao Hamatuk has been monitoring the governance of Timor Leste. Among other things, they look at how TL spends its oil revenues, which come from exporting the nonrenewable oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. Returns on investing the Petroleum Fund are only about one-tenth of the royalties and revenues paid by oil companies. As the oil and gas reserves are depleted, and oil revenues fall, investment returns will not be nearly enough to sustaining TL's state spending. For more details, seehttp://laohamutuk.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-timor-leste-got-ten-billion-dollars.html . At the time of the 2012 general elections they are particularly critical of the government of the past five years, and concerned that the incoming government review its spending priorities. The Lao Hamatuk website can be found at http://www.laohamutuk.org/ |
Mon, 16 July 2012
7.3 Mb Stereo 11 minutes 7 seconds Three days after the 2012 general election results it was still unclear how the new government would be formed. Neither of the two major parties had a clear majority. The governing CNRT could either form a coalition government with the two minor parties, or a government of National Unity with Fretilin. Speculation was rife. At this time Mari Alkatiri, the General Secretary of Fretilin granted an exclusive interview with an Australian media team, where he referred to the events of 2006 that led to the destabilisation of his government and forced his resignation from the position of Prime Minister. |
Sun, 15 July 2012
7.5 Mb. 9 minutes 21 seconds Bob Boughton was in Timor Leste to observe the elections. At the time of the interview it was uncertain whether the former CNRT government (which obtained the highest vote, but not an absolute majority) would create a coalition with the Democratic Party (with several of its Ministers under investigation for corruption), or form a Government of National Unity with the Fretilin Party. While the interview was taking the place the CNRT was holding a televised Assembly. At the end of the day it recommended against forming a government with Fretilin. It is expected that Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao will ratify that decision,but not entirely certain; but a new government cannot be declared until the President, Tau Matan Ruak returns from a trip to Mozambique. |
Sun, 15 July 2012
The tale of an Aboriginal community, a Cuban teacher, a Timorese woman, and the CWA. - Bob Boughton.
8Mb. 8 minutes. Bob Boughton, Associate Professor at the University of New England has been working on education programs in Timor Leste. He was impressed with the work of the Cuban literacy brigades and succeeded in bringing a Cuban educator to an Aboriginal community in Willcania. The pilot project has thus far proved to be eminently successful, and could be applied to other remote Aboriginal communities. |
Tue, 29 May 2012
15.5 Mb stereo 21 minutes East Timor expert Jim Dunn discusses the election prospects of the Fretilin party next July. East Timorese politics is best understood by looking at the historic role of Fretilin as the political party which declared East Timor's independence in 1975, the event which triggered the illegal Indonesian invasion of 1975, and its role in the resistance movement against the Indonesian occupation through the 1970s and beyond. Jim details this history, drawing on his own experience and knowledge of the key figures involved. |
Tue, 29 May 2012
10.3 Mb. mono 23 minutes 44 seconds Independent documentary film maker David Bradbury made a big impact on the English speaking world with his documentary about the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, released in 1984. The centrepiece of this powerful documentary was a meeting with the last surviving founding member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front, Tomas Borge. When Tomas Borge died at the age of 81, a few hours before Mayday, 2012, David shared some of his memories of the man with community radio, and the story of how his documentary "Nicaragua, No Pasaran" came to be made. (More about David and his work can be found at his website http://frontlinefilms.com.au) |
Mon, 13 February 2012
18.5 Mb Stereo CBR 192kbps. 14 minutes. Jose Texeira, Fretilin Parliamentarian and member of the Central Committee of Fretiliin comments on te upcoming East Timorese Elections. There are over a dozen candidates for the Presidential elections in East Timor coming up in March. Fretilin candidate, former resistance leader and Fretilin organiser looks like the strongest candidate to challenge the incumbent Jose Ramos Horta. But with a wide range of candidates, some with a strong personal following, a run off between Horta and Lu'Olo could be unpredictable. |
