ASSEMBLY APPROVES TWO MORE ARTICLES OF CONSTITUTION

East Timor’s Constituent Assembly today passed two further articles of its first Constitution. The articles relate to sovereignty, constitutionality and citizenship.

The second article of the Constitution states that the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of East Timor “rests in the hands of the people” and that “the State is subordinate to the constitution.” This article was approved by a vote of 72 in favor and one against, with eight abstentions. The members added that the State “would recognize customary law.”

On citizenship, the assembly members voted that an East Timorese citizen is a person born of an East Timorese parent or parents; or born of unknown parents or a foreign mother or father, as long as they declare the desire to become an East Timorese citizen by the age of 17. People born outside East Timor of East Timorese parents can also become citizens.

The Assembly also voted to eliminate a controversial paragraph that proposed limiting citizens to a single citizenship. This third article was passed by a vote of 71 in favor and two against, with ten abstentions.

Finally, a motion proposing that 30 August 1999 – the day on which the Popular Consultation was held – represent the date of national liberation was defeated. Fifty nine members opposed the motion, 14 were in favor, and 15 abstained. However, this date may still be recognized in the pre-amble.

An affirmative vote of at least 60 of the 88 assembly members will be needed for the Constitution to be passed.

VERDICTS EXPECTED IN LOSPALOS TRIAL NEXT WEEK

Verdicts are scheduled to be delivered next Tuesday, December 11, in East Timor’s first Crimes Against Humanity trial, known as the “Lospalos case.”

Any sentences reached are expected to be handed down by the three-judge Special Panel for Serious Crimes immediately after the verdicts are announced.

The ten accused are allegedly members of the pro-autonomy Team Alpha militia. An eleventh suspect, Indonesian Syaful Anwar – the second-in-command of the Indonesian Kopassus special forces in Lautem district when the crimes took place – was indicted by the Prosecution but is currently at large.

The prosecution has sought to prove that the defendants took part in a systematic and orchestrated campaign of murder, deportation, and torture in Lautem district between April and September 1999. The charges relate to 13 murders carried out in four different incidents, and the attack and burning of a number of villages and subsequent deportation of their inhabitants.

The Special Panel for Serious Crimes, which consists of one East Timorese and two international judges, can try cases of Genocide, War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity, Murder, Sexual Offences and Torture, carried out between 1 January and 25 October 1999. The Special Panel was set up in June of last year.

The trial began in July.

REHABILITATION OF BAUCAU MOSQUE COMPLETED

The rehabilitation of the Baucau Mosque, destroyed during a series of violent incidents last March, has been completed.

The re-built mosque became functional on Saturday, 1 December.

Malaysia financed most of the rehabilitation of the mosque with a US$60,000 donation, with Portugal donating US$5,000 and the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces raising US$3,500 from its members.