East Timor Law & Justice Bulletin

6 Oct 2008 8:53 PM AAP - Police in East Timor have been ordered to set up checkpoints and step up patrols to stop officers from taking weapons home, amid signs of mounting tensions in the force.

Police have been ordered to search cars for illegal weapons, with one aim of the operation to stop police from unlawfully taking their weapons home when they finish work.

The order follows the circulation of an inflammatory leaflet pointing to a flare-up of regional tensions among police, similar to the rift among armed forces that sparked deadly violence two years ago.

East Timor was torn apart in 2006 when east-west tensions sparked deep divisions in the armed forces and ultimately triggered violence that left at least 37 people dead and around 150,000 displaced.

The leaflet warns of action "against the government" if someone from the east is appointed as East Timor's permanent police commander.

Interim police commander Afonso de Jesus today said police had been ordered to make sure officers were not taking their weapons home.

"One regulation (we have is) when police cease their duty their firearms are supposed to be put in the armory," de Jesus said.

"But some go home and take their weapons home with them."

An operational order issued to police calls for a checkpoint to be set up close to the residence of the State Secretary for Security, who is charged with appointing the new police commander.

UN police last week said they were taking the emergence of the leaflet seriously and trying to confirm its source.

"We pay attention to any information regardless of classification," Acting UN police commander Juan Carlos Arevalo
said.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) said last week that the leaflet was "deeply concerning".

"As we have seen before, if this sense of discrimination and resentment is left to fester it can cause serious problems down the track," said ICG analyst in East Timor Anna Powles.

There are other signs of problems within the police force.

Members of the Task Force Unit recently threatened to strike over a pay dispute, leading to a heated confrontation at police headquarters.

And the Prosecutor-General Longuinhos Monteiro last week revealed that de Jesus, the interim police commander, was being questioned in relation to disciplinary issues.


Image: East Timor police officers.

20/09/2008 Dili - National police in East Timor, one of the poorest countries in Asia, are being criticized for a crackdown on snack vendors working a lucrative part of the capital, Dili. No laws ban the sales across from the Palacio do Governo, or Government Palace, and the police are targeting poor people just trying to make ends meet, politicians and vendors complained.

Until two days ago, dozens of small carts loaded with drinks and snacks were stationed across from the government offices in a picnic area under shade trees that sits on the sea. On evenings and weekends, the picnic tables in one of the most popular public areas in Dili are usually jammed with couples and families, and business for vendors boomed there.

But on Saturday, only one cart dared show up for fear of the police.

"They chased me away a few days ago, but I have come back," said Tios Sila. As the sole vendor, Sila was doing a brisk business in soft drinks, biscuits and cigarettes.

In East Timor, unemployment hangs around 60 per cent, and most people make less than 1 dollar per day. Sila said he could make 5 to 10 dollars from the crowds in front of the Palacio do Governo. He said he couldn't make that much anywhere else in the city.

Jose Texeira, a member of East Timor's Parliament, said he was unaware of any law prohibiting the carts.

"I don't care if there's a law or not," he said. "The fact is they have just started doing this without telling anyone. It's nonsense, cracking down on people who just want to make a living."

Acting commander of the national police, Alfonso de Jesus, said no law had been passed but, nonetheless, he ordered his officers to shoo away the vendors last week after government workers complained to him about traffic congestion in front of their offices.

Police patrolling the area said they have not yet arrested anyone but if they saw any snack carts, they would ask them to move elsewhere.

"This isn't government property," Sila said. "Lots of people come here. If you want to sell anything, you have got to find a place that's popular."

From Earth Times

Radio Timor Leste 26 August 2008 - Police conducted an operation against illegal gambling in different parts of the East Timorese capital, Dili. During the operation, the police seized some facilities related to the illegal gambling, such as coupons for a kind of gambling known as SDSB, an amount of money and a table for "bola guling".

Dili District Police Commander, Inspector Pedro Belo, said that during the operation the police were unable to detain those who engaged in the gambling, as they all escaped when the police arrived. The commander said the police had secured the evidence seized to be used for legal purposes and said they had investigated the case and had officially handed over the case to the Pubic Prosecution for further legal charges.

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