2006.06.25: June 25, 2006: Headlines: COS - East Timor: Country directors - East Timor: Honolulu Advertiser: East Timor Country Director Gene Ward writes: a rebel leader with a cause

Peace Corps Online: Directory: East Timor: Peace Corps East Timor : The Peace Corps in East Timor: 2006.06.25: June 25, 2006: Headlines: COS - East Timor: Country directors - East Timor: Honolulu Advertiser: East Timor Country Director Gene Ward writes: a rebel leader with a cause

By Admin1 (admin) (adsl-69-151-51-37.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 69.151.51.37) on Monday, June 26, 2006 - 9:58 am: Edit Post

East Timor Country Director Gene Ward writes: a rebel leader with a cause

East Timor Country Director Gene Ward writes: a rebel leader with a cause

The average man and woman in the streets of East Timor truly love their president, and have actually voted for him. But no one ever voted for Prime Minister Alkatiri. They only voted for the ruling Fretilin Party, which in turn chose Alkatiri. The problem, as I was told, was that few knew their vote for Fretilin meant a vote for Alkatiri as prime minister. The extreme view of the prime minister held by Alfredo is that unless Alkatiri steps down, the rebels will not put down their weapons. How 595 soldiers without many weapons can hold a nation hostage can only be explained by the sympathy that many Timorese share with the rebel leader's view of the prime minister, whom they consider arrogant and aloof.


East Timor Country Director Gene Ward writes: a rebel leader with a cause

In East Timor, a rebel leader with a cause

By Gene Ward

Caption: East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao, right, looks grim as Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri sits next to him while he talks to media upon arrival back from Indonesia at Dili's airport, East Timor, Sunday, June, 18, 2006. Gusmao said Alfredo Reinado, who is demanding that East Timor's politically powerful prime minister step down, 'was not a rebel' despite the fact he took up arms against other government forces while he was in Bali. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

Maj. Alfredo Reinado sat on the bamboo couch in our traditional East Timorese gazebo and didn't say much through the Thanksgiving festivities we had for our 46 Peace Corps volunteers and U.S. Embassy staff in East Timor.

Little did we suspect that five months later, he would become the leader of a rebellion that has brought the country to a standstill and caused most all of us to be sent home.

After all, East Timor had been the United Nations poster child, and diplomats could not stop heaping praise on the newest country in the world. East Timor also happens to be the poorest country in Asia, with only 1 million people, a third of whom are malnourished and have incomes of less than $25 per month.

It survived 450 years of Portuguese colonization and 25 years of harsh Indonesian military occupation and guerrilla warfare, but couldn't withstand 595 army troops filing a grievance against their government leaders. The country is a bit bigger than Singapore and is about a 1 1/2-hour flight north of Darwin, Australia, and east of Bali, and is connected by regular flights from both.

Reinado was simply known as "Alfredo" to us and was the spouse of one of our Peace Corps employees who had worked with us the last two years in the capital city, Dili. Alfredo was Western-educated and loved democracy, but a friend says he was never too enamored being a soldier. It simply was the best job he could find after returning to East Timor from abroad.

He had been a good mechanic, but could make a better living earning about $150 per month in the military. Soon, Alfredo had worked his way through the ranks with his intelligence and articulateness and had become commander of the military police.

He is a man driven by principle and fairness and remains totally loyal to President Xanana Gusmao, who has no real power under the East Timor constitution. Some of the grievances of Alfredo Reinado are well known but not well covered by the media.

I believe there are a few things driving this man and the rebellion that the media haven't covered and the history of East Timor has not revealed.

To date, the media have reported that the drivers of the conflict are primarily the rift in the army and the 595 soldiers who petitioned the government with legitimate grievances and were sacked, and how this set off a series of battles between affiliated military and youth gangs from eastern and western parts of the country.

But there is much more to it than that.

What's missing is the background, detailing how the East Timorese are getting back at themselves rather than the Indonesians who had burned their country to the ground in 1999 when they exited after losing in a U.N.-sponsored plebiscite. The present rift in the army simply exposed the East-West divisions of 1999, when the Easterners had championed themselves as the front line against the Indonesians while they felt the Westerns were more Indonesian sympathizers.

The looting gangs in the street were simply opportunists and part of the 50 to 75 percent in Dili who are unemployed.

But some would say the biggest driver of rebel leader Reinado is the prime minister, Mari Alkatiri, known as one of the richest and smartest men in the country. He also is a Portuguese-speaking sophisticate who is charged with masterminding much of the good as well as bad governance of the country while at the same time remaining one of the least-loved figures among the people.

A poll published by an international nongovernmental organization two years ago gave him about a 50 percent approval rating.

The average man and woman in the streets of East Timor truly love their president, and have actually voted for him. But no one ever voted for Prime Minister Alkatiri. They only voted for the ruling Fretilin Party, which in turn chose Alkatiri.

The problem, as I was told, was that few knew their vote for Fretilin meant a vote for Alkatiri as prime minister.

The extreme view of the prime minister held by Alfredo is that unless Alkatiri steps down, the rebels will not put down their weapons. How 595 soldiers without many weapons can hold a nation hostage can only be explained by the sympathy that many Timorese share with the rebel leader's view of the prime minister, whom they consider arrogant and aloof.

They also suspect he ordered a mini-massacre of some of the striking soldiers as well as unarmed police officers.

The charge is that the disintegration of East Timor began on the outskirts of the capital on April 28 when the suburb of Tasi Tolu went up in smoke, and seven rebel soldiers were shot dead after the prime minister commanded the regular army (over which the constitution gives him no power) to pursue and destroy the rebel soldiers.

I was there that afternoon and saw the smoke and the fear it engendered as people remembered the days of Indonesia's retreat from the country. It was after this key event that Maj. Reinado joined the rebels, and they immediately embraced him as their leader.

As soon as the smoke started billowing from Dili, as the Peace Corps country director, I ordered all 46 volunteers to "stand fast," and within 72 hours had them on a plane to Bangkok. Many left without saying goodbye and without any possessions other than their U.S. passports.

Amidst their tears, shock and even anger at being plucked out of their village homes so abruptly, they were processed out of the Peace Corps and sent home because of the serious prognosis for East Timor contained in intelligence reports.

So is there hope for Reinado's rebels and East Timor?

My sense of the man and the country is that the latest proposal to form a new interim government headed by President Gusmao until elections can be held next year will prevail.

Will Reinado accept this? I think so, because a transitional government will not have a Alkatiri as prime minister, and East Timor will likely land on its feet in a few months after the past six weeks of free-fall and violence.

Gene Ward, the Peace Corps country director in East Timor, was evacuated with his staff and 46 Peace Corps volunteers a few weeks ago. He now lives in Hawai'i Kai.





When this story was posted in June 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Date: June 3 2006 No: 903 Chris Dodd considers run for the White House
Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress.

The RPCV who wrote about Ben Hogan Date: June 6 2006 No: 912 The RPCV who wrote about Ben Hogan
Probably no RPCV has done more to further the Third Goal of the Peace Corps than John Coyne with the Peace Corps Writers web site and newsletter that he and Marian Haley Beil have produced since 1989. Now John returns to writing about his first love - golf in "The Caddie who knew Ben Hogan." Read an excerpt from his novel, an interview with the author and a schedule of his book readings in Maryland and DC this week.

Top Stories and Breaking News PCOL Magazine Peace Corps Library RPCV Directory Sign Up

The Peace Corps Library Date: February 24 2006 No: 798 The Peace Corps Library
The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory. New: Sign up to receive PCOL Magazine, our free Monthly Magazine by email. Like to keep up with Peace Corps news as it happens? Sign up to recieve a daily summary of Peace Corps stories from around the world.

Vasquez testifies before Senate Committee Date: June 3 2006 No: 905 Vasquez testifies before Senate Committee
Director Vasquez testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination as the new Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture replacing Tony Hall. He has been the third longest serving Peace Corps Director after Loret Ruppe Miller and Sargent Shriver. PCOL Comment: Read our thanks to Director Vasquez for his service to the Peace Corps.

PC evacuates East Timor, hopes to return Date: May 9 2006 No: 890 PC evacuates East Timor, hopes to return
Volunteers serving in East Timor have safely left the country as a result of the recent civil unrest and government instability. Latest: The Peace Corps has informed us that they are monitoring the security situation on a daily basis and that it is the intention of the Peace Corps to return to East Timor if the security situation improves.

First Amendment Watch Date: May 4 2006 No: 883 First Amendment Watch
Maine Web Report hit with Federal Lawsuit
Website wins trademark suit against Jerry Falwell

Interview with a Hit Man Date: April 25 2006 No: 880 Interview with a Hit Man
RPCV John Perkins says that for many years he was an "economic hit man" in the world of international finance whose primary job was to convince less developed countries to accept multibillion dollar loans for infrastructure projects that left the recipient countries wallowing in debt and highly vulnerable to outside political and commercial interests. In this exclusive interview for "Peace Corps Online," Colombia RPCV Joanne Roll, author of Remember with Honor, talks to Perkins about his Peace Corps service, his relation with the NSA, "colonization" in Ecuador, the consequences of his work, why he decided to speak out, and what his hopes are for change.

PC Program in Chad temporarily suspended Date: April 14 2006 No: 872 PC Program in Chad temporarily suspended
Director Vasquez announced the temporary suspension of the Peace Corps program in Chad on April 14 and that all 29 Peace Corps volunteers have left the country. With a program dating back forty years (See Page 4 of the April 1966 "Peace Corps Volunteer"), RPCVs hope that volunteers can return to Chad as soon as the situation has stabilized. Congratulations to the Peace Corps for handling the suspension quickly and professionally.

Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request Date: April 12 2006 No: 869 Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request
The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security.

PCOL readership increases 100% Date: April 3 2006 No: 853 PCOL readership increases 100%
Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace Corps Date: March 18 2006 No: 834 History of the Peace Corps
PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

PC announces new program in Cambodia Date: March 29 2006 No: 849 PC announces new program in Cambodia
Director Vasquez and Cambodia's Deputy Chief of Mission Meng Eang Nay announced a historic new partnership between the Peace Corps and the Kingdom of Cambodia that will bring volunteers to this Southeast Asian country for the first time. Under King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia has welcomed new partnerships with the U.S. government and other U.S. organizations.

Peace Corps suspends program in Bangladesh Date: March 16 2006 No: 827 Peace Corps suspends program in Bangladesh
Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced the suspension of the Peace Corps program in Bangladesh on March 15. The safety and security of volunteers is the number one priority of the Peace Corps. Therefore, all Peace Corps volunteers serving in Bangladesh have safely left the country. More than 280 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Bangladesh since the program opened in November 1998. Latest: What other newspapers say.

Invitee re-assigned after inflammatory remarks Date: March 21 2006 No: 839 Invitee re-assigned after inflammatory remarks
The Peace Corps has pulled the invitation to Derek Volkart to join the Morocco Training Program and offered him a position in the Pacific instead after officials read an article in which he stated that his decision to join the Peace Corps was in "response to our current fascist government." RPCV Lew Nash says that "If Derek Volkart spoke his mind as freely in Morocco about the Moroccan monarchy it could cause major problems for himself and other Peace Corps volunteers." Latest: Volkart reverses stance, takes new assignment in Paraguay.

RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Date: February 3 2006 No: 780 RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps
Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case.

Military Option sparks concerns Date: January 3 2006 No: 773 Military Option sparks concerns
The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read our poll results. Latest: Congress passed a bill on December 22 including language to remove Peace Corps from the National Call to Service (NCS) military recruitment program

Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger Date: October 22 2005 No: 738 Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger
When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Honolulu Advertiser

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - East Timor; Country directors - East Timor

PCOL33303
32


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: