VISION AND PRIORITIES - TAUR MATAN RUAK

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“Uluk ho Imi, Fakar Ran ba Ukun An. Fila Fali ho Imi, Hisik Kosar ba Moris Di’ak”

“Together with you in the past, our blood intertwined towards our independence.

Again with you today, together we toil towards a better future”

I, Taur Matan Ruak, come before you today as a presidential candidate for the period of 2012-2017

I do not have any university degree. My way of studying is by observing and listening to others. I was a soldier and rose up through the ranks to become a general, and the struggle for the national liberation was my only military academy.

But I had a dream, which guided me throughout my life: I dreamed of Timor Leste as a prosperous country, and a peaceful nation where every citizen has a space to participate

Instead of presenting a political manifesto, I would like to present to you my vision for the future of Timor Leste based on a number of political principles and civic values that I consider necessary in order to attain the dream for which we mobilized our-selves to achieve for over two decades.

My VISION is simple but ambitious:

TOGETHER FOR A STRONG, PROSPEROUS AND SECURE TIMOR LESTE

What motivated and mobilized us during the struggle for liberation was our belief that it was the citizens who legitimized the struggle for the motherland and our state. A state in which the citizens are active and responsible, and where there is a good governance to bring us to the development of our country and which creates a condition of possibility towards prosperity and well being of ALL Timorese.

Throughout the struggle, Timorese people demonstrated a great level of mobilization and participation of a true citizenry. This was done without a State and freedom.

Today, we are free and we have built a state but, if we look around, I neither see nor feel the involvement of the general populace in national projects, in actions, and in overseeing the management in the configuration of a shared future.

We have concluded the first decade of the restoration of our independence. We centered all our efforts in the state building, in building state institutions and in training technical staff. We have, however, largely failed to encourage a greater participation and responsibility of our citizens.

The overall passivity of our population while experiencing daily hardships and while witnessing that important decisions regarding their lives are taken without listening to their voices, must be transformed into Action and full participation in the decision making process.

The voice of the people must be heard not only at the time of election. Without their participation and active engagement in the building of their own future, we will neither achieve a true development, wherein the citizens are fully engaged and responsive, nor a country which belongs to the people.

In analyzing the current situation in our own country today, what do we see? We witness a low level of income, a fragile web of productive sectors, a high level of external dependency, a debilitating infrastructure, an unequal territorial development, a lack of well being of the population, a feeble state and administrative structures and a significant technical and scientific underdevelopment.

Today, I come before you, national and international news media, invited guests and friends and supporters, to present my Vision – What do I want for our country?

What are the general guidelines we needed to abide by in order to develop our country, and why do I choose them.

And what are my priorities and how do I want to achieve them?

I consider five areas to be the center of all our attention in the next five years:

1 – To maintain national independence – This can be done through building a viable, coherent and sustainable economic system, and through strengthening national identity.

2 – To Guarantee National Integrity and Sovereignty – Through, inter alia, improving our defense and security systems, awareness building to the citizens, and through a concerted diplomatic action;

3 – To build and develop a coherent and sustainable economic system – Above all, strengthening human resources; reducing dependency on the petroleum sector; reducing foreign dependency; strengthening the private sector

4 – To maintain unity, national cohesion and democratic society – Through respecting the citizens’ fundamental rights, satisfying their basic and general needs and through strengthening tolerance;

5 – Regional and International Integration – Through increasing Timor Leste’s participation in the organizations in which Timor Leste is presently a member namely, the UN and the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries) , maintaining efforts to join ASEAN and strengthening relations with all the member states. Also, to strengthen relations with other countries in the region, to implement conventions, treaties and agreements to which Timor Leste is a signatory and to closely cooperate with the rest of the organs of sovereignty in the signing of pacts and accords.

If we were to analyze and diagnose the current state of our nation, everything appears to be a priority. Nevertheless, I have five important sectors, five important guidelines, as the base of my presidency. I have also defined ten priorities for the mandate.

These priorities were chosen because I believe that without finding a solution to these problems, development of our country will continue to be at risk. Peace and security will continue to be at risk and all of you, my fellow citizens, will continue to be marginalized in the process of building OUR nation’s future.

Please allow me to refer to some points that I consider important from each of the priorities:

1 – Veterans and Former Combatants – In order to ensure that there is opportunity for their insertion into the society and in the development process, it is pivotal to address their problems. They face issues with the lack of clarification regarding their rights. Hence it is important to alter existing legislations and to create a more rigorous database. More attention should be given to issues related to the remains of those who died in the struggle and in the organization of ceremonies to honor them; recollecting scattered documents with a view to prepare a History of these men and women to keep their memory and experience alive; ensuring their insertion into society and the development process through a plan which includes areas such as education (fundraising for scholarships and monthly subscription), economy, agriculture and health (access to specific services)

2 – Youth – National development would become reality only if our youth began to get truly involved in the process of securing their future. As such, the followings are five issues I consider essentials in ensuring that young citizens of today will become responsible adult citizens tomorrow: technical-professional training; national service; obligatory military service; integration into the job market; civic and patriotic training;

3 – Elderly, widows and orphans – A society that does not take care of those most vulnerable , does not deserve to be respected. Our elderly citizens, widows and our orphans deserve a specialized social security system which guarantees a dignified existence.

4 – Organization of the state – It is urgent to implement decentralization of the state (which presently does not reach the population) and to create an apparatus strictly based on merit and competence.

5 – Good Governance - To create a preventive mechanism against corruption; to investigate any ostentatious sign of wealth; equitable distribution of wealth; effective management of public goods; a revision to the law regarding lifetime pensions.

6 – Education - Educational system focusing on the needs of the country’s development process (technical and professional training, and university level education); equal distribution in the distribution of scholarships; training of primary school teachers; improving the quality of teaching; training of the mid and senior level management to compete in the domestic and regional markets;

7 – Development of the productive sectors - Training of human resources; rational and sustainable use of natural resources; ending dependency on the petroleum sector; a strong national private sector; reducing foreign dependency; development of productive sectors (primary, secondary and tertiary); mechanisms for a sustainable commercialization; employment creation;

8 – Physical development/ Infrastructure and Territorial Planning – Control over the quality of projects and supervision of their implementation; establishing development poles; basic sanitation; planned and sustainable urbanization

9 – Land and Property / Justice – Legislation; review transactions during the occupation.

10 – Gender – Equal opportunity based on merit and competency.

Drawn before us a path of immense work but I am convinced that with good coordination and respect of other organs of sovereignty, we will be able to respond to the great issues faced by Timor Leste. Solving the issues will definitely remove Timor Leste from international lists of poor countries, fragile states and all other negative adjectives.

My visits throughout the country from October 2011 to February 2012, allowed me to say today that our people are tired of negativism. They see me a force for inspiration for a new Timor Leste because I know that it is possible to look for the future, to work for a positive future of hope and change.

Timor-Leste has ALL the conditions necessary to become a Strong, Prosperous and Secure Country.

The principles and values of my candidature are that of our people: Honesty, Integrity, Participation, Citizenship and Responsibility

With all of you, citizens of Timor Leste, I am confident that:

Together, we will have a Strong, Prosperous and Secure Timor Leste

DILI – Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares (HNGV) rejista ona pasiente nain 8 ne’ebe mate tanba hetan moras TBC. Numeru pasiente ne’e kompostu husi labarik kiik to’o ema boot.

Xefi Departamentu Estatistika HNGV, Maria Hornay ba jornalista iha nia knaar fatin, HNGV Bidau Lecidere Dili, Sesta (18/02), hateten katak, tuir estatistika HNGV nian komesa fulan Janeiru 2011, rejista ona ema ne’ebe moras TBC hamutuk 55, Dengue 25, moras Bronko Phonomia Pozitivu hamutuk 35, moras diarea ou kabun moras rezulta ema nain 45, entretantu moras malaria hamutuk nain 24.

“Husi numeru moras hirak sira ne’e, TBC halo ema nain 8 mate. Ema hirak ne’e baixa iha hospital depois mate. Moras TBC ne’e afeta komesa husi labarik ho idade 15, inklui ema boot. Moras Bronku phonomia hamate ema 2, kabun moras rezulta ema nain 3 mate, no malaria hamate labarik nain 3,” Hornay informa.

Iha fatin hanesan, Direitora Jeral HNGV, Odete Viegas haktuir, iha fulan Fevereiru 2011, moras ne’ebe domina iha HNGV ne’e mak nafatin respiratoriu ba labarik sira, inklui moras hanesan hipertensaun ne’ebe mos sei domina nafatin iha HNGV.

Odete hatutan, kompara ho fulan foin dadaun liu ba ne’e, iha numeru ke aumenta husi fulan kotuk. Ida ne’e relasiona ho situasaun klimatika ne’ebe iha. Tan ne’e, moras ne’ebe to’o mai iha HNGV barak tebes.

“Moras respiratoriu (saluran pernapasan), mai husi labarik sira ne’ebe kona mal nutrisaun. Tanba mal nutrisaun as vezes labarik sira mai ho hahan ne’ebe la adekuadu, hahan menus, depois hetan moras. Entaun ne’e fasil atu komplika,” Odete esplika.

Parte HNGV nian, sempre buka meius atu fo atendementu ne’ebe diak tuir sira nia kapasidade rekursus. “Ami sempre fo atendimentu ne’ebe diak ho rekursu nebe iha, alende rekursu humanu no rekursu materias ne’ebe ami iha buka atu melhora liu tan.

Maibe ita mos hare katak mortalidade ba inan ho oan mos iha estatistika tuun.

Parece mos iha tinan ida ne’e, foin dadaun liu-liu iha Pedatria, angka ne’e sa’e uitoan tanba ho situasaun iklima mak iha no mos pasiente ne’ebe to’o mai labarik sira iha kondisaun ke grave. Medikus infermeirus, parteira ema hot-hotu buka atu fo nafatin kontribuisaun maxima ba ema sira ne’e to’o diak,” Direitora HNGV ne’e garante.

Entretantu pasiente TBC, Antonina Gomes, kontenti ho atendementu HNGV, tanba bele atende nia moras durante ne’e. “Hau halo tratamentu iha ne’e diak tanba ita hare katak doutores husi Cubano sira mos, fo ai moruk no bandu hau oi-oin atu la bele han durante halao taratamentu ativu. To’o oras ne’e, hau sinti diak uitoan ona,” Nina haktuir.

Iha parte seluk, Xefi Centru Saude Formosa, Jaime dos Reis Belo, ba STL, iha Centru Saude Formosa hateten, durante tinan foun 2011, moras ne’ebe domina iha Centru Saude Formosa mak hanesan diarea. “Moras tee ben ne’e rezulta liu labarik sira, maioria idade tinan lima mai kraik, inklui mos ema boot sira ho numeru ladun barak, “ Jaime esplika. Fal

Suai Martial Art fighting

Violence between gangs in the western part of Timor Leste (Suai Jumalai) Claimed the life of a warrior Teki Dias. The unrest has destruct homes of innocent citizens, approximately 130 houses burned by the fire on Monday 15 August 2011.

in the incident not only lives liras puzzle veterans are victims but there is also a life of a PNTL officer now in critical condition. People running around, into the forest and to save themselves .

Until now, there are no security from the security forces like F-FDTL. Kadalak confirmation from the parties asked the government to press through the prime minister immediately dissolve the martial art which in the recent rioting and rampant in this land.

Government takes decisiveness in taking harsh action against the criminals, Not martial arts to defend his people even destroy this country as has happened in the year 1999. car001

Background Note: Timor-Leste

Official Name: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste

PROFILE

Geography
Area: 15,007 sq. km.
Cities: Capital--Dili; Baucau.
Terrain: Mountainous.
Climate: Tropical; hot, semi-arid; rainy and dry seasons.

People
Nationality: Noun--Timorese; adjective--Timorese.
Population (2010 census): 1,066,582.
Religion: Catholic 96.5%.
Languages: Portuguese, Tetum (official languages); English, Bahasa Indonesia (working languages).
Education: Literacy--50.1%.
Health: Life expectancy (2010; both sexes)--62 years. Child mortality rate (2010; under 5, both sexes)--64 per 1,000 population.

Government
Type: Parliamentary republic.
Independence (from Portugal): November 28, 1975.
Restoration of independence: May 20, 2002. (See History section.)
Constitution: March 2002.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--unicameral parliament. Judicial--Supreme Court and supporting hierarchy. The Supreme Court has not yet been formed; the Court of Appeal functions, on an interim basis, as the Supreme Court.
Major political parties: Revolutionary Front of Independent East Timor (FRETILIN), National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), Democratic Party (PD), Social Democratic Party (PSD), Timorese Social Democratic Association (ASDT), National Unity Party (PUN), People's Party of Timor (PPT), Klibur Oan Timor Asuwain (KOTA), and National Union of Timorese Resistance (UNDERTIM).

Economy
GDP (non-oil, 2009 est.): $590 million.
GDP per capita (nominal, 2009 est.): $542.
GDP composition by sector (2006): Services 55%, agriculture 32%, industry 13%.
Industry: Types--coffee, oil and natural gas.
Trade: Exports--coffee, oil and natural gas. Major markets--Australia, Europe, Japan, United States. Imports--basic manufactures, commodities. Major sources--Australia, Europe, Indonesia, Japan, United States.

GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
Timor-Leste is located in Southeast Asia, on the southernmost edge of the Indonesian archipelago, northwest of Australia. The country includes the eastern half of Timor island as well as the Oecussi exclave in the northwest portion of Indonesian West Timor, and the islands of Atauro and Jaco. The mixed Malay and Pacific Islander culture of the Timorese people reflects the geography of the country on the border of those two cultural areas. Portuguese influence during the centuries of colonial rule resulted in a substantial majority of the population identifying itself as Roman Catholic. Some of those who consider themselves Catholic practice a mixed form of religion that includes local animist customs. As a result of the colonial education system and the 23-year Indonesian occupation, approximately 13% of Timorese speaks Portuguese, 43% speak Bahasa Indonesia, and 6% speak English, according to the 2004 census. Tetum, the most common of the local languages, is spoken by approximately 91% of the population, although only 46.2% speak Tetum Prasa, the form of Tetum dominant in the Dili district. Mambae, Kemak, and Fataluku are also widely spoken. This linguistic diversity is enshrined in the country's constitution, which designates Portuguese and Tetum as official languages and English and Bahasa Indonesia as working languages.

HISTORY
Portuguese and Dutch traders made the first western contact with Timor in the early 16th century. Sandalwood and spice traders, as well as missionaries, maintained sporadic contact with the island until 1642, when the Portuguese moved into Timor in strength. The Portuguese and the Dutch, based at the western end of the island in Kupang, battled for influence until the present-day borders were agreed to by the colonial powers in 1906. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor from 1942-45. Portugal resumed colonial authority over East Timor in 1945 after the Japanese defeat in World War II.

Following a military coup in Lisbon in April 1974, Portugal began a rapid and disorganized decolonization process in most of its overseas territories, including East Timor. Political tensions--exacerbated by Indonesian involvement--heated up, and on August 11, 1975, the Timorese Democratic Union Party (UDT) launched a coup d'etat in Dili. The putsch was followed by a brief but bloody civil war in which the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) pushed UDT forces into Indonesian West Timor. Shortly after the FRETILIN victory in late September, Indonesian forces began incursions into East Timor. On October 16, five journalists from Australia, Britain, and New Zealand were murdered in the East Timorese town of Balibo shortly after they had filmed regular Indonesian army troops invading East Timorese territory. On November 28, FRETILIN declared East Timor an independent state, and Indonesia responded by launching a full-scale military invasion on December 7. On December 22, 1975 the UN Security Council called on Indonesia to withdraw its troops from East Timor.

Declaring a provisional government made up of Timorese allies on January 13, 1976, the Indonesian Government said it was acting to forestall civil strife in East Timor and to prevent the consolidation of power by the FRETILIN party. The Indonesians claimed that FRETILIN was communist in nature, while the party's leadership described itself as social democratic. Coming on the heels of the communist victories in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, the Indonesian claims were accepted by many in the West. Major powers also had little incentive to confront Indonesia over a territory seen as peripheral to their security interests. Nonetheless, the widespread popular support shown for the guerilla resistance launched by the Timorese made clear that the Indonesian occupation was not welcome. The Timorese were not permitted to determine their own political fate via a free vote, and the Indonesian occupation was never recognized by the United Nations.

The Indonesian occupation of Timor was initially characterized by a program of brutal military repression. Beginning in the late 1980s, however, the occupation was increasingly characterized by programs to win the "hearts-and-minds" of the Timorese through the use of economic development assistance and job creation while maintaining a strict policy of political repression, although serious human rights violations--such as the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre--continued. Estimates of the number of Timorese who lost their lives to violence and hunger during the Indonesian occupation range from 100,000 to 250,000. On January 27, 1999, Indonesian Presi dent B.J. Habibie announced his government's desire to hold a referendum in which the people of East Timor would chose between autonomy within Indonesia and independence. Under an agreement among the United Nations, Portugal, and Indonesia, the referendum was held on August 30, 1999. When the results were announced on September 4--78% voted for independence with a 98.6% turnout--Timorese militias organized and supported by the Indonesian military (TNI) commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. While pro-independence FALINTIL guerillas remained cantoned in UN-supervised camps, the militia and the TNI killed approximately 1,300 Timorese and forcibly relocated as many as 300,000 people into West Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On September 20, 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country, bringing the violence to an end.

Timor-Leste became a fully independent republic with a parliamentary form of government on May 20, 2002, following approximately two and a half years under the authority of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The country's first parliament was formed from the 88-member Constituent Assembly chosen in free and fair, UN-supervised elections in August 2001. The FRETILIN Party won the majority of Assembly seats. Mari Alkatiri, FRETILIN's Secretary General, became the first Prime Minister, and the country's 29-member cabinet was dominated by FRETILIN. Xanana Gusmao was elected in free and fair elections on April 14, 2002 as President. UNTAET's mandate ended with East Timor's independence, but a successor organization, the UN Mission for the Support of East Timor (UNMISET), was established to provide additional support to the government. UNMISET's mandate expired on May 20, 2005 after the UN Security Council unanimously approved the creation of a small special political mission in Timor-Leste, the UN Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL), to take its place. Under the constitution ratified in March 2002, "laws and regulations in force continue to be applicable to all matters except to the extent that they are inconsistent with the Constitution." New criminal and procedure codes have been enacted, and a civil code is under review by the government.

In February 2006, approximately 400 military personnel (from a total military strength of 1,400) petitioned President Gusmao to address their complaints of discrimination. The commander of the country's armed forces (F-FDTL) dismissed the petitioners, who reacted with a demonstration that flared into violence on April 28. In response to the escalating unrest, large numbers of people began to flee their homes for internally displaced persons (IDP) camps or the outlying districts. The violence mounted with a series of deadly clashes among the F-FDTL, dissident military forces, civilians, and some police occurring on May 23-25. After these clashes civil order collapsed. Mob and gang violence took over the capital, resulting in additional deaths, widespread destruction of property, and the continued displacement of thousands of Dili residents. At the peak of the crisis, there was a national total of about 150,000 IDPs.

Facing a full-scale collapse of civil order, the Government of Timor-Leste on May 28 requested the Governments of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Portugal to send security forces to stabilize the country. Under heavy domestic political pressure due to his handling of the crisis, Prime Minister Alkatiri resigned on June 27. Jose Ramos-Horta--the Foreign and Defense Minister in the Alkatiri government--became Prime Minister on July 10, and a new cabinet was sworn in on July 14, 2006.

On August 25, 2006 the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1704, creating the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT). UNMIT’s mandate was to assist in restoring stability, rebuilding the institutions comprising the security sector, supporting the Government of Timor-Leste in conducting the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections, and achieving accountability for the crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed in 1999, among other aims. UNMIT also has a policing component of about 1,500 foreign police personnel. In May 2009 UNMIT police began transferring primary policing responsibility to the Timorese Police Force (PNTL) on a district-by-district basis. As of February 2011, the PNTL had resumed policing authority in 10 of 13 districts. The UN Security Council has extended UNMIT's mandate on an annual basis since 2006. (UNMIT's own website provides additional information: http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/unmit/ )

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS
Timor-Leste held presidential elections in the spring of 2007. On April 9, voters chose from a slate of eight candidates. With a voter turnout of almost 82%, the top two finishers were the FRETILIN Party candidate Francisco "Lu-olo" Guterres, who received 28% of the vote, and Jose Ramos-Horta, who received 22% of the vote after stepping down as Prime Minister to run as an independent candidate with the endorsement of then-President Xanana Gusmao. In the runoff election on May 9, required because the electoral law specifies that a candidate must win a majority, Ramos-Horta won by a landslide, receiving 69% of the vote. The presidential elections experienced some procedural glitches, but were largely free of violence and significant irregularity.

The Government of Timor-Leste held parliamentary elections on June 30, 2007. Observers agree that the elections were generally free and fair. FRETILIN won the most seats in parliament, but no single party won a majority and the various parties did not agree to form a national unity government. On August 6, 2007, President Ramos-Horta asked Xanana Gusmao, the leader of a coalition with a majority of the seats in the parliament (the Alliance with a Parliamentary Majority or AMP), to form a government. Gusmao was sworn in as Prime Minister along with most of the other ministers in the new government on August 8, 2007. Although the June elections proceeded in a largely peaceful atmosphere, violent disturbances broke out in several areas of Dili and the eastern districts of Baucau and Viqueque when the president announced the formation of a new government as FRETILIN partisans took to the streets to protest that they had not been given an opportunity to form a government. The unrest subsided within days, but the affected areas remained tense for several weeks thereafter and FRETILIN continues to assert that the AMP government is unconstitutional although it participates actively in the work of the national parliament.

Upon taking office, the AMP government put the problems of the internally displaced persons, the petitioners, and other issues flowing from the 2006 crisis at the top of its policy agenda. The Ministry of Social Solidarity launched an IDP reintegration program, including resettlement assistance and financial support, that allowed for the gradual closing of the camps. All but a few of the nearly 150,000 IDPs had returned home or been resettled by July 2010. The government also succeeded in resolving the grievances of the military petitioners. Accepting monetary compensation, they closed their encampment in Dili and returned to their homes.

On February 11, 2008 followers of former military police commander and fugitive Alfredo Reinado attacked President Ramos-Horta. Ramos-Horta sustained gunshot injuries and was airlifted to Darwin, Australia, where he underwent medical treatment. Prime Minister Gusmao escaped unharmed after his bodyguards thwarted a separate attack against him the same day as the attack on the president. The president's bodyguards killed Reinado. The government, with the approval of the national parliament, immediately imposed a state of siege which temporarily imposed a curfew, curtailed freedom of assembly, and gave security forces greater latitude for arrests and searches. These emergency measures were scaled back as conditions stabilized over the following weeks. President Ramos-Horta returned to Timor-Leste on April 17. The state of emergency was lifted completely when the remainder of Maj. Reinado’s followers surrendered to authorities on April 29, 2008. Most of them were subsequently convicted on March 3, 2010, for their involvement in the assassination attempt. Ramos-Horta subsequently commuted the sentences of the defendants, and they were released. Since 2008 the government has succeeded in restoring relative calm and maintained stability throughout the country. Presidential and parliamentary elections are expected to take place the first half of 2012.

Principal Government Officials
Head of State (President)--Jose Ramos-Horta
Head of Government (Prime Minister)--Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao
Deputy Prime Minister--Jose Luis Guterres
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Zacarias Albano da Costa
Ambassador to the United Nations--Sofia Borges
Ambassador to the United States--Constancio Pinto

Timor-Leste maintains an embassy at 4201 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (telephone: 202-966-3202). Timor-Leste Government website: http://timor-leste.gov.tl/

ECONOMY
Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world, with basic income, health, and literacy levels similar to those of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Both infrastructure and resources are lacking in urban and rural areas. Unemployment and underemployment combined are estimated to be as high as 70%. Half of the country's population lives below the poverty line.

Oil and gas revenues have surged since 2005 as major projects in the Joint Petroleum Development Area that Timor-Leste shares with Australia have come online. The government set up a special Petroleum Fund in 2005 to facilitate the sustainable use of its revenues over the long term. Petroleum Fund assets reached $6.9 billion in 2010.

The economy is dependent on government spending (financed by petroleum revenues) and assistance from international donors. Private sector development has lagged due to human capital shortages and an inefficient regulatory environment.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Timor-Leste joined the United Nations on September 27, 2002. It is pursuing membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and became a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in July 2005. Timor-Leste's foreign policy has placed a high priority on its relationships with Indonesia; regional friends such as Malaysia and Singapore; and donors such as Australia, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Portugal.

Relations Between Indonesia and Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste and Indonesia have full diplomatic relations. In 2005 Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Timor-Leste, including the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili where Indonesian troops had massacred hundreds of Timorese in 1991. After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated parts of Indonesia, the Government of Timor-Leste contributed humanitarian assistance to the victims. Likewise, the Indonesian Government sent humanitarian assistance to help those displaced by the unrest in Dili in 2006. After assuming office in May 2007, President Ramos-Horta traveled to Jakarta for his first state visit abroad. When former President Suharto died in January 2008, Prime Minister Gusmao and other senior officials traveled to Indonesia to pay their respects.

In 2005, Indonesia and Timor-Leste created a bilateral Truth and Friendship Commission (TFC) in order "to establish the conclusive truth in regard to the events prior to and immediately after the popular consultation in 1999, with a view to promoting reconciliation and friendship, and ensuring the non-recurrence of similar events." In July 2008, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and President Jose Ramos-Horta met in Bali to receive the TFC’s report and to endorse its recommendations. The report acknowledged that abuses had been committed by persons on both sides of the conflict, and assigned “institutional responsibility” for human rights violations to the armed forces of Indonesia. While some critics fault the report’s failure to press for accountability on the part of individual Indonesian civilian and military leaders, supporters endorse the report’s recommendations for measures to promote reconciliation between the two countries. Such issues of past abuses and accountability are continuing challenges in the countries’ bilateral relationship.

RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND TIMOR-LESTE

The United States and Timor-Leste enjoy excellent bilateral relations based on shared interests and values. The United States has a large bilateral development assistance program--roughly $30 million in fiscal year 2010--and also contributes funds as a major member of a number of multilateral agencies such as the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank. U.S. assistance focuses on bolstering stability by strengthening the foundations of good governance, accelerating economic growth, improving the health of the Timorese people, and improving the capacity of the Timorese security forces. Aid from the United States to Timor-Leste from 2000-2010 totaled over $300 million. Timor-Leste maintains an embassy in Washington, DC, as well as a Permanent Mission in New York at the United Nations.

Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Judith R. Fergin
Deputy Chief of Mission--Jonathan Henick
USAID Director--vacant
Political/Economic/Public Affairs Officer--Christopher Crawford
U.S. Department of Defense Representative--Major Steven Johnson
Resident Legal Advisor--Alison Igoe

The U.S. Embassy in Timor-Leste is located at Praia de Coquieros, Dili; tel: 670-332-4684, fax: 670-331-3206.

TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, Trip Registration
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises Americans traveling and residing abroad through Country Specific Information, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings. Country Specific Information exists for all countries and includes information on entry and exit requirements, currency regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime, political disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information quickly about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or unstable.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found. The travel.state.gov website also includes information about passports, tips for planning a safe trip abroad and more.  More travel-related information also is available at  http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.

The Department's Smart Traveler app for U.S. travelers going abroad provides easy access to the frequently updated official country information, travel alerts, travel warnings, maps, U.S. embassy locations, and more that appear on the travel.state.gov site. Travelers can also set up e-tineraries to keep track of arrival and departure dates and make notes about upcoming trips. The app is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad (requires iOS 4.0 or later).

The Department of State encourages all U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad to register via the State Department's travel registration website or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate abroad (a link to the registration page is also available through the Smart Traveler app). Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency and will enable you to receive up-to-date information on security conditions.

Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for callers outside the U.S. and Canada.

Passports
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4-USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778); TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Passport information is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You may speak with a representative Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

Health Information
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) and a web site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. The CDC publication "Health Information for International Travel" can be found at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentYellowBook.aspx.

More Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov, the Department of State web site provides timely, global access to official U.S. foreign policy information, including more Background Notes, the Department's daily press briefings along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov

Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the federal government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help with the export process, and more.

Mobile Sources. Background Notes are available on mobile devices at http://m.state.gov/mc36882.htm, or use the QR code below.

 

In addition, a mobile version of the Department's http://www.state.gov website is available at http://m.state.gov, or use the QR code below

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Manfaat Tokek

Tokek yang dalam bahasa Inggrisnya dikenal dengan nama Tokay Gecko atau Tucktoo, ternyata mempunyai khasiat dan manfaat bagi kesehatan manusia yang diyakini masyarakat dapat menyembuhkan penyakit gatal pada kulit.Meskipun kecil, hewan yang satu ini memiliki manfaat yang cukup besar dalam dunia medis. Selain daging, darah dan empedu tokek juga diyakini bisa menjadi obat. Tak hanya itu, ternyata tokek juga berfungsi dapat mengobati AIDS yang terletak pada lidahnya.

Tokek sering digunakan dalam pengobatan tradisional Cina yang memiliki efek anti-tumor. Para ahli pengobatan China mengembangkan obat tumor dari organ tubuh tokek, karena dalam organ tersebut mampu menekan pertumbuhan dan penambahan sel-sel tumor. Tim yang diketuai Prof. Wang dari Universitas Henan, Cina, menunjukkan bahwa zat aktif tokek tidak hanya meningkatkan respons sistem kekebalan tubuh dari suatu organisme, tetapi juga menginduksi sel-sel tumor apoptosis (yang membunuh dirinya sendiri) serta menekan ekspresi protein VEGF dan bFGF, faktor pendukung berkembangnya kanker. Tokek efektif dimanfaatkan untuk menghilangkan tumor ganas, terutama tumor di bagian sistem pencernaan yang dijadikan sebagai alternatif pengobatan, yaitu operasi, radioterapi, dan kemoterapi.

Maraknya penangkapan satwa tokek belakangan ini yang memang sedang banyak diburu dan harganya yang mahal, kini menjadi rumor baru bahwa tokek dapat menyembuhkan virus HIV/AIDS. Namun, sampai saat ini memang belum ada riset khusus mengenai hal ini tetapi banyak masyarakat yang mempercayainya. Bahkan di beberapa daerah pun terdapat masyarakat yang mengkonsumsinya sebagai makanan ataupun obat penambah gairah seks.

Data WHO sejauh ini memang belum ditemukan obat untuk mengobati AIDS. Bila dilihat dari sisi kedokteran memang belum ada yang mengadakan penelitian khusus tentang khasiat tokek, namun bila diyakini bisa mengobati atau setidaknya mencegah penyakit AIDS tentu akan menjadi kemajuan besar dalam pengobatan tradisional. Namun medis memang diperlukan untuk menguji khasiat dan kandungan yang ada dalam tokek itu sendiri.

Tokek memiliki antibodi yang sangat bermanfaat bagi manusia untuk menetralisir racun dalam tubuh yang kita kenal sebagai alergi dengan beberapa klasifikasi segala jenis alergi kulit ataupun alergi pernafasan, seperti asma, gatal-gatal, kudis, eksim dan lain sebagainya. Dan yang lebih utama manfaat dari tokek terdapat pada pangkal ekor nya yang memiliki kemampuan regenerasi sel, yang dipercaya bermanfaat untuk memulihkan tenaga dan mengganti sel tubuh yang rusak setelah sakit atau yang terutama dapat segera mengembalikan fungsi vitalitas pria setelah beraktivitas.

Penggunaan tokek paling populer untuk mengobati penyakit asma dan dianggap dapat menyembuhkan penyakit tersebut secara efektif. Selain asma, tokek diyakini dapat mengobati impotensi, meningkatkan fungsi seksual pria, serta meningkatkan stamina. Tak hanya itu, terkadang tokek juga dicampurkan dengan obat-obatan lain untuk menyembuhkan batuk dan flu. Dosis yang direkomendasikan adalah tiga sampai sembilan gram per hari, biasanya dikonsumsi dalam bentuk bubuk atau pil, bisa juga direbus dalam air.

Sumber : www.melindahospital.com